Three Alaska chefs have been nominated for the James Beard Awards . This is a high honor in the world of food and is considered to be a major honor.
Laile Fairbairn, of Locally Grown Restaurants, was selected as a semifinalist in the Outstanding Restaurateur Award. This award is open to nominees from all over the United States.
Fairbairn has been the co-owner for many Anchorage restaurants Snow City Cafe and South Restaurant and Coffeehouse, as well as Spenard Streethouse. Wednesday afternoon, she was unable to be reached.
Nathan Bentley, Anchorage’s Altura bistro was nominated for the Best Chef of the Pacific Northwest Region category.
Bentley said, “We’re so proud,” and was also semi-finalist last season. “It’s motivating.”
Beau Schooler, In Bocca Al Lupo, Juneau, was previously nominated multiple times. Rene Trafton, Beak, was also nominated.
Trafton was told by a representative of a restaurant supply shop about her nomination on the James Beard list. She had been emailing him about buying a commercial refrigerator. He congratulated her.
It was still surreal. On Wednesday afternoon, the first-time nominee worked in the kitchen heating salmon chowder and picking carrots. To her knowledge, it was the first nomination for a Sitka restaurant.
She said, “I suppose it’s real!”
Trafton, who had previously worked in a Michelin-starred New York restaurant, moved to Sitka 10 years ago. Beak was founded by Trafton in 2017, which shares a historic building and the local public radio station.
Sitka’s fresh seafood is the main focus. Trafton uses a no-tipping system in which higher prices enable her to pay her employees what she considers a more reasonable wage than most restaurants.
Trafton loves rockfish, which is a rare fish in Alaska. She enjoys it with her “everything” bagel seasoning. The salad is topped with a briny pickled vegetable with bull kelp.
The James Beard award winners will be announced on March 29.
The Anchorage Daily News originally published this story. It is republished with permission.
