Chef Drew Smith to Host kō•än Pop-up at Sister Restaurant so•ca
kō•än, opening in Cary this August, plans to host a summer-long pop-up series at sister restaurant so•ca in Cameron Village. The pop-up features unique cocktails and small plates that diners can expect to find on the upcoming kō•än menu. Executive Chef Drew Smith and his talented team plan to launch the kō•än pop-up this Friday, June 28th at so•ca, located at 2130 Clark Ave, Raleigh, NC 27605. The regular menu will still be available at so•ca, along with the added kō•än pop-up items.
"The pop-up is a great way to showcase our upcoming menu at kō•än and allows for my team to have fun while being creative in the kitchen," states Executive Chef Drew Smith is working with Chef Eli Rodriguez’s talented team at so•ca, featuring craft cocktails by so•ca/kō•än beverage director, Tolson Kenney and pastries by Chef Amanda Haisley. The limited kō•än menu at sister restaurant so•ca will change weekly each Friday through early August.
The first weekly pop-up menu, starting tomorrow, features the following:
Small Plates
Charred Octopus | black rice, edamame, Chinese sausage, wonton
Yakiton | shoyu glazed pork cheek, ginger ponzu, pickles, sesame
Cocktail
Ume Spritz | Umeshu, Aperol, grapefruit, St. Germain, Crude ‘Sycophant’ Bitters, sparkling wine
Weekly pop-up menus will be announced on social media on Thursdays through August, and diners are encouraged to visit so•ca to be the first to taste options from the kō•än menu.
About kō•än
With a focus on humble, tranquil, “food for thought,” kō•än’s menu is focused on sharing food that celebrates the unsung heroes of Southeast Asian cuisine. The new restaurant will be located at 2800 Renaissance Park Pl., Cary, NC 27513.
For more information about kō•än, visit www.koancary.com or their Instagramand Twitter. For logos and pop-up photos, please visit Google Drive.
About Executive Chef Drew Smith
Starting in the restaurant industry in 2004, Drew Smith knew immediately that hospitality was his calling. Working as a bartender in Chapel Hill, NC he saved enough money to begin traveling. On a whim, he and a friend went backpacking through Southeast Asia for a few months. Exploring Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, the spark began.
The following summer, Smith moved to Saigon, Vietnam and that's where he discovered food and cooking. Figuring out how to make these dishes became and obsession. Between scuba dives and photographing this amazing culture, he wandered the streets looking for something delicious. For the first time, he stumbled upon Pho, a Vietnamese beef soup, and never looked back. Since, it’s become one of his most sought after dishes and one of the most important catalysts of his career.
Upon returning home, Smith started working at bu•ku in downtown Raleigh, NC hoping to save enough to attend a local culinary school. After speaking with the chef who advised against school, Smith started training in the kitchen instead. With nothing holding him back, he read, he watched and experimented with anything he could get his hands on. After 3 months, he was promoted to sous chef; after 12 months, chef de cuisine. After 5 years, it was time for a new direction. Smith joined the team at Standard Foods and worked under Chef-Owner Scott Crawford, studying and learning and absorbing anything and everything.
In February of 2016, he rejoined the bu•ku team and proceeded to open two restaurants in two years; so•ca in Cameron Village and bu•ku in Wake Forest.
The next chapter moves to Cary, NC where he can finally tell his story of those travels and those meals that changed his life. Hopefully the stories he tells through food can motivate others to explore the world, even without leaving the state we call home.
