Deer Heart sees success during first weekend over
Travis Kukull’s new restaurant Deer Heart opened over the weekend. And, while they called it a soft opening, it was probably a bit harder for the new staff who had to accommodate the 50 people who showed up all at once on Friday evening. Kukull said they ended up serving 92 people that night.
“The first go-round is always pretty tough,” Kukull said. “You’re looking at tickets, not knowing exactly what’s going to take the longest to pick up. The important thing is not to panic.”
By the middle of the evening, Kukull said, staff started to get their feet under them and feel good. “The next day, I made some adjustments that made things faster for the line cooks and myself. I thought it all came out really consistent.”
And, speaking of consistency, Kukull said they got some feedback that the brisket dish was dry on Friday, so he added sour cherries to the sauce for Saturday evening. “Feedback is always welcome,” he said.
When asked about how he felt the weekend had gone, Kukull said he wanted to create a space for people to make memories and felt like that happened over the weekend when Janine Allen and Russell Kennedy showed up to have dinner and they both got emails from Alaska Pacific University saying they had been admitted to the Masters of Fine Arts program for Creative Writing.
“I thought that was really special. It kind of touched my heart,” he said.
If anyone is looking for some extra cash, Kukull said he’s looking to buy any nettles, fiddleheads or devil’s club from people out foraging.
Going forward, Deer Heart will be open three nights a week, Thursday-Saturday from 5 -9 p.m. It will also host an Easter brunch Sunday, April 20, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Alpenglow rounds out its second year with a weekend Mario Kart tournament
Sixteen people signed up to compete in Alpenglow Wood Fired Pizza’s Mario Kart tournament Saturday afternoon. It all came down to a contest between Wesley Dixon, Garrett Dixon, Talia Hauser and Pru Amann, who tackled Rainbow Road – the famously difficult final course in the game.
Wesley Dixon took first and a $100 gift card. Garrett Dixon came in second and got a $60 gift card. Hauser took third and a $30 gift card, while Amann took fourth. She got a 20 percent off coupon and a cheese pizza coupon, which the top two finishers in the elimination bracket got as well.
Owner Nolan Woodard said staff at the restaurant are all big fans of the game and they have been working to create a space where families feel welcome — so the videogame celebration seemed on point to celebrate the anniversary.
As for making it two years, Woodard said it has been exciting.
“I feel like there have been a lot of numbers thrown around but one of the big things I hear a lot is that half of all restaurants fail in the first two years,” he said. “The running joke around the shop is we’re better than half the restaurants out there because we made it two years.”
Looking further into 2025, Woodard said they’ve got an eye on expansion.
“This week we’re going to introduce mini banana-bread loafs as a dessert item. We’re toying around with some other menu items,” he said. “We’ve started making homemade baked bread and are selling it wholesale now.”
Staff are also experimenting with expansion into grab-and-go items like salads and sandwiches which, Woodard said, is meant to fill a specific role in the community of people needing reliable food at different times of day.
“It really does feel like this summer it’s our restaurant,” he said. “It’s not a carryover, or relying on the reputation of the previous owners. We’ve set ourselves out as ‘this is who we are,’ and that’s something I think both the crew and I are really excited about.”
Grant for winter food storage training awarded in Mosquito Lake
The Four Winds Resource Center was awarded a $9,960 micro grant from the State of Alaska to focus on winter food storage.
Erika Merklin said for the next year, they’ll be offering workshops on everything from root cellars to canning and freezing food.
“I’ve been focused on it for years because it’s a bottleneck in our community to be able to grow more local food,” Merklin said. “We need a place to store it and we need people to be better educated about storing methods.”
In addition to the new grant, the Victory Garden at the resource center has a new coordinator. Longtime volunteer Sarah Ammons has agreed to take on the community garden organization role this year.
Moose Horn Laundry expands under new owners, cafe to open soon
Last October, Skagway resident Taylor Ashton moved to Haines with her partner, Cesar Ramirez, and 2-year-old son Ruben to take over Moose Horn Laundry.
Since then Ramirez and Ashton have been expanding what’s available to residents and tourists at the business.
“We’re offering car detailing, car washing, RV washing, commercial and residential cleaning services,” Ashton said. “We also offer wash-and-fold services, and pick-up and drop-off services.”
By mid-April, they plan to add another food option to Haines’ collective palate with the Moose Horn Cafe. Ashton said it will be open from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will carry coffee and specialty drinks in addition to fresh-baked goods from Grandma Pete’s.
Ashton said they’re working to offer what RV travelers need while also continuing to provide for locals, as they are who keep the business afloat during the winter months. So they’ve added an ATM to the laundromat, and a place to buy prepaid trashbags – as well as offering free wifi.
“We’re definitely open to suggestions and things will probably change as time goes on,” Ashton said.
The Bottom Line follows how money, labor, and resources move through the Chilkat Valley – tracking new businesses, closures, nonprofit funding, and the work that holds it all together. Send tips, story leads, and your ideas about the local economy to editor@chilkatvalleynews.com