As Alaska’s economy began to reopen this spring, restaurants welcomed customers who had been long missed during pandemic closures. Hopes in April were high that the country was rebounding. By early May, they were dashed by jobs numbers depicting what would soon be deemed a labor shortage. Some blamed stimulus checks and unemployment benefits for keeping workers away, while others said the onus was on employers to re-evaluate wages and benefits as people reassess what they want to do for work in a post-pandemic world.

Read the full story now at ediblealaska.com

​Frosty beers delivered to your door? Yep, it's soon to be a reality. 

Emergency regulations to stabilize Alaska's economy have opened a new frontier for some businesses.

The governor has previously touted that many parts of the state government have eased restrictions for businesses struggling to cope with the economic burden of COVID-19. Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced Tuesday his plans to modify licensing regulations to allow businesses that sell beer, wine and liquor to deliver those products.

Here in the 49th state’s largest city, there’s a saying that goes, “When you’re in Anchorage you’re just five minutes away from Alaska.”

Plopped in the middle of a vast wilderness, Anchorage—a city of nearly 300,000—isn’t typically described with the same effusive prose bestowed upon the state’s magnificent mountains, bays and tundra. Bland, boxy and weather-worn, its essence is cheekily captured by a mysterious Instagram account, @keepanchoragebeige, which features churches, high-rises, even a Cadillac cloaked in the city’s unofficial colorway. Anchorage is a city that wears its flaws on its chest—if not proudly, then at least with painful self-awareness.

It’s said that even during hard economic times, bars don’t suffer, yet in the midst of the state’s years-long recession and following a recent shooting at a downtown bar, some locals have opted rather to stay home. But the recession has also prompted Alaska to invest in tourism, and today the state welcomes more than a million cruise passengers each year. For this installment of PUNCH’s “A Night at the Door,” we spoke with security at three Anchorage bars to find out how they cater to throngs of international visitors and take responsibility for locals’ safety.

Alyeska Resort

​Think a ski resort is fun only in the winter? Think again. Alyeska Resort, 40 miles from central Anchorage, offers summertime fun with hiking trails, downhill mountain biking, stunning panoramic views, and mountaintop fine dining at the Seven Glaciers restaurant (like the scallop bisque with salmon mousse or wagyu beef with Alaskan barley). 

Moose's Tooth Pub & Pizzeria

Coming in at No. 5 on Trip Advisor’s Best Pizza in the Country list, Moose’s Tooth is a must-stop. With signature pies like Thai chicken and Greek gyro, there’s surely something for everyone. (Don’t worry, veggievores, there are meatless options for you, too.) They don’t take reservations, but a pint of Broken Tooth Brewing beer by the fire pit makes the wait more than bearable. 

Wild Scoops

Ice cream in chilly Alaska? Oh yes. Cool local flavors like Foraged Wild Rose and Spruce Tip—along with kid-friendly options like Bubble Gum and Fruity Pebbles— are the reason this artisanal creamery blossomed from a farmers’ market stand to a downtown shop with lines out the door. 

Snow City Cafe

With fresh local ingredients and nearly everything from scratch, this quirky downtown café is popular among locals and world leaders alike. You can make like President Obama, who bought every cinnamon roll in the case during a notable visit in 2015, or you can opt for dishes like snow crab omelets, stuffed French toast, and salmon BLT sammies. 

Alaska Native Heritage Center

A living, breathing cultural hub, the Alaska Native Heritage Center is much more than a museum. Explore the history of Alaska’s indigenous cultures through dance performances, crafts classes, and guided tours of life-size replicas of native dwellings. The center is open daily from mid-May through mid-September.

The Alaska Railroad

Anchorage’s railroad depot is your ticket out of town without the worry of driving. Nearly 20 different day trips are available, including add-on excursions for glacier cruises, dogsled tours, and hiking paths only accessible by rail.

Published in Rachael Ray magazine and on rachaelraymag.com on June 26, 2019.

​Days after an announcement that thousands of low-income seniors will not get state-paid benefits in May or June, Gov. Mike Dunleavy said legislators need to be honest with Alaskans about why it happened.

“Members of the House Majority are quite frankly, being disingenuous with Alaskans when they express shock and disappointment that the Senior Benefits program will not have enough revenue for its highest income seniors for two months," the governor said in a prepared statement Saturday. “Why? Because they knowingly underfunded it.”

With little fanfare, Alaska's governor reversed seven previous administrative orders, including one that established a state climate change strategy and task force.

Collaboration is common in Alaska's food network with a hands-across-the-state mentality that makes the system work.

​A new partnership between the 49th State Brewing Company and Bambino's Baby Food may seem a little odd on the surface, but owners of both businesses say it couldn't have been a better fit.

Resolutions — many have them, fewer keep them.

Online polling firm YouGov reports that reducing stress, working out and losing weight, eating healthier and saving money are the top five goals for Americans in 2019.

Ditching various vices is also an oft-popular goal for the new year. Tiffany Hall, executive director of Recover Alaska, said cutting out alcohol is something numerous people resolve to do.

“January is a time that a lot of people are thinking about resolutions and changes they can make to their lives and if somebody drinks alcohol, they’ve usually come off of a heavy alcohol-infused holiday season. So it’s sort of a good reset for the year,” she said.

Dry January, an international movement promoting a month-long commitment to abstaining from alcohol, has saturated the news in the first few days of 2019. Articles on the health benefits, financial perks, even how it can help you get ahead in the workplace, are swirling around the internet.

​So how did this popular — and to some already-annoying — self-improvement trend begin? Blame the British.

How many times have you gone to the grocery store in search of ingredients for a recipe, only to scrap the whole plan because you can't find something? In Alaska, defeat at the supermarket can make newcomers to the Last Frontier feel even more isolated. It was this feeling — in part — that led Maya Wilson to create her blog, Alaska from Scratch.

As Wilson told writer Julia O'Malley in a 2016 Edible Alaska article, "The blog began as a hobby ... but it has become a life." The blogger and columnist now has another title: cookbook author.

The Alaska from Scratch Cookbook is filled with recipes, photos and tales from her life on the Kenai Peninsula. The simplicity of Wilson's recipes is perhaps what makes them so profound. They are approachable, not needing fancy kitchen gadgets or hours of prep. (OK, there are a few that are more time-consuming, but Wilson guarantees a reward on your investment.) My copy is now flagged throughout with sticky notes, marking recipes I have to try and one affixed to Wilson's homemade coconut coffee creamer recipe that says, "Would make great ice cream!" 

​But this is much more than a collection of recipes curated from her blog. Wilson invites readers into her life like never before in this book, its pages filled with photos from her childhood and her own children. She talks about her mother, her upbringing, and dealing with loss and self doubt. When you come out on the other end of this book, it's hard not to be inspired and proud — of this beautiful place we call home and the irrepressible people who live here. 

Through her column for the Alaska Dispatch News, writer Kim Sunée graces many Alaska kitchens with her recipes and words. The best-selling and world-traveling author is getting ready to release a new cookbook just in time for the holidays.

She told us about the book, the guilty pleasures in her grocery basket, and how you can get a signed copy of Everyday Korean: Fresh, Modern Recipes for Home Cooks.

Look outside. If you’re already outside, take in what’s around you. Are there plants? Trees, soil, rocks?
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Look closer. Notice the leaves; how many are on each stem and how many petals are on each flower?

Heightened examination like this comes natural to Mandy Bernard, the artist behind the Instagram account @homesteadingroasters.

It’s long been assumed that Alaska Native and American Indian communities pay higher costs for food while earning lower-than-average incomes. Now there’s data to back it up. 
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A food price monitoring report released June 5 with data from the first three months of 2017 illustrates how the combination of these two factors has led to nutritional and financial struggles for many Native American communities.

Not all of us have yards large enough for a compost pile — some don’t have a yard at all — but that doesn’t mean your food waste should go into the garbage can.

Meet your new best friend: the worm.

Read the full guide with images on edibleAK.com

Whether working with a small space or a large plot, most gardeners like to plant flowers as well as vegetables. The blooms can attract pollinators, some can deter pests and all add beauty to your bounty

When asked to name German foods, most people would say bratwurst, pretzels, schnitzel, and beer. Southern food would elicit responses like fried chicken, grits, collard greens, and barbecue. 
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But what about Arctic food? As it turns out, there aren’t any easy answers. A group of Arctic chefs and academics is trying to change that.

If you ask my family, I’ve never been too shy to say what needs to be said. I won’t sugarcoat it — I have found the best doughnuts in Anchorage.

​As I write, there is sugar coursing through my veins. Some people talk about being able to feel adrenaline move through your body, but I think I can feel the sucrose pumping its way from my heart to my hands.

The red vinyl covering the seat of the booth groaned as I reached for my yellow mug of diner coffee. Suddenly, my weekend morning (OK, early afternoon) was interrupted by a wave of recollection: driving in a white Jeep on a road that hugged the ocean, windows down and music up.

Much to the dismay of my mother, I have now lived in both of the outlying states in the U.S.: Hawaii and Alaska. As a senior in high school, my rural upbringing and craving for adventure spurred my decision to apply to a university on the island of Oahu.

A few months later, I learned that I got in. With some finagling, faith, and financial aid, I boarded a plane alone and left everything I knew behind. When I landed, I had to figure out how to catch a city bus.

In Honolulu, a city of a million souls, I saw for the first time what it looked like for people to live on top of one another — on the ranch our nearest neighbor was a mile away. I became aware of new cultures each accompanied by their own sights, smells and tastes.

​Our sense of smell is intricately linked to our sense of taste — and to memory. So as I reached for that Fiestaware mug, it was the smell of the Kava’s Pancake House breakfast fried rice that transported me to that day years ago when my friends and I were driving to the North Shore of Oahu.

A three-part harmony, a good burger and a cold milkshake are part of what made America great. Not so common anymore, diners call us back to a time of bobby socks, a good jukebox and leather-topped stools where one could belly up for some grub.
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My grandfather used to tell me that as a bachelor, he would go to a diner every Thanksgiving to get a turkey dinner. The image has had a Norman Rockwell-esque staying power in my mind since I was small.

That, along with a hangover, drew me to City Diner in Anchorage.