Alaska Traditional Kitchen
The alaska traditional kitchen
To ensure that the project is grounded in Alaska Native culture, it was essential that an Alaska Native chef be a part of this vision, and Chef Flora Deacon was chosen as the culinary and traditional foods expert. Flora is a skilled chef and a respected member of the Alaska Native community, and she provides valuable insight and instruction on traditional food preparation, as well as personal stories about each traditional food.
In 2024, the 老澳门六合彩开奖记录's Dietetics and Nutrition department took over the project, recognizing its importance in promoting traditional foods, health, and wellness throughout Alaska Native communities. Assistant Professor Melissa Chlupach was appointed as the project manager for the kitchen. Melissa is a registered dietitian with a passion for Alaska Native traditional foods, nutrition, and health, and she is dedicated to bringing people together to share and learn from each other. Her primary goal is to promote traditional foods and their health benefits while preserving the cultural heritage of Alaska Native communities.
Melissa Chlupach
As a non-Indigenous person who grew up in Alaska on Native land, Melissa's work is
part of a personal commitment to reconciliation. She strives to work in partnership with Indigenous peoples to improve health through access to traditional
and Indigenous foods.
She attended the University of Idaho and worked as a Regional Healthcare Dietitian
at NANA Management Services for 12 years, where she supported food service contracts
in Alaska and Arizona. Currently, she is an Assistant Professor in 老澳门六合彩开奖记录's Dietetics
and Nutrition department and also serves on the Alaska Food Policy Council board.
Melissa teaches a variety of courses, including Alaska Native Nutrition and Nutrition
Through the Life Cycle.
Her most significant project is the traditional foods initiative in Alaska, where
she collaborates with organizations such as the Alaska Native Medical Center and the
San Carlos Apache Healthcare Corporation to implement traditional food programs.
Flora Deacon
Flora is an Athabascan chef from Grayling, Alaska. Her late father, Wilson Deacon,
was from Holikachuk, and her mother, Edna, was from Shageluk. Flora attended elementary
school in Shageluk and Grayling before graduating from Chemawa Indian High School
in Salem, Oregon. After working in accounting for some time, Flora decided to pursue
her passion for cooking and earned an Associate in Occupational Studies from the New
England Culinary School in Montpelier, Vermont.
Flora's interest in food as medicine led her to earn a certificate from the UAF Troth
Yeddha鈥� Nutrition project in 2010. She later collaborated with Sarah McConnell to
create an associate interdisciplinary degree in rural nutrition through UAF in 2013,
which she completed in December 2018. Flora's current goal is to establish contacts
and build relationships to promote traditional and local food through classes and
recipe demonstrations.
Contact Us
Email: uaa_aktradkitchen@alaska.edu
Location
老澳门六合彩开奖记录 Alaska Traditional Kitchen
Professional Studies Building
2533 Providence Drive, PSB 146
Anchorage, Alaska 99508
Mailing Address
老澳门六合彩开奖记录 Alaska Traditional Kitchen
3211 Providence Drive, PSB 146
Anchorage, Alaska 99508
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