April 25, 2014 – Come mid-June, Discretion Brewing will further cement its place on the local food landscape with the opening of The Kitchen at Discretion. Santos Majano, who has served as executive chef at Soif for the past five years, will helm the new restaurant with the help of his wife, Laura. A 15-year veteran of the restaurant business, Majano has tenures cooking at the two-Michelin-starred Healdsburg restaurant Cyrus and Paso Robles’ Artisan under his belt.
Until March 8, the organic, family-owned brewery on 41st Avenue in Soquel collaborated with chefs from nearby Main Street Garden & Café, who dished up a brief menu of locally sourced small plates and pub grub. Discretion recently put the call out for bids and received what owner Kathleen Genco describes as “a very detailed and well-thought-out proposal” from the Majanos. “We were impressed by everything about them,” she says.
Laura Majano says the couple—which has been huge fans and regular customers of Discretion since its opening—has long dreamed of launching their own endeavor. “It’s hard trying to find a spot where the front of the house would be as passionate and inspired as what you want to do in the back of house,” she tells Edible Monterey Bay, bubbling over with excitement about the news.
“We couldn’t believe that such an ideal opportunity was presenting itself when this came up. We were floored. It’s a dream come true. Discretion’s people, product, and philosophy are in line with what we also want to do. It’s like finding a perfect marriage,” she adds.
Compared to Discretion’s past food offerings, Genco says the new menu will be “similar only in that [Majano] will source from local farms.” Notably, the brewery will continue its relationship with Fogline Farm in Soquel, which takes spent grain from the brewery to feed to their animals and provides fresh ingredients when needed. She says The Kitchen at Discretion will bring the brewery’s founding vision full circle.
“Food to enjoy with the beer has always been part of the dream for the Discretion Brewing taproom,” says Genco. The one-year-old brewery took home a World Beer Cup gold medal for its “Song in Your Heart” mild ales in April.
When envisaging the edible direction for the now-popular brewpub, Discretion’s owners found inspiration from travels in Sweden and Germany and at Burnside Brewery in Portland, Ore., in particular. “They had a fantastic menu that was just what I wanted to eat with my beer and I’ve had that as inspiration in the back of my mind ever since: beautiful, seasonal, surprising, satisfying, and fun to share,” she says.
prepared by chef Santos Majano for
EMB’s article on heirloom melons
Because Majano is still at Soif, many details have yet to be hammered out. But Genco says to expect beer-focused, high-quality, approachable and farm-to-table cuisine. The Majanos are currently testing menu options in their own kitchen. “We’re eating very well at home right now,” laughs Laura, hinting that the resulting menu will likely include “some classics with a twist.”
“Comfort food” is another way they are describing the forthcoming fare. But it’s not necessarily going to be conventional comfort food, says Genco.
“At our brewery there is no snootiness about the beer,” she says. “We try very hard to be welcoming to people at every level of beer appreciation. That kind of enjoyment of beer invites accompanying food that is exquisite but not intimidating. For me, that’s where the ‘comfort food’ element comes in. Of course, everyone has different comfort foods. Perhaps it’s the spirit with which the food is made and the mood in which it’s shared that helps to make it a comfort.”
Santos Majano grew up in a farming family in El Salvador and has carried a farm-to-fork sensibility with him since. Laura says he has forged meaningful connections with local farmers during his time at Soif, which will continue. It will be hard for the Majanos to say goodbye to Soif, which has been very supportive and where Santos has been very happy, says Laura. “We are especially pleased to see a Soif alumnus moving out in the world, making it a tastier place. Although we will miss him greatly, Santos and his family, Laura and baby Mathew will always be part of the Soif family,” read a Soif newsletter. Owner Patrice Boyle says to expect an announcement about the next executive chef soon. (Stay tuned for that news.)
About the author
Elizabeth Limbach is an award-winning journalist living in Santa Cruz, California. In this fruitful region and beyond, she finds the intersections of food, ag, health and the environment to be the most intriguing realms to write about. A bookworm and vegan foodie, the San Diego native has lived in Santa Cruz for a decade, relishing its redwood forests, fresh produce, delicious wines, and sparkling sea.
