Captain Cook's kitchens craft culinary careers

The calm hallways of the Hotel Captain Cook belie the fast-paced clamor behind the walls. In the lobby you'll hear the soft hush of conversation from leather armchairs and the quiet clatter of suitcase wheels over dark tiled floors. In the many kitchens, though, culinary crews donned in white chef wardrobes work to keep the family-owned hotel's four restaurants and 12 event spaces running efficiently (alongside the daily in-house bake shop, room service and catering departments).

The Captain Cook and UAA's Culinary Arts, Hospitality & Restaurant Management Division have established a solid working relationship, providing top-tier kitchen experience for current students and offering local talent to the hotel, which celebrated 50 years in downtown Anchorage this summer. "We're very well-connected to UAA, we have a lot of internships that go on throughout the year," explained Clayton Damm, Captain Cook catering director and a UAA culinary arts grad.

Captain catering     

As catering director, Clayton has traded in his chef coats for a rotation of business suits. It's a noteworthy change from his earlier days managing fast food.

"I'll sum up my life story here. I started working at McDonalds when I was 15," Clayton said, launching into the path that led him to Captain Cook. He eventually became manager for two Anchorage franchises, but his personal goal was to operate his own food and beverage business. He turned to UAA to help him with that next step.

Clayton enrolled in the Culinary Arts program at UAA, but needed a 6-month internship to complete his degree. His professor recommended he try the Captain Cook, a long-term partner of the culinary program. Clayton interviewed with the chef of the Crow's Nest-the hotel's top-tier fine dining option-and ended up with a spot in the bakeshop. "I kind of got my foot in the door, and that's how a lot of people start here," he said. "They get their foot in the door and they start to work their way up the ladder."

For a while, Clayton managed both McDonalds, attended class at UAA and started his internship at the Captain Cook. "From what I remember of it, it felt like I was a zombie," he recalled. Eventually, a full-time job in accounting opened up, allowing him to focus fully on the Captain Cook. Now, he's the catering director, arranging every element of the seating, setup, A/V requests and-of course-the menus for the hotel's numerous events and conferences. The Captain Cook offers 12 rental facilities, and they're often up and running concurrently. "Most of the time we probably have more than half the rooms in use," he estimated.

Clayton is still driven, though. And busy. He sits on Alaska's culinary arts board, runs a security camera business on the side and even achieved his goal-three years ago, he opened his own café in the Frontier Building.

"I think the key is just learning how to delegate responsibly, so you don't have it all on your head and doing it all your self. There's a lot going on, but I've learned to manage it," he said.

The Crow's Nest kitchen

While Clayton organizes catering events from his second floor office, another UAA connection is taking place 18 stories up.

Occupying the entire top floor of the west tower, the Crow's Nest is both literally and figuratively the crown of the Captain Cook, offering some of the finest dining and undeniably the greatest view in the entire city.

The Crow's Nest kitchen has hosted several UAA culinary students in the past year, thanks to the assistance of Chef de Cuisine Reuben Gerber. As head chef, he directs the menu, manages the staff, and oversees the prep work for three of the hotel's restaurants. "On top of that, I'm taking culinary students under my wing," he said of his role. "I've had wonderful mentors in my life, so it's giving back."

Currently, RJ Kruckenberg is the lucky student working one-on-one with Chef Reuben two afternoons a week. RJ was recently promoted to saucier-"kind of the most glamorous position in the kitchen," Reuben noted-and he's now learning the classic sauces and stocks that accentuate the restaurant's decadent dishes.

The on-the-job training is incredibly valuable for the current culinary student. "UAA is very textbook and learning the basics," RJ explained. "Here, it's applying them to real life."

Reuben agrees. "You won't learn that in culinary schools, no matter whether it's the Culinary Institute of America or the French Culinary Institute. You're not in the environment-the ticket machine running, the loud voices, the steamer, the hood, everything is on fire. It is controlled triage. You can't create that same environment in school, as much as you try. It doesn't exist unless you put yourself in that environment."

The real kitchen experience gives students a chance both to find their place in the kitchen and, occasionally, realize it might not be for them. "A lot of people, watch the cooking shows and they think, 'I can do this,' then they realize how much hard work it is," Reuben added. "It's a brutal lifestyle, it's not family conducive at all. It's hard. It scares a lot of culinary students away when they come and work in a restaurant."

But for those who embrace the high-pressure environment, Captain Cook's on-the-job training provides enormous benefits. "It's a great opportunity for UAA," he said. According to Reuben, Hotel Captain Cook offers one of the most professional kitchen environments in the state of Alaska, giving students the opportunity to start at the top.

"Reuben is amazing," RJ said of the opportunity to work at the Crow's Nest. "He's such a talented chef. I get to learn from the best in the state."

"RJ will walk away from this experience and UAA together with phenomenal training," Reuben added. "From this launching pad, he can go really anywhere."

So who's next? "Our doors are open. We love to see more UAA students come through here," Chef Reuben concluded. "It's a great opportunity to learn. There are a lot of great chefs here-48 years of experience in the Crow's Nest alone-so it's a good place to learn."

Wherever UAA graduates find a home at Captain Cook-whether it's in accounting or hospitality or culinary or catering-they're happy to be there. "If you go and talk to any of the employees you realize how long they've been here," Clayton said. "Everyone's pretty happy working here. It's a good place to work.

"I feel pretty lucky."

Written by J. Besl, UAA Office of University Advancement