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Sweet & Savory Contest was a Delight!
by Jenny Chissus
Event Flier
In spite of the blustery and rainy weather, the evening was a huge success! Thanks to Jeremiah and Angela at the Boardwalk Hotel who in addition to hosting this fun event, entertained us with great music from Keeley, Nelson and Kelsey all evening!
We had delicious entries in the competition, this year in both Sweet and Savory categories as well as a People’s Choice category!
Savory …
First, let’s talk about the SAVORY entries! It was so interesting as this category truly opened the door to some exciting and unexpected entries! We love to challenge our Seldovia chefs!
In the Savory category, we had fried chicken wings in a crystalized ginger salmonberry sauce, steak and sausage bites with BBQ salmonberry dipping sauces, caramelized onion and salmonberry cream cheese spread, salmonberry wine and even a salmonberry relish!
Thanks to Marcia, Liane, Ginny, Chris, Karen and MaryJo, we had some amazing entries in the new category this year!
Sweet…
In the SWEET category, we had a wide variety of treats as well! From fresh salmonberry pie, salmonberry cream cheesecake, salmonberry zinger cake, salmonberry jello cheesecake, salmonberry glazed cheesecake, salmonberry kookaberry cake, salmonberry mascarpone shortcake, salmonberry cupcake bites to another salmonberry ice cream!
People’s Choice…
We had another fun category this year, based on last year’s success of sharing the remaining entries with the crowd! So after each sampling was taken by the judges, then the remainder went to our tasting table – where the spectators at the event could sample the treats! Everyone at the event had a ticket and were given the opportunity to pick ONE favorite! It was interesting as 71% of the votes were cast for entries in the SWEET category! And, in the end all three PEOPLES CHOICE winners were in the Sweet category!
And our 3 Judges…
We want to acknowledge and thank our three judges this year! All three were winners in last year’s competition! Angela Campbell who owns, operates and cooks at the Boardwalk Hotel Pub and Grill, Melissa Pederson who owns, operates and cooks at the Harbor Inn Coffee & Gifts and Peggy Cloninger who has retired from almost 30 years running a successful fishing charter and B&B here in Seldovia!
All three of these ladies are amazing cooks who have owned and cooked in restaurants and B&Bs, so they understand the importance of tasty dishes and presentation!
Peggy actually wasn’t able to participate last year as she was headed out of town, so she gave her recipe to Jen Swick, who brought home 1st place last year making & submitting Peggy’s delicious Salmonberry Ice Cream! Crazy – that this year’s winner was also an ice cream!
Thank You … Thank You … Thank You
Awesome Glass Etching by Ecola Collier
Thank you to all the participants who submitted their delicious treats! Obviously, there would be no competition without you!
In addition to thanking again the Boardwalk Hotel Pub and Grill and the entire staff who ran and ran all night to keep food and drinks coming, during the music and the competition, I also want to thank Bovey Trophies for a fantastic job on the ribbon awards! They always do a great job, quickly and at a great price!
Thank you to Alaska Air Taxi who made sure that the awards made it down to Seldovia, and Jeremiah Campbell who packed them in his suitcase!
I also want to acknowledge Ecola Collier who did a fantastic job with the etching on the award jars, creating the artwork and etching the glass so beautifully!
Thanks to Seldovia Property, who sponsored awards, commissioned artwork and planned and organized the event.
Savory Winners!
Liane – Savory 1st Place Steak & Sausage Bites with Salmonberry BBQ Dipping Sauces
Marcia – Savory 2nd Place Marcia’s Salmonberry Juice (wine)
MaryJo – Savory 3rd Place Salmonberry Relish
Sweet Winners!
Jinnifer – Sweet 1st Place Salmonberry Lemon curd Ice cream
Liane – Sweet 2nd Place Salmonberry Mascarpone Shortcake
Rebecca – Sweet 3rd Place Salmonberry flavored Cupcake Bites
People’s Choice Winners!
Elaine – 1st Place – People’s Choice Salmonberry Kookaberry Cake
Erin – 2nd Place – People’s Choice Fresh Salmonberry Pie
Jinnifer – 3rd Place – People’s Choice Salmonberry Lemon curd Ice cream
2018 Salmonberry Contest, Recap of 2017 event & Interview with our 2017 Guest Celebrity Judge Kirsten Dixon!
by Jenny Chissus
There are quite a few things that come to mind when you think of summer in Seldovia, and one of the very special ones, is the fact that we are a haven for Salmonberries! We’re in our 2nd year of hosting the Salmonberry Dessert Contest, and we agreed that we needed to divide up the categories a bit as we had such a variety of treats last year! We will have two categories in our renamed “Salmonberry Delights Contest”! Sweet OR Savory – thanks to Kirsten Dixon for that description of last year’s event! This allows folks to submit both the “Sweet” Salmonberry Desserts as well as “Savory” Salmonberry Dressings, sauces & other. We’re excited to see what this year will bring!
The audience loved when the judges began sharing of all the treats once they had judged their portion. This year we will have a People’s Choice winner as the crowd truly enjoyed getting in on the tasty fare! So, to all entrants, please have enough for the 3 judges as well as some to share tastes with the diners at the Boardwalk as they will each have one vote! This worked out beautifully last year, as the three judges just take a taste of a pie or cake so there is plenty to share… but when it is just a candy, scoop of ice cream or a muffin, there is not much to go around! So keep that in mind!
Bring your entry before 6pm and sit down for dinner and a front row seat to the contest judging that begins at 7:30pm!
I know many folks who don’t live in Seldovia can’t wait for the season and make trips to our side of the bay for these elusive fruits! Last year, as we looked back at our photos from 2016, we figured we would be safe to have our contest in late July! Not so! Our lack of sun and warmth last summer led to a mediocre and VERY late summer crop of salmonberries, so we moved the event to the end of August! Thankfully, it all worked out to the good, as Kirsten and Mandy Dixon were able to make the event in August, and never would have been able to swing it in July! This year, the berries are ripening and plentiful, if you can beat the crows!
Last year, I wasn’t sure how it was going to go – if folks would find any berries – if anyone had great dessert recipes to create something for a contest… but when 7:30pm drew near, we had 25 entries! We had to bring out two more tables to manage the dessert feast!
We had salmonberry coffee cake, salmonberry swirl cake, lemon salmonberry marscarpone cake, salmonberry cheesecake, brie cheese with salmonberry chutney, salmonberry cake with fireweed honey sauce, chocolate covered rice crispy salmonberry truffles, salmonberry shortcake, salmonberry crumble bars, salmonberry rhubarb pudding cake, salmonberry smoothie, salmonberry cheesecake bites, salmonberry sweet buns, salmonberry custard pie with shortbread crust, brie with salmonberry lemon cream cheese and salmonberry jelly sauce, angel food cake with orange butter salmonberry sauce, love of salmonberry pastry with cream rose salmonberry essence, etc! It was incredible!
Thanks so much to Jeremiah and Angela and the Boardwalk Hotel staff who worked hard to accommodate all the entrants, people and fun! They did a phenomenal job! We look forward to having the contest there again this year! Thank you for hosting!
Enjoy the Slide show from last year’s event below – where you can see the winning entries and amazing chefs and bakers of Seldovia! Get inspired!
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Interview with Celebrity Chef Kirsten –
It was such a privilege to meet and host Kirsten and her daughter Mandy in Seldovia. Thanks so much to Valerie Granath from the Bridgekeeper’s Inn who offered her B&B for the two of them to enjoy a night in Seldovia after the contest!
I had a chance to visit with Kirsten and wanted to share some of her thoughts after the event was through!
Jenny – When you were invited to be a judge, what made you say “Yes”?
Kirsten – I enjoy any opportunity to visit Seldovia. We’re such close neighbors! At Tutka Bay Lodge we just feel that we are part of the Seldovia community and of course, I’m a huge fan of salmonberries and I’m a huge fan of our wild edibles bringing people closer together.
Jenny – You’ve been to Seldovia before, how was this visit?
Kirsten – Every time we visit Seldovia, it’s always a little bit more vibrant and active than the time we were there before. People are super kind and friendly and very warm and inviting to us.
Jenny – What was the highlight of your stay?
Kirsten – No, it certainly wasn’t what we expected. The talent and variety of the entries along with so many people entries, over 25! It was pretty amazing! The food at the restaurant was incredible, the company was wonderful, the music was really beautiful, and overall the evening with such great fun. The bed and breakfast was sweet with such a lovely morning breakfast.
Join us for the 2018 event, Saturday, August 11, 2018 at the Boardwalk Hotel!
All entries need to be registered at the hotel between 5:00 and 6:00pm.
Judging will begin at 7:30pm!
The first of 4 Races this summer in Seldovia!
You must 
Adult Male
Come run in Seldovia!
K Bay Air Offering Top Notch Scheduled Service to Seldovia
Dylan & Scott with KBay Air
We had the pleasure to host Scott and Dylan from K Bay Air at our local chamber meeting this month. It was a great success! Not just because they provided lunch! They purchased the food from our local businesses, and both Scott and Dylan were eager to let us know that they look forward to serving our community in a concrete and cooperative way! I asked Scott Jackson, who is the General Manager for K Bay Air a few questions to introduce himself, the team and the business to Seldovians who were not present at our meeting!
1) Scott, tell us a little about you and how you came to K Bay Air!
My wife and I moved to Homer in 1994. I went to work for Homer Air as an aircraft mechanic and soon became their Director of Maintenance. A few years later, I went online as one of their pilots. 10 years later, we rented out our place in Homer and moved outside so I could pursue an advanced degree in Business and Marketing, and gain senior management experience and Captain flying corporate jet aircraft. However, our hearts and minds were always looking back towards Alaska and thinking about our wonderful friends in Homer and across Kachemak Bay. We moved back in June and when the opportunity arose to lead K Bay Air (bay operations), I knew this was the perfect job for me. It brings together 20+ years of experience in aviation, business, and marketing.
2) What do you feel K Bay Air brings to the residents and visitors of Seldovia?
Seldovia has so much to offer its residents and visitors. While we are a transportation company at our core, our desired business is really to be a partner with the people who live and work in Seldovia. We are pulling together an extraordinary plan to boost the economy in Seldovia. This plan ties in with our sister company Alaska Bear Adventures, one of Alaska’s most successful bear viewing companies. We will be offering overnight packages in Seldovia to literally 2,800 plus visitors that contact us annually.
3) What does your schedule look like through the winter? I see departures at 9:45am, 11:50am, 2:50 and 4:50 daily – but is there a chance flights might do a quick return to Homer and leave Seldovia earlier?
The benefit of K Bay Air rests with our ability to be consistent yet flexible. Every customer that calls can be assured that our dispatchers and pilots will work hard to pull together a flight that fits their needs. As our company grows, we anticipate that airplanes and pilots will be assigned solely to Seldovia. This will offer the best flexibility for “quick turn” flights.
4) Your current rates are $62 OW and $124 RT, and you are also offering 55 pounds of freight free per passenger, but what is the per pound cost for freight? Are there any other specials offering right now?
If you follow us on Facebook or keep an eye on our website, you might notice that we enjoy mixing things up a bit. You can count on a steady stream of innovative ideas from K Bay and even a few game changers from time-to-time. We have our customer loyalty program known as the K PAX 5. Essentially, purchase five RT tickets and the 6th is free. In November, we will be offering a FREE round trip ticket to Homer via an “in Seldovia” drawing. Keep an eye on Seldovia Chatter Box Facebook page for details. Our Freight Rate (exclusively for Seldovia) for anything over 55 lbs. is 0.39 lb. However, for businesses that fly large volumes regularly, we work on an individual basis to give them the best rate.
5) Can you introduce us to your pilots?
Experienced pilots are the key to safety and to our success. Through many years of beach landing/bear viewing operations, we have become very proficient at finding the right pilots and training them to fly in some of the most challenging conditions in Alaska. Dylan Skirko and I will be your primary pilots and we have a couple of our seasoned bear/summer pilots that flew the bay last year that will fill in on an “as needed” basis. Our goal is to provide our passengers with trusted and familiar faces at the helm.
6) Can you tell us about your planes?
Currently, we fly all Cessna 206 aircraft. These airplanes have a proven record in bush Alaska and have an extraordinary dispatch reliability rate. They can carry heavy loads in and out of the villages, and have reasonable operating costs. Most aircraft that operate in this environment quickly take on the “tired workhorse” look due to the frequency of flights, and loading and unloading. I have heard many comments from our customers that they appreciate the time, money, and effort that we spend on keeping our aircraft in top condition.
7) We so enjoyed having you at our meeting – and welcome as a new member! You spoke a bit about how you are looking forward to working with current Seldovia businesses to bring in new business to Seldovia, can you tell us about that? Can folks connect with you directly if they are interested in being a part of what you are putting together for your guests for summer 2018?
A couple of weeks ago, the K BAY Air team put together a long-awaited hamburger/hot dog cookout across the bay and during our time there, we had some great discussions with folks on how to improve our service. One idea that came up was having a local phone number that is simple to remember and easy to dial. Here it is! 907-235-8787 If you have suggestions, the K Bay Air staff will work hard to implement them.
Yes….. I encourage anyone in Seldovia that offers lodging, meals, charters, tours, entertainment, and other visitor related activities to contact us (907-235-8787) to see if they might be a part of our Seldovia Visitor’s package. I will be spending a lot of time in Seldovia meeting with business owners and putting together the calendars, and marketing programs that will drive the success for the upcoming season. We are already booking Bear trips for 2018, so we will be working very quickly to pull this all together.
K Bay Air is dedicated to partnering with people and businesses in Seldovia. That being said, we are excited to be a part of the famous Linwood Bar and Grill Halloween Party on October 28th. K Bay and the Linwood are offering one FREE seat/round trip ticket for the winner of the “Best Couples Costume”. Judging begins at 10:00 pm. Good luck to everyone and have a great time!
8) Anything else you would like to relay to the community of Seldovia?
K Bay’s company motto is “Serving Extraordinary People Everyday”. Our love for the people across Kachemak Bay is what motivates us to work hard to go above and beyond. As mentioned in the Chamber of Commerce meeting, we are dedicated to listening to your feedback and making necessary changes quickly to offer the best service possible. We know the economic and geographical challenges that you face living in an amazing place like Seldovia and hope that you will allow us to partner with you in your daily lives and businesses.
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