Meet the Fiddlers!

Before we get this show on the road, we wanted to take a minute to tell you a little bit about ourselves. We're all different. Some of us were born here in Alaska. Some of us were born to live here. Some of us live in "the big city." Some of us live in smaller towns. Some of us have running water. Some of us don't. We all love food, and love to cook, and we can't wait to share our delicious Alaskan summer with you.

 

Kristen at home in the kitchen, in the cutest apron ever

Meet Kristen. A Juneauite at heart, she's a newlywed now living in the big city of Anchorage with her husband and their Vizsla. Kristen's a baker, thanks to her mom who always has homemade cookies in her cookie jar. She loves donning her cute apron and has nearly every kitchen utensil ever made, and is always on the lookout for more.

Kristen has always said that every Alaskan should have a Fiddlehead cookbook. Always just baking her favorites, Kristen came up with the idea to cook and bake her way through the cookbook to discover more favorite recipes, and recruited her girlfriends from work to join. Kristen has fond memories of cozy weekend breakfasts at the Fiddlehead. Her favorite recipes include: Eighteen-Carat Cake, Honey and Yogurt Scones, Reality Cookies, and North Douglas Chocolate Cake.

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Alida cooks up treats in a forest service cabin

Meet Alida. She was born and now lives in Juneau—Alaska’s capital city and birthplace of the original Fiddlehead restaurant. The saying “Eetsmakelijk,” Dutch for “eat with taste,” starts each meal around the family dinner table. Alida helped her mama in the kitchen growing up, where rainy days were effectively cookie-baking days (there are many of these in the temperate rainforest). She’s excited to celebrate food and writing with this project—fuel for a kayaking, running and traveling-filled summer.

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Kate cooking up risotto at 2000 ft.

Meet Kate. She lives in Bird Creek, in a one room cabin with her sweetheart and many many instruments. Growing up in New England, she was lucky to have a mother, grandmothers, and aunties who never kicked her out of the kitchen. She started baking in high school, but switched to cooking when she discovered the allure of not using a recipe. Kate loves black labs, her grandmother's Cuisinart, and a glass of rose on a summer afternoon. When she's not in the kitchen, (which isn't very often) she's hiking, running, singing, or playing the cello.

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Maddy enjoying a trip to Israel

Meet Madeline. She lives in Anchorage but keeps Homer in her heart, and races down there whenever she can to spend time with family and her Smokey Bay. Growing up, she could invariably be found in the kitchen, underfoot her mama. She now loves how food allows her to feel connected to home and her family, however far away she may be. At the same time, she enjoys the journey food takes you on, exploring new flavors, countries, and cultures with each dish.

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Anna cuts her homemade wedding cheesecake

Meet Anna. A lifelong Alaskan who has spent nearly half her life in the hills and valleys outside Fairbanks. Inspired by her parents' stories of homesteading in Twenty Mile, she and her husband settled down on a little plot of land in the Goldstream Valley where they call a yurt with no running water or electricity their home. Anna is an avid follower of the local food movement and likely derives way to much pleasure from the traditions each season brings. She loves the challenge of living with less and cherishes a closer connection to the sources of her daily sustenance.

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Priya exploring the culinary scene in Venice.

Meet Priya. She received the Fiddlehead cookbook for Christmas and has since spent many hours in the kitchen recreating their granola, carrot cake, and ice cream pie. Her culinary influences range from her Indian heritage, to working as a crew chef in rural Alaska. Although she loves to cook, her heart lies in baking. She enjoys providing baked goods to her friends, family, and very appreciative boyfriend.