The name of Dear Mom Cafe came to Jattalee (JJ) Chalernhinthong when she received her first Mother’s Day card.

“Dear Mom, I love you,” it read.

It’s a full-circle moment for Chalernhinthong, who founded Dear Mom in honor of her own mother, who lives in Thailand. Located in the former space of Vida Y Tacos, the cafe’s cuisine is inspired by her mother’s traditional Thai recipes, teachings and values.

“Dear Mom/ This one’s for you/ To all the early morning trips to the market/ To all the delicious meals/ To all the times you’ve been there for us/ We remember it all,” is the statement behind the concept. The statement is printed on a framed piece in the dining room and is the guiding force behind Dear Mom and its modern Thai cuisine with a Central Oregon twist.

Chalernhinthong and her husband, Ash Horachaikul, chef and owner of Dear Mom, relocated to Bend from Portland three months ago. They wanted their 5-year-old daughter to start school in Bend, where, Chalernhinthong said, they’d have a better life due to Bend’s security, friendly residents and better schools.

And with the family came Dear Mom’s staff, who are all close friends, including head chef Kwanchanok Singhakum, a friend of Chalernhinthong’s for 15 years. The dessert menu was created by pastry chef Jeep Sunadda and includes a sweet mango sticky rice with ice cream ($13) and Auntie Jeep daily bake ($10), a toffee cake with ice cream.

The fresh mango was served scored and sliced into squares still attached to the skin with a spring of mint, crushed peanuts and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The rice was warm and comforting. The toffee cake, also accompanied by a scoop of vanilla, was drizzled with caramel sauce and like many of the other dishes, presented on a banana leaf. The cake was springy and sweet.

As I dined at Dear Mom, a grandmother, mother and her baby enjoyed one another’s company at the table next to mine. It was an example of exactly what Chalernhinthong hoped her cafe would become — a celebration of all the mother figures in our lives.

“Would you mind if I took a picture of all of you?” Chalernhinthong said to the family.

As Chalernhinthong snapped the photo, she took a moment to connect with the women, sharing her story. Chalernhinthong said she hopes to create a wall featuring photos of her customers to capture the memories.

A former graphic designer, Chalernhinthong has intentionally designed every aspect of Dear Mom. The furniture is modern, there is loud wallpaper adorning the walls and pop music plays over the speakers. It promotes a relaxed atmosphere and Chalernhinthong hopes her customers take their time.

“We want to create a space where people come to have a good time and eat good food at a reasonable price. That’s my goal,” Chalernhinthong said.

The menu is short and sweet with enough choices to satisfy most. There are gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian options. There are small plates, a soup dish, several noodle and rice entrees and three mains; a coconut curry noodle ($18), a spicy crispy holy basil ($17) and an old-fashioned fried rice dish ($18).

The midnight chicken wings ($12), like all of Dear Mom’s dishes, are steeped in memories. When the staff worked at a restaurant in Portland, they would close at 10 p.m. to clean. By the time everything was done, they were tired and hungry. That’s when they would order chicken wings.

“Because you cannot go wrong with the chicken wing,” Chalernhinthong said. Indulging in the beloved dish eased the fatigue of a hard day’s work.

At Dear Mom, the midnight chicken wings are dressed in a caramelized fish sauce and served with a colorful side of housemade pickled vegetables, with a choice of original or spicy. There’s a lovely crispiness on the outside and the spicy wings offer just a hint of heat followed by a sweet flavor.

The plating of each dish is a work of art, full of vibrant colors and textures. In the coconut curry noodle dish, the smoked garlic chili oil makes a swirling pattern over the rich aromatic mustard-yellow coconut curry broth. There’s a sophisticated depth to the flavor of the sauce, which comes with a choice of a slow-braised chicken leg, tofu or roasted vegetables. It’s accompanied by bean sprouts, crispy wontons, sliced red onions and a wedge of lime.

The spicy holy basil noodle combines thick, chewy rice noodles with onions, sweet red bell peppers, Thai bird’s eye chili peppers and holy basil, a plant native to India and known for its health benefits. The aromatic leaves of holy basil were light and crisp and the plate had a pleasant spice that snuck up at the end.

The pad thai ($16) is simple and sweet. Thin rice noodles are mixed with cage-free eggs and bean sprouts, with the choice of shrimp, tofu or roasted vegetables. An additional mound of bean sprouts adorned the round blue plate, along with a pinch of ground peanuts and dried crushed red pepper, for additional flavor.

And the drinks added a special touch. Both the Thai iced tea and Thai iced Jasmine green tea ($5 each) had a delicious foam topping and a fun, festive straw with a piece of three-dimensional paper that folded out like a balloon.

Location: 320 SW Century Drive, Suite 410, Bend

Contact: 458-281-0511, @dearmomcafe.bend

Hours: 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m., 4:30-8 p.m. Monday-Friday, noon-8 p.m. Saturday

Price Range: $9-$18 per menu item

Happy Hours: 3-5 p.m. Monday-Friday

Cuisine: Modern Thai cuisine