YORK, Maine — SoMe Brewing Company is serving up signature dishes for the first time, including a Philly cheesesteak that pays homage to the owners’ hometown of Philadelphia.
Smash burgers, chicken sandwiches and veggie burgers are also on the menu this fall, when the Route 1 Brewery officially launches its new kitchen. Chef Cam Pappas was creating cheesesteaks and burgers for two “pop-up” nights during a soft opening on Thursday and Friday to give guests a preview.
The kitchen is moving away from the tasting room model that’s been popular in New Hampshire’s recent craft beer boom. Owner David Rowland said customers still come for the beer, but he’s been getting more calls asking if they’ll be serving food.
“At the end of the day, it’s still about the beer,” Rowland said. “But now they say, ‘Great,’ they come in and have a great meal.”
SoMe, short for Southern Maine Brewing Company, became York’s first brewery when it opened in 2013. Founded by David Rowland and his father, also named David, with the help of his sister Sarah as general manager, the brewery marked a new beginning for the family. Rowland and his wife were living in New Jersey at the time, but as experienced homebrewers, he and his father decided to pursue their dream of opening a brewery. After spending summers in York, the family moved to Maine to begin their new venture.
The brewery found success at 1 York St. with offerings like Whoopie Pie Stout and Crystal Persuasion IPA. The Rowlands then opened a second brewery, York Beach Beer Company, at the former post office site on Railroad Avenue.
Rowland said serving beer alone was enough in the early 2010s, when craft and nanobreweries opened across the state.
The idea of a brewpub was popular in the 1990s, he said, as was the Portsmouth Brewery.
“The whole tasting room model, where you could just make enough money by selling your beer, became a viable model,” Rowland said.
Sarah Rowland said a lot has changed since they first opened in 2014. Growlers were a big part of beer culture 10 years ago, but now the preference has shifted to cans.
“The other expectation is that there will be food,” she said.
She pointed to other breweries like Liar’s Bench in Portsmouth, which she said have developed a strong food program. Other breweries in Portland have also added kitchens, she said.
According to the Rowlands, their customers have expressed a similar demand. While they have worked with food trucks, they said it is difficult to have one available every weekday.
“We get it all the time, calls, a couple times a day. ‘Do you have food? Oh, sorry, and we don’t have a food truck today,'” David Rowland said. “We knew we were going to have to do it ourselves eventually.”
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New chef Cam Pappas is eager to serve York
Earlier this year, the Rowlands got in touch with Pappas, whose parents had become regulars at the brewery. The Rowlands mentioned that they were looking into serving food, and the Pappases told them that their son wanted to get back into the culinary field.
Pappas, 24, said he previously worked at a farm-to-table restaurant in Concord, Massachusetts, where he became a sous chef. He said he left that job during the pandemic to join his family’s business, where he did human resources and recruiting.
He said he appreciated the stability, but missed working with his hands. Pappas said “the stars aligned” when the Rowlands heard about his interest in working in food again through his parents. They started talking earlier this year and worked on remodeling the brewery’s kitchen and putting together a menu.
“I really enjoyed creating a physical product for people, seeing in real time how they react, enjoying it,” Pappas said. “You can get burned really quickly on (restaurants), but people do it for a reason. It’s magical.”
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Philly cheesesteak, the flagship sandwich at SoMe Brewing Company
The Rowlands said the first thing they wanted to put on their menu was an authentic Philly cheesesteak. It’s a simple but specific recipe that Dave Rowland says must be followed to the letter.
First up is the roll, which is to be a soft Amaroso sub-roll. The Rowlands ordered the rolls directly from Philadelphia.
“There’s something about the sandwiches, whether it’s the water in Philly,” said Sarah Rowland.
Next comes shaved ribeye, according to David Rowland, followed by one of three choices of cheese — American, provolone or cheese wiz. There can only be one other ingredient in a true Philly cheesesteak, he said, and that’s onions — white or Vidalia. Pappas said they should be cooked just enough so they’re still a little crispy.
“Mushrooms are allowed in certain places,” said David Rowland. “But if you put peppers on a cheesesteak, it’s not a Philly cheesesteak. Get rid of it.”
Pappas and the Rowlands are also excited about their other items. Smash burgers come with two patties, while the Little Smash has just one. The veggie burgers are made by a Maine company called Veggie Life, which Sarah Rowland said is a high-end quinoa-based burger. It comes with Swiss cheese, avocado and pesto mayonnaise, she said.
Pappas is currently the only one in the kitchen, except for one other employee: his mother, Michele. Sarah Rowland said the limited staff means the kitchen may be closed on certain days at first. She said they’re excited to offer a new option to residents, who will soon lose many of their seasonal dining options as winter approaches. They also plan to take advantage of Mondays, when most restaurants in town are closed.
Sarah Rowland said there will be a learning curve as they develop their workflow for serving food. The change also now requires dog owners to be served outside because of regulations for establishments with kitchens, she said. Until now, dogs have been welcome to come inside while their owners enjoy their beer.
The Rowlands hope to have their kitchen up and running within a few weeks, they said. Other menu items under consideration include meatball subs and pretzels with beer cheese flights.
“I can’t wait to answer that phone call when someone says, ‘Do you have food?’ and I can say, ‘Yes, we’re opening at noon,'” David Rowland said. “And we can stop turning people away.”
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This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: SoMe Brewing Company launches kitchen with tribute to Philly cheesesteak
