Culinary Tour with “Taste” on Alaska’s Coast

Welcome to Alaska! After landing in Anchorage, you’ll meet your private driver/guide and transfer to your overnight accommodations. Get a preview of the gourmet delights yet to come enjoying dinner at one of Anchorage’s many notable downtown restaurants.

Overnight in Anchorage.

Savor breakfast at the hotel before receiving a private transfer to Lake Hood, the largest floatplane base in the world. Board a private floatplane for a scenic flight to Tutka Bay Lodge, your route takes you along Cook Inlet, lined with active volcanoes.

Touch down in Tutka Bay and float over to the Tutka Bay dock where you will be met by the lodge staff and receive a brief orientation. You’ll then board a small boat for a quick ride over to the neighboring bay to visit an oyster farm. Meet the farmer and learn about the unique conditions of cold water oyster growing then taste one, fresh out of the water.

After returning to the lodge, you’ll learn to prepare one of the lodge’s featured dishes inspired by Chef Kirsten Dixon. Later enjoy some relaxing downtime on the deck of the lodge or explore the lodge’s walking trails before you sit down for a multi-course gourmet dinner designed by Kirsten. Tonight, join staff for a presentation about Alaska’s culinary history or perhaps enjoy a bonfire on the beach.

Overnight at Tutka Bay Lodge, your home for the next three nights.

This morning enjoy an optional yoga class before breakfast.

Then, meet local fishermen on the dock at the Lodge to learn all about the species of fish that can be found in Kachemak Bay. These talented professionals will provide you with instructions about how to fillet, debone, and cook Alaskan seafood and even how to prepare and present your meal, complete with wine pairing. Your culinary lesson will continue as you walk over to the Widgeon II, a 1949 re-purposed crabbing boat where together you and your fishermen guides will prepare and enjoy lunch.

Take some time after lunch for a hike or perhaps a paddle around the bay. Tonight, return to the Widgeon for more culinary instruction, this time about preparing tasty appetizers and desserts.

After morning yoga and breakfast, begin your foraging fun as you go in search of wild ingredients for your culinary masterpieces. Walk along a mile-long trail amidst an old-growth Sitka Spruce forest with a lodge naturalist. Your guide will teach you how to identify, sustainably pick, and use wild ingredients in a wild variety in recipes. Toss a salad with wild blueberries and spruce infused oil, or sprinkle fresh sea salt from the bay as a finishing touch to a tasty dish.

You will end your foraging stroll in the Tutka Bay garden where you and your guide will discuss more about growing produce in Alaska. After a delicious lunch, your culinary instructors will demo recipes using locally harvested ingredients. During this cooking class, you’ll learn about regional history, styles of Alaskan cuisine, and traditional Alaskan recipes. Dishes include wild seafood, berries, harvested sea greens, and locally grown produce.

That afternoon, you’ll meet your guides to explore one of the many trails through Kachemak Bay State Park or travel by boat on a wildlife cruise. You can often spot otters, whales, shorebirds, seabirds, and more in this area.

Enjoy one last breakfast before boarding a private floatplane for a scenic flight to Hobo Bay. Here you will board your private yacht, The Sea Mist, for a luxury multiday cruise throughout Prince William Sound.

Your captain and host on the Sea Mist will meet you when you arrive onboard and show you around your chartered vessel. A short safety briefing and orientation will be followed by lunch and a welcome ‘toast’ as you begin sailing through the pristine waters of Prince William Sound. Today spend time with the ship’s experienced Chef learning about the variety of seafood available in nearby Alaskan waters and how to prepare fresh-caught fish. You can even try your hand at dropping a shrimp pot off the boat and you might even end up catching your own dinner!

Overnight on the Sea Mist, your home for the next three nights.

Spend your day exploring the quiet beauty of Prince William Sound, waking up to picture-postcard scenery. Cruise through College Fjord and watch icebergs crashing into the ocean below and look for abundant wildlife in Esther Passage. Whales, sea otters, porpoises, jellyfish, and a variety of birds all call the sound home and may be seen throughout your voyage. Your cruise is the perfect opportunity to relax and take in the natural beauty of Alaska.

You may also choose to add some active fun to your cruise by kayaking or paddleboarding into coves, hiking along nearby beaches, or cruising to Perry Island to visit a local oyster farm and pick up some fresh oysters for lunch.

While onboard, a fishing charter will greet you alongside the Sea Mist and take you to some of the best spots to fish for halibut, lingcod, and salmon. After an exciting morning enjoying some classic Alaska fishing, return to your vessel with your catch and join the ship’s private Chef in the galley for your instruction about how to prepare your ‘catch of the day’.

Tonight, you will dine on your own fish with a glass of wine, watching the sunset over the Chugach Mountains.

Enjoy breakfast onboard the Sea Mist as you prepare for debarkation in the coastal community of Whittier. Wish your captain and crew a fond farewell and meet your private driver/guide to travel back to Anchorage along the scenic Turnagain Arm. Once in Anchorage enjoy the evening at your leisure.

Overnight in Anchorage.

A private transfer will take you to the Anchorage International Airport in time for your departure flight. Leave Alaska with culinary tips, techniques, a full belly and some tasty recipes to share with your foodie friends and family.