February 1, 2023 by Charles Bingham

Sitka Local Foods Network hosts sixth annual Sitka Food Business Innovation Contest

Do you think you have a great idea for a food business or product from Sitka? Do you grow food, fish for food, or cook food in Sitka? The Sitka Local Foods Network is hosting the sixth annual Sitka Food Business Innovation Contest in an effort to spark local food entrepreneurs so we can make more local food available to residents and visitors. The contest entry deadline is Friday, March 17.

This contest will provide two $1,500 kicker prizes to help entrepreneurs launch or expand their food businesses. The contest is open to food businesses and individuals making and selling food products in Sitka, Alaska. All food business ideas must be geared toward getting more locally grown, harvested and/or produced food into the Sitka marketplace through sales in grocery stores, the Sitka Food Co-Op, the Sitka Farmers Market, restaurants, or individual marketing (such as a community supported agriculture/CSA or community supported fisheries/CSF program).

“The Sitka Local Foods Network’s mission is to get more locally harvested and produced food into the diets of Southeast Alaskans,” said Charles Bingham, Sitka Local Foods Network board president. “For the past decade we’ve offered entrepreneurs a chance to sell their produce, bread and fish at the Sitka Farmers Market, grown produce to sell at the market through St. Peter’s Fellowship Farm, and provided a garden education program to residents. We think this contest is the next step toward getting more local food into the Sitka marketplace. Our prizes are available to Sitka residents who are sustainably growing, foraging, fishing, or manufacturing food for people in Sitka.”

Last year, we awarded our two $1,500 prizes to Gretchen Stelzenmuller of Enoki Eatery and to Edith Johnson and Lexi Fish-Hackett for a fish broth project. Enoki Eatery sold musubi, a Japanese-Hawaiian dish of rice and Spam rolled up in seaweed, but with Alaska fish or mushrooms replacing the Spam. Edith and Lexi spent the summer testing recipes and developing their fish broth product, which they hope to introduce this year.

In 2021, we awarded our $1,500 prize for established business to Jo Michalski of Muddy Mermaid Mudd Pies, which she sells at her Jo’s Downtown Dawgs hotdog/burger cart and to local restaurants. Our $1,500 prize for start-up business went to Nalani James of Eggstravagent, which are eggs from chickens she raised in town and sold to local customers (sometimes at the Sitka Farmers Market).

In 2020, we awarded our $1,500 prize for established business to Andrew Jylkka of Southeast Dough Co., who is baking sourdough bread, as well as making sauerkraut and kimchi. Our $1,500 prize for start-up business went to Levi Adams of Forage & Farm, where he is harvesting and growing mushrooms. Our prizes were determined before the Covid-19 shutdowns, but both business owners found ways to develop and build their businesses during the pandemic.

In 2019, we gave $1,500 prizes to Brittany Dumag of the Castaway food cart in the start-up business category and to Tamara Kyle of Sitka Sauers in the established business category. We also gave a special $250 award to 12-year-old Abigail Ward who entered her Sitka Seasonings business. Brittany made Cuban pork sandwiches (using pork from North Pole) and other food to sell at various places in Sitka, including the Sitka Farmers Market. Tamara planned to ramp up her fermented foods business, but she ended up having some health issues that prevented her from completing her project and she ended up refunding most of her prize money. Abby made spice blends for seafood and other meats, which she sold at the first two Sitka Farmers Markets of 2019 and at other venues.

In our inaugural contest in 2018, we gave a $1,500 prize to Hope Merritt of Gimbal Botanicals in the established business category. We had no entrants in the start-up business category, so no prize was awarded in 2018. Hope used her prize money to hire two interns to help her harvest seaweed and kelp and to help produce her products.

Participants in this contest are eligible and encouraged to enter other food business innovation contests, such as the Path To Prosperity or Symphony of Seafood contests. All participants retain the proprietary rights to their products and ideas. This contest is open to new and existing food businesses in Sitka, but this year we eliminated the separate categories and everybody is competing for the same awards. Student businesses (such as those fostered by Junior Achievement or similar programs) are welcome.

There is a small $25 entry fee for this contest. All participants (business and individual) must complete and submit our contest entry form by 5 p.m. on Friday, March 17, 2023 (by snail mail so it arrives before the deadline to Sitka Local Foods Network, Food Business Innovation Contest Entries, 408-D Marine Street, Sitka, Alaska, 99835, or by email with the Subject Line of “Food Business Innovation Contest Entries” to sitkalocalfoodsnetwork@gmail.com). Submitting a business plan (up to 20 pages) is recommended, but not required.

Our entry form will have room for you to describe your food business idea in a few paragraphs, but submitting a business plan will give you more room to outline your plans for funding and marketing the idea and will help your overall score. Judging will be based on how your food business idea provides new local food options in Sitka, how novel is your food business idea, how feasible is your food business (can it make a profit and be sustainable), and how professional is your presentation. At some time in late March or early April, the Sitka Local Foods Network may host a pitch presentation, where judges will interview the contest entrants and try samples of the food products. Our judging panel will score your presentation and entry form based on how your idea has a measurable impact on providing local food in Sitka (25%), has the potential for commercialization (25%), provides new employment in Sitka (25%) and fills a need in the Sitka marketplace (25%). We will give bonus points to those businesses that plan to participate in the 2023 Sitka Farmers Market.

In 2022 we made a few changes to the rules. First, since we ended up moving a couple of entries between categories the past two years we decided to eliminate the categories and now everybody is competing for the same two awards. Second, each entry now MUST include a sample, itemized budget showing how the business owner plans to use the prize money. Third, each prize winner will sign a winner’s agreement contract before receiving the prize money that lists a series of benchmarks toward getting the product/service to market that need to be met by a certain date or else all or part of the prize money will need to be refunded to the Sitka Local Foods Network.

The Sitka Local Foods Network reserves the right to reduce or not make an award if the judges determine the applications don’t meet the minimum standards. Purchasing items such as masks and hand sanitizer to prevent the spread of Covid-19 are acceptable uses of prize money. Marijuana edibles are not eligible for the contest.

• Sitka Food Business Innovation Contest Entry Form 2023

April 24, 2022 by Charles Bingham

Fish broth project, Enoki Eatery win $1,500 prizes in fifth Sitka Food Business Innovation Contest

One group of winners is using parts of fish that normally are wasted to create fish broth, while the other winner has a Japanese-Hawaiian pop-up restaurant with an Alaska twist. Congratulations to Lexi Fish-Hackett and Edith Johnson of the as-yet unnamed fish broth business and to Gretchen Stelzenmuller of Enoki Eatery. They are the winners of $1,500 each in the fifth annual Sitka Food Business Innovation Contest.

“We are happy to encourage more businesses to get into the local food system with our contest,” said Charles Bingham, board president of the Sitka Local Foods Network, which sponsors the contest. “Even though we had other entries, our judges were unanimous in picking these two standouts. We really liked the fish broth business, since it is reducing wasted parts of the fish. Enoki Eatery is offering new tastes in Sitka, and the smoked salmon musubi is really tasty. The Sitka Local Foods Network’s mission is to increase the amount of locally harvested and produced foods into the diets of Southeast Alaskans, so we hope our prizes continue to encourage local food entrepreneurs here in Sitka.”

The fish broth business is still getting off the ground, but the two women behind it have deep roots in Sitka’s food system. Edith Johnson owns Our Town Catering and was head chef at a couple of Sitka hotels before opening her own catering business, while Lexi Fish-Hackett is co-owner of Fish and Family Seafoods and studied nutrition in college.

“Our food business idea is to create a fish broth product and bring it to market. Broth is such a kitchen staple and can be used in so many types of cuisines. Plus we both love soup. Who doesn’t?” Edith and Lexi said. “There’s so much goodness in the bones of fish, which don’t get fully utilized on a commercial level, and we want to tap into that.”

In their entry form, Edith wrote, “Lexi approached me with an idea that she has had for years, the thought of using fish ‘waste’ — heads, bones and the meat left on the bones — to make a product that is very sustainable but also helps use fish parts that are thrown away. Every year in Sitka alone, thousands of fish carcasses are tossed into the ocean or disposed of. We would use these to make a fish bone broth.”

Edith and Lexi plan to make three types of fish broth. The first type is a bone broth that is clear and versatile using salmon bones and meat. The second type is a smoked salmon broth, which uses fish heads smoked by Catch Sitka Seafoods, and produces a concentrated broth that is richer and flavorful, meant for soups with heavy creams or milk. The third type is a Sitka-style fumet, which is a rich, high-end French broth with leeks, garlic, white wine, and gently poached halibut. A fumet is targeted to fish sauces on a high-end scale for delicate broths.

“We are really excited to work on creating a pantry essential that is sourced from our local Southeast Alaska waters,” Lexi and Edith said. “Another goal is to help to improve food security in Alaska by focusing sales within our region and state, at least to start. We want to create a product that is convenient, nutritious, and that people love!”

Gretchen Stelzenmuller grew up in Sitka, but spent time living in Hawai’i before coming back to Sitka. She worked in kitchens along the way. She started Enoki Eatery a few months ago, and had pop-up restaurants at Harbor Mountain Brewing and the Backdoor Cafe. She was using the Sitka Fine Arts Camp kitchen for her pop-up cooking, but will be looking for another kitchen to use this summer. She hopes to have a bicycle food cart for special events, such as the Sitka Farmers Market, and to use pop-up locations at other times. Eventually she hopes to find a more permanent location.

“Enoki Eatery was born from my love of making food as beautiful as it is delicious, sustainable as it is convenient,” Gretchen wrote on her entry form. “Enoki Eatery combines unique Southeast Alaskan flavors and ingredients with the style and inspiration of Japanese street food. We specialize in musubi, a Hawaiian/japanese snack food of sticky rice, togarashi seasoning (mainly sesames and seaweed) topped with protein, such as smoked salmon, chicken, or mushroom wrapped in sheets of nori seaweed, for easy eating and extra nutrients.

“It is most commonly served with spam, and though I do serve it this way, I am trying to use healthier and more sustainable ingredients that reflect Alaskan culture. Our other menu items include a pork katsu sandwich, soba noodles with black garlic sauce, kimchi rice bowls, mochi cupcakes and much more. It changes with the seasons. I focus on high-quality ingredients, simple menus, and artful presentations.”

Sustainability is a concern of Gretchen’s, and she knows it can make for a costly business model in Sitka. She wants to use local ingredients, since that supports local growers and harvesters. “This not only helps our economy, but cuts down on my environmental impact through barge and air freight use,” she said.

“The Sitka Local Food Network winnings will allow me to stay sustainable by financing biodegradable packaging for my take-out only food cart,” Gretchen said. “Staying dedicated to creating less waste is expensive and this is a step in the right direction. Sitka already faces mounting issues with shipping waste off the island. As a new business we aim to be part of the solution by being conscientious of our impact. I am sourcing biodegradable packaging specifically so that I know, no matter where it ends up in the waste stream, it will not negatively impact our environment.”

Last year’s winners were Joanne “Chef Jo” Michalski of Muddy Mermaid Mudd Pies (frozen yogurt pies) and Nalani James of Eggstravgant (eggs from her chickens). The 2020 winners were Andrew Jylkka of Southeast Dough Company (fresh sourdough bread and fermented foods) and Levi Adams of Forage and Farm (mushroom growing and foraging). In 2019, our winners were Brittany Dumag of Castaway (food cart with Cuban pork sandwiches using Alaska pork) and Tamara Kyle of Sitka Sauers (fermented foods), with a special youth winner award for Abigail Ward of Sitka Spices (meat and fish rubs). In 2018, the winner was Hope Merritt of Gimbal Botanicals (beach greens and local teas).

March 1, 2016 by Charles Bingham

Scenes from the last Winter Cooking From Scratch series class at the Sitka Kitch — Homemade Empanadas

Baked salmon and deep-fried cheese empanadas were on the menu during the final class in the Winter Cooking From Scratch series Monday, Feb. 29, at the Sitka Kitch community rental commercial kitchen. This class on cooking homemade empanadas was taught by Barbara Palacios, the sous chef at the Westmark Sitka Hotel.

This was the fourth class in the Winter Cooking From Scratch series, which saw a variety of local chefs teach the classes. The first class in the series (Homemade Pasta) was taught by Edith Johnson (formerly chef of the Fly-In Fish Inn and now with the Sitka Hotel), and the second class (Ancient Grains and Gut Health) was taught by Dr. Julien Naylor, an internal medicine specialist who also is a trained chef. A third class (Sauces and Dressings) taught by Kathy Jones (executive chef at the Westmark Sitka Hotel) was postponed and will be rescheduled for a later date. In addition, the Sitka Kitch recently hosted a special fundraising class (Quick and Easy Thai Cooking) taught by local health program manager Nancy Knapp.

The Sitka Kitch was a project of the 2013 Sitka Health Summit, and the project is coordinated by the Sitka Conservation Society, in partnership with the Sitka Local Foods Network. The Sitka Kitch, which is located in the First Presbyterian Church (505 Sawmill Creek Road), can be rented to teach cooking and food preservation classes, by local cottage food industry entrepreneurs who need a commercial kitchen to make their products, and for large groups needing a large kitchen for a community dinner.

The Sitka Kitch also is offering a Basic Culinary Skills class series taught by Westmark Hotel executive chef Kathy Jones in March, and there is still room for students to take those classes. The Basic Culinary Skills series is designed to help people who want to find work in the restaurant or catering fields improve their kitchen skills (these classes also will be open to people who want to improve their home cooking skills).

A slideshow of scenes from the homemade empanadas class is posted below:

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February 24, 2016 by Charles Bingham

• Scenes from the Quick and Easy Thai Cooking class at the Sitka Kitch

Students learned how to cook Thai food while also raising funds for a portrait to honor William Stortz during the special Quick and Easy Thai Cooking class taught by Nancy Knapp on Tuesday, Feb. 23, at the Sitka Kitch community rental commercial kitchen.

The students learned how to cook kaeng paneng moo (a curry dish with pork in it, for this class) and tom kha gai (a chicken soup), and also learned how they could add vegetables from their home gardens or local stores to the dishes. Cooks can substitute tofu or similar products for the meat to make vegetarian versions of the dishes. The instructor, longtime Sitka resident and health program manager Nancy Knapp, has worked in Thailand and Laos and brought that experience to the classes.

William Stortz

The class served as a fundraiser to purchase a portrait of William Stortz, painted by Sitka artist Steve Lawrie. William Stortz was one of the three people who died in the August 2015 landslide, and the portrait will hang in the new art gallery bearing his name in the city offices. William was working as the city building inspector when the landslide happened, and before that he spent many years working for the facilities department at the SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC). There also was a donation can where people could donate, and Nancy Knapp donated her instructor fee to the cause.

The Sitka Kitch was a project of the 2013 Sitka Health Summit, and the project is coordinated by the Sitka Conservation Society, in partnership with the Sitka Local Foods Network. The Sitka Kitch can be rented to teach cooking and food preservation classes, by local cottage food industry entrepreneurs who need a commercial kitchen to make their products, and for large groups needing a large kitchen for a community dinner.

In addition to this special class, the Sitka Kitch has one class left in its winter Cooking From Scratch class series taught by local chefs in February (on homemade empanadas), but that class is full and already has a waiting list. The Sitka Kitch also is offering a Basic Culinary Skills class series taught by Westmark Hotel executive chef Kathy Jones in March, and there is still room for students to take those classes. The Basic Culinary Skills series is designed to help people who want to find work in the restaurant or catering fields improve their kitchen skills (these classes also will be open to people who want to improve their home cooking skills).

A slideshow of scenes from the Thai cooking class is posted below:

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February 12, 2016 by Charles Bingham

• Quick and Easy Thai Cooking class to raise funds for William Stortz portrait

Want to learn how to make quick and easy Thai food in less than one hour from ingredients you can buy at your local grocery store or grow in your garden?

Longtime Sitka resident Nancy Knapp, a health professional who spent many years in Thailand and Laos, will teach this class, which takes place from 5:30-7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 23, at the Sitka Kitch community rental commercial kitchen (inside the First Presbyterian Church, 505 Sawmill Creek Road). Students should bring three containers to the class, one each for rice, tom kha gai, and kaeng penang moo. Students will take home dinner for two people to eat later. These dishes will be non-vegetarian, but tofu or tempeh can be used to replace the chicken or pork when cooking.

William Stortz

This class will serve as a fundraiser to purchase a portrait of William Stortz, painted by Sitka artist Steve Lawrie. William Stortz was one of the three people who died in the August 2015 landslide, and the portrait will hang in the new art gallery bearing his name in the city offices. William was working as the city building inspector when the landslide happened, and before that he spent many years working for the facilities department at the SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC). There also will be a donation can where people can donate, and Nancy Knapp will donate her instructor fee to the cause.

Space is limited to 10 students, so please register early. You can register by clicking this link (you will pay by cash or check at the class). Registration ends at noon on Sunday, Feb. 21, so the instructor has time to purchase supplies. The class fee is $30 per student (not including a possible materials fee split between students), and students will pay by cash or check at the class. Email sitkakitch@sitkawild.org for more information.

The Sitka Kitch was a project of the 2013 Sitka Health Summit, and the project is coordinated by the Sitka Conservation Society, in partnership with the Sitka Local Foods Network. The Sitka Kitch can be rented to teach cooking and food preservation classes, by local cottage food industry entrepreneurs who need a commercial kitchen to make their products, and for large groups needing a large kitchen for a community dinner.

In addition to this special class, the Sitka Kitch is offering a winter Cooking From Scratch class series taught by local chefs in February and a Basic Culinary Skills class series taught by Westmark Hotel executive chef Kathy Jones in March. The Basic Culinary Skills series is designed to help people who want to find work in the restaurant or catering fields improve their kitchen skills (these classes also will be open to people who want to improve their home cooking skills).

February 12, 2016 by Charles Bingham

• Scenes from the second winter Cooking From Scratch series class — Ancient Grains and Gut Health

Amaranth, spelt, millet, quinoa, farro, teft, barley and Kamut® were among the topics of the Feb. 15 second class of the Sitka Kitch‘s winter Cooking From Scratch series — Ancient Grains and Gut Health.

Taught by local internal medicine specialist and former chef Dr. Julien Naylor, students learned how these ancient grains can be used in everyday cooking and how they can improve a person’s gut health (reducing cholesterol, adding fiber, reducing diabetes and heart disease risks, etc.). The students made a variety of dishes using these grains, then sat down to a meal.

This was the second of a series of four winter Cooking From Scratch classes at the Sitka Kitch community rental commercial kitchen in February. The first class was making homemade pasta taught by chef Edith Johnson on Feb. 1. The other two classes are:

Sauces and Dressings — 6-8:30 p.m., Monday, Feb. 15, taught by Kathy Jones (executive chef at the Westmark Sitka and Dock Shack). This class is focused on preparing homemade sauces and dressings to help you lower your food costs and increase flavor. Registration closes at noon on Feb. 13. (NOTE: We canceled this class on Feb. 13 because we didn’t reach our minimum number of students.)
Homemade Empanadas — 6-8:30 p.m., Monday, Feb. 29, taught by Barbara Palacios (sous chef at the Westmark Sitka). A favorite food of Latin America, Barbara will draw on her Chilean background to teach this delicious homemade empanada class. Empanadas can be savory or sweet, and filled with meats, vegetables or sweet ingredients. In this class, students will make salmon (baked) and/or cheese (deep-fried) empanadas. Registration closes on Feb. 27.

Each class costs $20, plus a food and equipment fee split between students (usually about $5-$10). All of the classes will be taught at the Sitka Kitch, which is located in the First Presbyterian Church (505 Sawmill Creek Road). To learn more about each class, click the class titles above (which will take you to our registration page; you pay with cash or check at the class, with checks made out to the Sitka Conservation Society).

Since class size is limited, we ask anybody who can’t make the class to please let us know so we can let someone from the waiting list into the class. Registration for each class closes at noon the Saturday before each class so supplies can be purchased (except for the ancient grains class, which closes on Saturday). If we don’t have enough people sign up, we may have to cancel the class, so please register early.

The Sitka Kitch was a project of the 2013 Sitka Health Summit, and the project is coordinated by the Sitka Conservation Society, in partnership with the Sitka Local Foods Network. The Sitka Kitch can be rented to teach cooking and food preservation classes, by local cottage food industry entrepreneurs who need a commercial kitchen to make their products, and for large groups needing a large kitchen for a community dinner. To learn more about how to rent the Sitka Kitch, please go to the website at http://www.sitkawild.org/sitka_kitch.

For more information about the winter Cooking From Scratch class series, please email sitkakitch@sitkawild.org. Also, watch for information soon on our Basic Culinary Skills class series in March, which is designed to help people who want to find work in the restaurant or catering fields improve their kitchen skills (these classes also will be open to people who want to improve their home cooking skills).

A slideshow of photos from the ancient grains and gut health class is posted below.

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February 2, 2016 by Charles Bingham

• Scenes from the first winter Cooking From Scratch series class — Homemade Pasta

Spaghetti, fettuccini, farfalle, and pappardelle were among the topics of the Feb. 1 first class of the Sitka Kitch‘s winter Cooking From Scratch series — Homemade Pasta.

Taught by local chef Edith Johnson, students learned how to make a basic egg, olive oil and flour pasta recipe, then learned about the different types of pasta and how they are used.

This was the first of a series of four winter Cooking From Scratch classes at the Sitka Kitch community rental commercial kitchen in February. The other three classes are:

Ancient Grains and Gut Health — 6-8:30 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 9, taught by Dr. Julien Naylor (an internal medicine specialist and chef). This class is focused on how to prepare ancient grains and include more of them in your diet to improve gut health. Registration closes on Feb. 6.
Sauces and Dressings — 6-8:30 p.m., Monday, Feb. 15, taught by Kathy Jones (executive chef at the Westmark Sitka and Dock Shack). This class is focused on preparing homemade sauces and dressings to help you lower your food costs and increase flavor. Registration closes on Feb. 12.
Homemade Empanadas — 6-8:30 p.m., Monday, Feb. 29, taught by Barbara Palacios (sous chef at the Westmark Sitka). A favorite food of Latin America, Barbara will draw on her Chilean background to teach this delicious homemade empanada class. Empanadas can be savory or sweet, and filled with meats, vegetables or sweet ingredients. In this class, students will make salmon (baked) and/or cheese (deep-fried) empanadas. Registration closes on Feb. 26.

Since class size is limited, we ask anybody who can’t make the class to please let us know so we can let someone from the waiting list into the class. Registration for each class closes at 5 p.m. the Friday before each class so supplies can be purchased (except for the ancient grains class, which closes on Saturday). If we don’t have enough people sign up, we may have to cancel the class, so please register early.

The Sitka Kitch was a project of the 2013 Sitka Health Summit, and the project is coordinated by the Sitka Conservation Society in partnership with the Sitka Local Foods Network. The Sitka Kitch can be rented to teach cooking and food preservation classes, by local cottage food industry entrepreneurs who need a commercial kitchen to make their products, and for large groups needing a large kitchen for a community dinner. To learn more about how to rent the Sitka Kitch, please go to the website at http://www.sitkawild.org/sitka_kitch.

A slideshow of photos from the homemade pasta class is posted below.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

January 17, 2016 by Charles Bingham

• Sitka Kitch and local chefs to host winter Cooking From Scratch class series

Do you want to learn how to cook a few new dishes and improve your kitchen skills? The Sitka Kitch community rental commercial kitchen and local chefs will offer four classes in the winter Cooking From Scratch class series this February.

This series is modeled after our fall Cooking From Scratch class series, but this time the teachers will be local chefs Edith Johnson, Dr. Julien Naylor, Kathy Jones and Barbara Palacios. Students will learn how to make pasta, use ancient grains (while learning how they improve gut health), make sauces and dressings, and make two types of empanadas.

Each class costs $20, plus a food and equipment fee split between students (usually about $5-$10). All of the classes will be taught at the Sitka Kitch, which is located in the First Presbyterian Church (505 Sawmill Creek Road). To learn more about each class, click the class titles below (which will take you to our registration page; you pay with cash or check at the class, with checks made out to the Sitka Conservation Society).

Since class size is limited, we ask anybody who can’t make the class to please let us know so we can let someone from the waiting list into the class. Registration for each class closes at 5 p.m. the Friday before each class so supplies can be purchased, or the class can be canceled if not enough people sign up, so please register early.

Homemade Pasta — 6-8:30 p.m., Monday, Feb. 1, taught by Edith Johnson (chef at the Fly-In Fish Inn and consultant for the Sitka Hotel). This is a beginning class on how to make homemade pasta taught by a chef who takes pride in using local ingredients. Registration closes on Jan. 29.
Ancient Grains and Gut Health — 6-8:30 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 9, taught by Dr. Julien Naylor (an internal medicine specialist and chef). This class is focused on how to prepare ancient grains and include more of them in your diet to improve gut health. Registration closes on Feb. 5.
Sauces and Dressings — 6-8:30 p.m., Monday, Feb. 15, taught by Kathy Jones (executive chef at the Westmark Sitka and Dock Shack). This class is focused on preparing homemade sauces and dressings to help you lower your food costs and increase flavor. Registration closes on Feb. 12.
Homemade Empanadas — 6-8:30 p.m., Monday, Feb. 29, taught by Barbara Palacios (sous chef at the Westmark Sitka). A favorite food of Latin America, Barbara will draw on her Chilean background to teach this delicious homemade empanada class. Empanadas can be savory or sweet, and filled with meats, vegetables or sweet ingredients. In this class, students will make salmon (baked) and/or cheese (deep-fried) empanadas. Registration closes on Feb. 26.

For more information about the class series, please email sitkakitch@sitkawild.org. Also, watch for information soon on our Basic Culinary Skills class series in March, which is designed to help people who want to find work in the restaurant or catering fields improve their kitchen skills (these classes also will be open to people who want to improve their home cooking skills).

August 26, 2015 by Charles Bingham

• Experience the best of Sitka’s local food scene with our updated Sitka Sound Suppers fundraiser

Eating local in Sitka can be an amazing experience. We have wide variety of high-quality seafood, including five types of salmon, halibut, blackcod, dozens of varieties of rockfish, ling cod, Alaska king crab, Dungeness crab, scallops, spot prawns, yum. There also is Sitka black-tailed deer and other wild game. And there’s nothing like the taste of fresh produce from the garden, and our berries are exquisite.

Now you can experience the best of Sitka’s local food scene with Sitka Sound Suppers: A Chef-To-Table Experience, a fundraiser for the Sitka Local Foods Network. (NOTE: Please see the update below.)

Three Sitka chefs — Kathy Jones (Westmark/Dock Shack), Edith Johnson (Fly-In Fish Inn), and Jackie Barmoy (former owner of Loaves and Fishes in Seattle) — have volunteered their talents to prepare a totally local meal that will be brought to your Sitka home for you to enjoy.

Donate at the $500 level and you receive a local Sitka dinner for two people.
Donate at the $1,000 level and you receive a local Sitka dinner for four people.
Donate at the $2,000 level and you receive a local Sitka dinner for eight people.

We are planning on preparing just one special dinner at each donation level, so get in on the promotion early. (UPDATE: We have decided to allow multiple dinners for each donation level instead of a single dinner. We didn’t know how many people would respond, so didn’t want to overtask our chefs, who are donating their time and talents to this promotion. So, even though we already have a donor at the $500 level, we can accommodate a second and/or third donor at that level.)

The Sitka Sound Suppers fundraiser launched on July 16 and ends after our final Sitka Farmers Market of the summer on Sept. 12. The winners of our meals will be connected to our chefs, so they can agree on a menu and date for the meal during the Fall 2015 harvest season (late September to November). All meals will be prepared and served in Sitka, Alaska. You can learn more about the Sitka Sound Suppers fundraiser by watching this video.

The funds raised by this promotion will help the Sitka Local Foods Network continue its work promoting local foods in Sitka and Southeast Alaska through the Sitka Farmers Market, St. Peter’s Fellowship Farm communal garden, and our education programs. As the organization has grown and matured, we’ve reached a point where we need to hire a part-time staff person to handle some of the daily duties of our organization. Your donations will go into a fund to help us eventually be able to hire that staff person.

Your support for the Sitka Local Foods Network is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

By the way, if you want to contribute to the Sitka Local Foods Network but not receive one of the Sitka Sound Suppers, you can go to our main fundraising page on Razoo.com (a fundraising/crowdfunding site for nonprofit organizations) and donate in any amount over $10 there. Your online donation is secure and tax-deductible (we have federal 501(c)(3) nonprofit status). Thanks again.

• Sitka Sound Suppers information flier (opens as PDF file)

August 4, 2015 by Charles Bingham

• Experience the best of Sitka’s local food scene with our Sitka Sound Suppers fundraiser

Now you can experience the best of Sitka’s local food scene withSitka Sound Suppers: A Chef-To-Table Experience, a fundraiser for the Sitka Local Foods Network.

Donate at the $500 level and you receive a local Sitka dinner for two people.
Donate at the $1,000 level and you receive a local Sitka dinner for four people.
Donate at the $2,000 level and you receive a local Sitka dinner for eight people.

We are planning on preparing just one special dinner at each donation level, so get in on the promotion early.

Your support for the Sitka Local Foods Network is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

• Sitka Sound Suppers information flier (opens as PDF file)