things to do in alaska

By Patti Morrow, Epicure & Culture ContributorĀ 

Tracie Triolo thought her life would be that of a musician. And it was, for a while. But her passion for food and the pull of the ocean proved irresistible, and she found herself on an entirely different path. One that she wouldnā€™t trade for anything.

ā€œI grew up in a family of foodies before the term was even coined,ā€ says Tracie. ā€œMy first memory was making fudge with my grandmother in Colorado when I was four years old. My father owned a restaurant, so if I wanted to see him, I went to work with him.ā€

Her father raised snails so the family could have escargot, whileĀ her grandfather had a fig tree that he loved so much heā€™d pot it and build a greenhouse over it every winter. Meanwhile, her mother went through a ā€œEuell Gibbonsā€ phase, harvesting wild things all the time. Tracie recognized at an early age that the produce in the grocery store was pretty awful, especially during Colorado winters.

ā€œI had a broad variety of food influences, both in terms of restaurants and people. It gave me a really good food education and desire for nutrition thatā€™s fresh, tasty and healthy,ā€ TracieĀ explains. ā€œEven in high school, I liked to go to the earthy-crunchy restaurants at the mall.ā€

things to do in alaska
Tracie Triolo, chef aboard the Westwood displays her sushi skills.

From Music ToĀ Gastronomy

Tracie studied music in college and thought that would be her career, but in the middle of her junior year she realized that vocation would be a really hard way to make a living. After music school she enrolled in the culinary arts program at the New York Restaurant School (now part of the Art Institute of New York City).

ā€œI decided I should do something to supplement my education so that I could work in any city in the world,ā€ she explains.

After graduating from both career courses, Tracie took a few small jobs back in Colorado. Before long she decided she wanted to be closer to Alice Waterā€™s food revolution, a movement revolving around creative cuisine made from locally grown, organic and seasonal ingredients and one of the most influential figures in food in the past 50 years. She moved to northern California and helped open the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose. Tracie later went on to work for Wolfgang Puck in his heyday.

When her grandmother became ill, Tracie took a hiatus from her high-profile jobs to care for her. During that time, she worked as a pastry chef and also started playing music again ā€“ in symphonies and jazz, salsa and big bands.

ā€œIā€™ve always had a pull towards music, but cooking for a living is all-consuming. Most cooking jobs are sixty hours a week and thereā€™s no time left to practice the eight-to-twelve hours a day I need to maintain competency.ā€

things to do in alaska
Preparing food in the galley of the Westward.

A Turning Point

Tracieā€™s sister owned a busy catering company. One day, sheĀ asked TracieĀ to fill in and do the food for a large bar mitzvah, to which Tracie agreed. The event proved to be opportune. One of the attendees was a woman named Betty Sederquist, a well-known and published photographer who also taught photography on a small boat. Impressed with Tracieā€™s decadent menu, she singled her out and said, ā€œHey, how would you like to come and cook on a boat in Alaska?ā€

ā€œIā€™d read John McPheeā€™s Coming Into to the Country when I was in my early 20ā€™s. His account of Alaskaā€™s wilderness, landscapes, grizzlies, and early settlers was unforgettable,ā€ Tracie recalls. ā€œI immediately knew this was something that I wanted to do.ā€

Tracie worked for ten weeks on that boat in the first season, and immediately fell in love with Alaska and the different style of cooking. She also hadĀ total autonomy and creative license.

ā€œCooking for an audience of twelve passengers and crew and having access to immediate feedback is very different than working in big, high-profile hotels.ā€

Small ship work in Alaska is seasonal, so Tracie started to look for off-season eco-cruise work in more tropical locations. She went to the Caribbean and obtained her Captainā€™s License. It was while she was working on boats in Baja, Mexico that she met Bill Bailey, the Captain of the Westwood and Catalyst ships.

ā€œHe invited me to come aboard. I fell in love with the galley immediately and knew I wanted to work on the boat.”

things to do in alaska
The Westward, anchored in Pavlov Harbor, Chichagof Island, Alaska.

Westward Bound

So Tracie wrote a letter and sent her resume, and Bill called her to be the shipā€™s chef the next season. Sheā€™s been with the company and Captain Bailey for nine years, and their crew is currently rounded out by naturalist Hannah Hindley.

The Westward is an 8-passenger/3-crew historic wooden yacht, just 86 feet long, which allows it to enter coves and bays too shallow for larger ships to safely navigate. Cruises in Alaska and Baja, Mexico on the Westward are organized by AdventureSmith Explorations a likeminded eco-adventure tour company promoting responsible and sustainable travel.

#Explore the outstanding #beauty of #Alaska while indulging in world-class #cuisine. Click To Tweet
things to do in alaska
Eva Lake, Baranof Island, Alaska.

The small Westward ship cruises through Alaskaā€™s Inside Passage, able to pilot into lesser-explored bays, secluded channels, and islets for kayaking and whale watching. Some of the adventures offeredĀ include onshore hiking to gorgeous settings such as Baranof Hot Springs, Eva Lake, and Baird Glacier, as well as a cruise to the LeConte glacier. The itinerary alsoĀ offers opportunities for responsible viewing of grizzly bears, sea lions, bald eagles and other wildlife.

things to do in alaska
Kayaking in Hanus Bay, Alaska

Food Focus: Local, Organic, Sustainable

Tracieā€™s understanding of the importance of small-scale sustainable farming began with a wrist injury while in northern California. During her recovery time, she drove a produce van and met the farmers. She was amazed and delighted by farmers and their lives. It was this encounter that made her realizeĀ that food is much more important than how itā€™s generally glorified by many food media shows and high-end restaurants.

ā€œYou canā€™t smell or taste it. It can be far from what food really is, whatā€™s important about it, and our connection to it. We literally are what we eat, but that gets lost,ā€ Tracie explains. ā€œIt came to me as a kind of revelation when I was working for Wolfgang Puck. It was all about the show biz. People would come and have dinner and watch you sweat over the grill station. Iā€™d sometimes think, ā€˜Okay this is great job security, theyā€™re really into it, but wouldnā€™t you rather see a movie than watch me sweat?ā€™ā€

According to Tracie, thatā€™s not what food is about at all. Itā€™s about the connection of food, the land that it comes from, the people who grow it, and the history and generations of people who have saved seeds. Itā€™s about the Peruvians giving us tomato and corn and ancient grains.

ā€œOur modern revolution of huge monoculture farms is not sustainable,ā€ Tracie insists. ā€œEventually it will end, at the very least cause another dust bowl.ā€

Tracie believes it is each chefā€™s responsibility to source things and to use ingredients that will help sustain the land.Ā She uses only spelt flour and ancient wheats because she considers it important to avoid using ingredients that are harmful.

ā€œModern wheat depletes soil. Spelt adds carbon to the soil and itā€™s useful in a rotation crop kind of way.ā€

things to do in alaska
Tracie’s rooftop herb garden on the Westward.

Tracie makes an effort to source locally, despite not being an easy thing to do in both Alaska and Baja. About 70% of her produce and cheese come locally. Ā She buys seafood from local fishermen whenever possible and tries to incorporate exotic local ingredients to give people a broader experience. She even grows her own organic herbs, edible flowers, and lettuces on the roof of the ship.

ā€œOn the ship, Iā€™m the only restaurant in town, so itā€™s really nice to have variety,ā€ she laughs.

Variety is far and away an understatement. Just a small sample of the Westwardā€™s dinner menu:

things to do in alaska
A few entrees from Tracie’s menu.
  • Local Silver Salmon, Wild Mushroom Vinaigrette, Brown Rice Risotto, Snap Peas
  • Lamb, Pumpkin and Apricot Curry, Chard with Cashew Yogurt, Basmati Rice
  • Elk Picadillo Filled Roasted Poblano Chile, Summer Squash
  • Salt Fish Cake, Mango Salsa, Cuban Style Black Beans, Mashed Yams and Plantains

When Your Job Turns Into Your Calling

A true Renaissance woman, Tracie wears many hats around the ship. She takes turns driving the ship, cleans the engine, loads kayaks, lowers and raises the anchor. Being part of a three-person crew, she does whatever needs to be done on the ship.

Combine #responsible #travel with a #delicious culinary #experience when #traveling to #Alaska. Click To Tweet
things to do in alaska
A small crew wears many hats.

Thatā€™s the beauty of cruising on these small boats, not only from the perspective of crew, but from guests as well. There is a very clearly defined community.

ā€œWeā€™re all literally surrounded by danger, and it brings people together in a very different way than ever happens on land,ā€ she tells me. ā€œInstant intimacy, just add water! Itā€™s an intense thing, and it has to start with the crew. We really have each otherā€™s backs.ā€

things to do in alaska
Happy, well-fed passengers Westward passengers at the LeConte Glacier in August.

Disclosure: The author was honored to be the guest of AdventureSmith during her Alaska cruise on the Westward, but as always, the opinions, reviews and experiences are her own.

In terms of eco and food-focusedĀ things to do in Alaska, what are your picks?Ā Please share in the comments below!Ā 

alaska

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Cooking Alaskan [Great Reads]

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Patti Morrow is the founder and editor of Luggage and Lipstick ā€“ a travel blog for baby boomer women adventurers, author of the book Girls Go Solo: Tips for Women Traveling Alone, and freelance travel writer with bylines in over 30 publications, including The Huffington Post, The Washington Post, International Living Magazine, Travel Girl, CNN iReport, Epicure & Culture, and Ladies Home Journal.Ā  She has traveled throughout most of the USA and around 50 countries and islands abroad, and was recently name by TripAdvisor as one of the ā€œ20 Baby Boomer Travel Bloggers Having More Fun Than Millennials.ā€

Patti Morrow

Patti Morrow is the founder and editor of Luggage and Lipstick ā€“ a travel blog for baby boomer women adventurers, author of the book Girls Go Solo: Tips for Women Traveling Alone, and freelance travel writer with bylines in over 30 publications, including The Huffington Post, The Washington Post, International Living Magazine, Travel Girl, CNN iReport, Epicure & Culture, and Ladies Home Journal.Ā  She has traveled throughout most of the USA and around 50 countries and islands abroad, and was recently name by TripAdvisor as one of the ā€œ20 Baby Boomer Travel Bloggers Having More Fun Than Millennials.ā€

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1 Comment

  1. The local silver salmon, wild mushroom vinaigrette, brown rice risotto, and snap peas looks delicious. I can only imagine how fresh the the salmon is in Alaska.

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