One of Jeff King’s prizes for reaching the Yukon River in Ruby before anyone else was a five-course meal supplied by on of the Iditarod’s sponsors. And as Alaska Public Media’s Zachariah Hughes reports, the meal might mean more to the chefs than it does for the musher.
Andrew Adlesperger is sitting on his inside his small, cozy room at a Bed and Breakfast in Ruby, doing his best to unwind.
“In the spirit of the Iditarod and the wilderness of Alaska, we took a Dasani bottle, cut it in half, and basically turned one half into a wine glass and the other half into a wine cup,” said Adlesperger.
Adlesperger is a manager at the Lakefront Hotel, and is sharing a bottle of a blended red with Roberto Sidro, the hotel’s executive chef. The two got to Ruby a day before any of the mushers, and were on pins and needles listening for news of who might show up and when. The decadent spread Sidro prepared was a hearty mix of seafood and steak, and he wasn’t what he’d do if the musher didn’t have an appetite for meat.
“Probably pasta, Italian pasta,” said Sidro.
This is the third time Sidro has cooked for King on the Yukon, and he felt glad for the familiarity given how far he is from his normal kitchen. But it was a brand new experience for Adlesperger.
“I was a little star-struck, I was a little nervous. I’m pretty sure I said the wrong name when I gave him the grand-prize for making it to the Yukon River first,” said Adlesperger.
Other than that, the dinner went off without a hitch. They’d been prepping for a long time to make sure they could bring ingredients and a few choice pieces of equipment to Ruby and pull off an elaborate, but speedily prepared feast.
“We were able to fit two camp stoves, a handful of pans, and some nice plates,” said Adlesperger.
The other first on the Yukon was for Adlesperger himself, who until this trip had never had the chance to visit any place off the road system.
“I’d never been to Ruby, I’ve never really been to the wilderness or the villages of Alaska. I’ve lived in Alaska almost my entire life, but I’ve lived in the cities,” said Adlesperger.
Adlesperger and Sidro are departing Ruby at about the same time as King, when he’s finished resting, and digesting.
Zachariah Hughes reports on city & state politics, arts & culture, drugs, and military affairs in Anchorage and South Central Alaska.
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