Culinary Schools in Anchorage

From seafood restaurants to cozy diners providing good food, company and warmth, Anchorage, Alaska offers a variety of tastes to suit any palate. While these range in flavor from American and European to Mexican, they often do have a focus on seafood -- whether that's grilled Wild Alaskan salmon, North Atlantic cold-water lobster tale, or deep-fried beer-battered pawns.

Although Anchorage is just one well-known Alaskan city, there were more than 1,300 dining and drinking establishments located in the state, as of 2014, according to the National Restaurant Association. These accounted for nine percent of overall employment in Alaska, and, by 2025, are expected to employ more than 33,000 people. While many people build their skills on the job, Anchorage culinary schools can enable individuals to obtain focused fundamentals.

Famous restaurants in Anchorage

There may never be a dull dining moment in Anchorage. Who could think up Club Paris, for example, which is well-known for its four-inch thick filet mignon, or the Kincaid Grill that offers duck lollipops? Yes, the unimaginable becomes imaginable in Anchorage, where adventurers and food enthusiasts are unafraid to test their mettle. Some restaurants for culinary students to check out in Anchorage include:

• ORSO: One of the more popular dishes at this restaurant is the Alaska King Crab, but diners also enjoy other fine selections that include grilled meats, tasty pastas and house-made desserts. The menu also boasts unique offerings such as flatbreads, crispy cauliflower and King Crab corn dogs. Orso, meaning 'bear,' also received ink in "Fodor's Travel 2015: Alaska."
• Kinley's Restaurant and Bar: Moving on to a semi-finalist spot for a 2013 James Beard award for Best Chef in the Northwest, Kinley's Chef and Owner Brett Knipmeyer named this Anchorage restaurant after his daughter, Kinley. With entrees that range from duck to scallops and filet mignon, Kinley's received a 2015 Diner's Choice recognition from OpenTable.
• Moose's Tooth Pub & Pizzeria: The name might be unique, but that's because this restaurant's gourmet pizza offerings are, too. Just check out the 'The Grinch' pizza served during the winter holiday season that features reindeer sausage, red peppers and black olives. The 30-table restaurant has always had a faithful and busy customer base, but its owners initially built their business around a brewery, and expanded that vision to later include a grill and theater-pub.

While Anchorage is Alaska's largest city, supplying diners with an extensive list of culinary delights to explore, other places at which to check out entrees and bites include:

• The Glacier Brewhouse
• Snow City Café
• The Arctic Roadrunner
• Ginger
• Crush Wine Bistro and Cellar

Anchorage culinary salary and career outlook

Even as pre-teens and young adults, students can begin to hone their culinary skills by participating in a summer culinary boot camp offered at the University of Anchorage, Alaska. From there, they can pursue training at area cooking schools or through an associate or bachelor's degree at the university. These programs give students the opportunity to learn about nutrition, sanitation, food purchasing and cost control in a hands-on environment. Small business management and accounting coursework also can be part of a bachelor's degree in hospitality and restaurant management. Graduates of Anchorage culinary schools might be able to pursue employment as a catering manager, chef, kitchen manager, pastry chef or even restaurateur, and additional certification may even be necessary. In Anchorage, some common culinary occupations include:

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2014

After pursuing an education at one of the Anchorage cooking schools or building skills on their own, students can seek employment anywhere in the state, including cities that range from Fairbanks to Juneau and Sitka. Statewide, culinary employment is expected to grow by 2022:

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2014, and Projections Central

Cooking classes offered through private schools also provide students with more targeted learning, through classes based on fundamental skills, ethnic cuisine, comfort foods, pies and cakes and more. Other options include pursuing culinary learning online or heading to Seward, more than two hours to the south of Anchorage, to seek American Culinary Federation certification through Alaska's Institute of Technology. To learn more about the culinary schools in Anchorage and those nearby, check out the list of institutions below.

Sources:

• AVTEC, Alaska's Institute of Technology. https://avtec.edu/programs/professional-cooking-and-baking
• Bureau of Labor Statistics, Anchorage, AK, Occupational Outlook Handbook, http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_11260.htm
• Bureau of Labor Statistics, Alaska, Occupational Outlook Handbook, http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_ak.htm
• Climate Anchorage, U.S. Climate Data. http://www.usclimatedata.com/climate/anchorage/alaska/united-states/usak0012
• Culinary Arts, University of Alaska, Anchorage. https://www.uaa.alaska.edu/ctc/programs/degrees/upload/culinary-arts-june-2013.pdf
• Culinary Boot Camp, University of Alaska, Anchorage. https://www.uaa.alaska.edu/culinary/culinary-boot-camp/index.cfm
• Kinley's Restaurant and Bar. http://www.kinleysrestaurant.com/
• Let's Cook Alaska. http://letscookalaska.com/class_list
• Mooses's Tooth. http://moosestooth.net/
• National Restaurant Association, Alaska http://www.restaurant.org/Downloads/PDFs/State-Statistics/2015/AK_Restaurants2015
• ORSO. http://www.orsoalaska.com/
• Projections Central, Alaska, projectionscentral.com