{"id":16680,"date":"2017-03-09T08:00:24","date_gmt":"2017-03-09T16:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/archives.csusm.edu\/westcoastersd\/?p=16680"},"modified":"2018-04-17T11:38:28","modified_gmt":"2018-04-17T18:38:28","slug":"food-smith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archives.csusm.edu\/westcoastersd\/2017\/03\/09\/food-smith\/","title":{"rendered":"Plates & Pints: Food Smith"},"content":{"rendered":"

Societe Brewing\u2019s Lorah Smith keeps her co-workers fed and her Facebook followers salivating<\/em><\/p>\n

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Lorah Smith from Societe Brewing Co.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Last year, I took a job at Kearny Mesa\u2019s Societe Brewing Company. Having been a long-time fan of that operation, I\u2019d had the pleasure of getting to know numerous members of the Societe team prior to coming aboard. I\u2019d long admired their deep-seeded appreciation for beer and the brewing process, and looked forward to working with like-minded souls in that regard. But I had no idea that I\u2019d also find common-ground where my culinary passions are concerned.<\/p>\n

One of my biggest concerns in spending five-days-a-week at Societe was how I was going to resist the urge to consume The Pupil, The Dandy, The Butcher and their cousins on a far-too-frequent basis. It remains challenging, I\u2019ll admit, but I manage somehow. As it turns out, there\u2019s even more to be tempted by at my workday digs\u2014namely a constant barrage of home-made, edible goodness brought in on plates and platters, in tinfoil and Tupperware, and always warm, odoriferous, fluffy, gooey, piping hot or otherwise desirable thanks to its maker, Lorah Smith.<\/p>\n

To many, Lorah is \u201cTravis\u2019 wife\u201d, and while that is true from a literal sense (she does sport a wedding band bestowed upon her by our brewmaster), to her family at Societe, she is so much more\u2014kind-hearted spearhead of our charitable and humanitarian efforts, coordinator of our offsite beer-dinners, maternal herder of cats and nourisher of the masses. I found out about that last one after being treated to three days of tasty baked goods during my first week of employment. Many dishes, both savory and sweet, have followed. So, too, have dozens of conversations about food and her daily cooking conquests, proof of which are presented via her appetizing Facebook timeline.<\/p>\n

I instantly felt a kinship with Lorah. We\u2019ve both been bitten by the cooking-bug, but she\u2019s far more prolific than I am these days. I marvel at her output and creativity. There have been times when she\u2019s made more food than her audiences can consume. Keep in mind that her audiences regularly consist of her hungry-man husband and trio of kiddos, and the 20-plus employees of a brewery where more than half of those folks have completed a challenge that involves consuming a two-and-a-half-pound burrito and full-serving of imperial stout in less than 20 minutes. To outcook these folks is quite the feat.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re not impressed yet, a look at some of the dishes she\u2019s fixed up ought to do it: herb-crusted rack of lamb with balsamic-glazed portobellos and chevre-stuffed potatoes, home-made pho, New Orleans-style Asian braised pork belly, chilaquiles with hatch green chile salsa, and carnitas made from a pig that Travis guy butchered himself. Then there\u2019s the hearty chili made with meat from a bear gifted to the Smiths by local beer-scene gadabout Bobby Mathews, which was both exotic and delicious! And keep in mind, these aren\u2019t things she busted out for special occasions. These are days-that-end-with-a-Y territory. The woman just loves to cook and can do it well.<\/p>\n

So, when it came time to focus on a local culinarian with chops, gusto and some recipes to share, it was a no-brainer that I shine a light on this generous gastronome. You can call her \u201cTravis\u2019 wife\u201d if you insist, but you\u2019d do just as well to refer to her as \u201cchef.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bangers and Mash\u00a0with Braised Cabbage and Beer-Onion Gravy<\/strong>
\nPaired with The Haberdasher English IPA or The Pugilist Dry Stout<\/em>
\nYield: 4 servings<\/p>\n