Josephine Dyer, her sister and their mother created a kitchen product called the Blossom about five years ago. It’s essentially a potholder, made of silicone instead of cloth, that doubles as a pretty accent on your dinner table. A place to put your hot pots full of steaming soup. When it’s unfolded it essentially looks like a flower blossom.
The Blossom is manufactured in Taiwan, and is sold in gourmet shops across the country. The mother-daughter trio, who’ve lived in Alaska for about eight years, say they plan to stay here and continue to sell the Blossom to shops Outside. You can also buy them in Anchorage at Metro Cooks, Habitat Housewares and Allen and Peterson.
Within the past few months the company has begun to thrive.
“Over the last six months we’ve sold 50,000 pieces,” Dyer said, “It’s amazing.”
I”m going to throw a big party in June, so I’ll let you know how the Blossom looks/works on my table.
Blossom Spring up Green
Crushing the Competition, with White Salmon
Chef Christopher Vane came to Crush three years ago, since then he’s been a culinary force in Anchorage. Last week Vane won the Great Alaska Seafood Competition and will now compete in the Great American Seafood Cook Off. The Alaska Seafood Institute hosted the event that had six chefs from across the state competing for the title, and the chance to take their talents to the big competition in Louisiana.
Vane said he started in restaurants washing dishes and busing tables when he was 16, but his first cooking experiences began when he was a little boy.
“When I was old enough to pull a foot stoll to the stove and flip bacon and make eggs.” Vane said, “I was about six years old.”
Vane said he is still deciding what he’ll make for the August competition. He won, in Anchorage, using white salmon something he doesn’t think will be easily available in August.
“The King Salmon was troll caught. It’s a genetic variation of King Salmon that you can’t see from the outside of the fish.” Vane said, “When you cut into it the flesh is whiter not the red. Its always been a favorite dish here, (at Crush) and I changed it up for the contest.”
The ASI will send Vane and his assistant to Louisiana for the national competition in August.
Taco Loco
I love factories. There is something so cool about watching how everything works together to create a product. I stopped by Taco Loco a few days ago to see how they make all those tortilla shells, chips and salsa. Amazing facts: Taco Loco makes 700 to 800 chips an hour, 800-dozen tortillas an hour and a thousand pounds of salsa a day. Adam Galindo and his sister bought Taco Loco from their parents in 2004, although they’ve been working there since they were about 5-years-old. “Sometimes we laugh, we’re like, when are we going to get paroled from this place.” Galindo joked. Over the years new items, like spinach and wheat tortillas, have been added into the line-up, but the recipes are old fashioned. “The salsa is our grandmothers recipe from Mexico.” Galindo said. Do you buy their products, and if you do what do you make with them?
Salmon-Thirty-Salmon
Check out this cool press release I got today:
Alaska Airlines and the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute Unveil 129-foot
Salmon
‘Salmon-Thirty-Salmon II’ aircraft underscores carrier’s role in transporting
Alaska seafood
ANCHORAGE — Alaska Airlines and the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute today
unveiled the world’s largest king salmon. Stretching nearly 129 feet, the
fish-themed design will adorn a Boeing 737-800 and be revealed this fall.
The new “Salmon-Thirty-Salmon II” design is derived from an earlier version of
the paint scheme Alaska Airlines unveiled on a 737-400 in 2005, which was
re-painted with the carrier’s traditional Eskimo livery last year. In addition
to sporting the glimmering image of a wild Alaska king salmon like the original
“Salmon-Thirty-Salmon,” the new design is about nine feet longer and also
features fish scales on the winglets and a salmon-pink colored “Alaska” script
across the fuselage. The design is among the world’s most intricately painted
commercial airplanes and was produced in partnership with ASMI, which promotes
wild, natural and sustainable Alaska seafood.
“This airplane celebrates Alaska Airlines’ unique relationship with the people
and communities of Alaska and underscores our air transport commitment to the
state’s seafood industry,” said Marilyn Romano, Alaska Airlines’ regional vice
president of the state of Alaska. “Because the new design will be featured on a
larger 737-800, this 91,000-pound king will boldly promote the world’s finest
seafood from the Hawaiian Islands to Boston and beyond.”
Last year, Alaska Airlines flew nearly 25 million pounds of seafood from Alaska
to markets in the United States, Mexico and Canada. Streamlined flight
schedules and a rigorous training program required of all airline employees who
handle perishables ensures the seafood that travels from Alaska waters to
markets across the United States arrives fresh and often within 24 hours. The
goal is to keep seafood moving rapidly throughout its journey on Alaska
Airlines and maintain a consistent temperature range from the time it leaves
the water to when it arrives at stores and restaurants.
“Alaska Airlines has a long history of supporting the Alaska seafood industry,
and this special plane celebrates that commitment,” ASMI Executive Director Ray
Riutta said. “We’re proud to partner with the state’s hometown airline.”
According to ASMI, about half of the United States’ total seafood catch comes
from Alaska fisheries. In addition, the state of Alaska is widely regarded as a
world leader in sustainable management of its seafood resources.
Transporting about 115 million pounds of cargo annually, Alaska Airlines
operates the most extensive air cargo operation on the West Coast.
The Salmon are Coming, the Salmon are Coming!
Fresh Copper River Salmon will be available this week. Let me repeat:Fresh Copper River Salmon is coming! Opening day is this Thursday at 7 am. The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute forecasts 1.4 million sockeye and 27 thousand chinooks this year, which is about the same as last year. Chefs across the country are already working on new menus and, of course, there will be a big production as the fish is flown into Seattle for dinners either Thursday or Friday night. I spoke with executive chef Dan Enos from The Oceanaire in Boston, he said he plans serve it with just a little bit of salt and pepper, lemon and olive oil. “When the Alaska salmon comes in it’s a no brainer, it flies off the menu.”
Copper River is the 10th largest river in the United States. The salmon have to travel 300 miles to get to their spawning grounds, which requires extra stores of of omega-3 fatty acids. The journey adds to it’s richness.
I stopped by Glacier BrewHouse and was told they’re expecting fresh salmon by next week. “It’s a good time to be a chef in Alaska.” Jay Edades a sous chef at BrewHouse said.
Cupcake Truck
Have you seen Kastle Sorensen cupcake truck in Anchorage or Eagle River? She started driving it around town this past February and business has been awesome. I’ve got an interview with her that will air Wednesday morning and Wednesday night at 6. She showed me how to make a lemon, cream cheese frosting that is to die for. Try it and let me know what you think! To find out where Kastle is next you can ‘like’ her on Facebook, or check out her website kastleskreations@yahoo.com or call her at 726-1118.
Kastle Sorensen’s Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
1 1/2 sticks of butter
8 oz. cream cheese
4 cups powdered sugar
lemon juice, to taste
Whip until creamy–about 2-3 minutes
Food Photographers and You
I recently sat down wtih Aurora Hablett, who’s an amazing food photographer/graphic designer at Snow City Cafe, to get a lesson on taking better pictures. (The story airs on the Wednesday morning show and that night’s 6 o’clock report, make sure to watch Channel 2 News!) Here is are some of the photos she took, and reasons they worked, or didn’t work. Do you find yourself taking photos of food at restaurants or home? Let me see your work!
2. Gives a fuller view of the presentation of the sandwich, really highlights the textures of the bacon, bread, cheese and sprouts.
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