Imagine standing on the rugged terrain of an ancient glacial fjord, just as likely to spot a black bear, moose, or wolf as another human soul. The setting is remote. Wild. Unforgiving.
But for chef Kirsten Dixon, this untamed Alaskan backcountry is simply home, sweet home. For 40 years, Dixon and her family have encouraged visitors to embrace the beauty and bounty of their state’s natural landscape.
“I met my husband working at an Anchorage hospital,” she said. “He planned to move deeper into the natural world, so we quit our jobs and bought land on the Yentna River.”
It was in their small cabin—a bare-bones abode without running water—that Dixon indulged in her passion for cooking. Initially welcoming only four guests at a time to their humble fishing lodge, Dixon honed her technique with help from her visitors.
“Many European chefs visited annually for salmon fishing,” she recalled. “One French couple took me under their wing, invited me to Paris to study at Le Cordon Bleu, and toured me through the country’s Michelin-starred restaurants. They created a formal foundation for my culinary education.”
Dixon’s plates have changed dramatically since the 1980s. She originally prepared American country food such as baked ham and potatoes. Now, she showcases local fare such as chaga mushrooms and reindeer tenderloin.
“I had to learn how to forage, fish, and grow a garden within a season lasting roughly 100 days,” she said. “It’s an intense growing season. We use high tunnels [greenhouses] to extend the season year-round now, but when I started, I didn’t have a community to teach me how to live off of the land.”
Dixon sold that first cabin, and today, she and her family proudly own and operate two luxury retreats: Winterlake Lodge along the Alaska Range and Tutka Bay Lodge in Kachemak Bay, both about an hour’s trip from Anchorage by seaplane. While adventurous excursions and cozy fireside nights are always on the itinerary at the lodges, a unique hallmark is a cooking school set on a 1940s crabbing boat.
“Our classes combine culinary techniques with a taste of our backyard,” Dixon said. “We teach them how to make salads from foraged edibles and how to prepare Alaskan fish. When we travel, we bring home international inspiration to help us craft new lessons.”
For instance, Dixon may host a class demonstrating how to make Japanese ramen noodles and then merge them with local ingredients such as garden produce, local seafood, and seaweed from the bay.
“Each dish is meaningful to my family. We want to share our stories with our guests, get to know each other through food, and give them an intimate experience that they’ll cherish,” she said.
Dixon hopes to inspire the next generation of chefs to see the importance of protecting Alaska’s natural spaces.
“I want to make a difference in their lives and leave a legacy with them of belonging to something that’s bigger than themselves.”
