The remarkable thing about Fairbanks and Alaska in general is that there is incredible opportunity. With a little motivation and ingenuity, many a resident has forged their way to a successful business. Who would guess that out of a small town like Fairbanks three people would compete in the national spotlight for their culinary expertise? Here are stories of three locals that hit the headlines with their love of cooking.
The Hungry Robot is a small pizza restaurant with the twist—make it unusual and different and they will come. Randy Bezdek, the owner, left a teaching career to pursue his dream and was invited to a UPS Small Business Challenge competition; in fact, he was the only one invited from Alaska. The stakes were $25,000. Unfortunately, he did not come home with the cash but put Fairbanks on the map for entrepreneurship.
Hungry Robot entrance
Lizzie Hartman began her love of cooking early in life as a way to socialize during those long winter months. Later, she pursued a degree in culinary arts at the local University of Alaska Fairbanks. Her Instagram pictures and social media attracted the attention of the Master Chef program with Gordon Ramsey, and she was invited to compete. Her moniker is Alaska Lizzie if you want to find out what she’s cooking up now.
Recently, the local Daily News Miner headline caught my eye with the tongue in cheek, “Tommy G hams it up on the national stage and brings home the bacon” Tommy had just returned from a national meat curing competition with five grand champion awards in hand and one All-Round champion of the show. I had noticed his sign next to a locally owned brewery before and curiosity drew me inside. I was amazed at the variety, quality, and eye catching design in each part of the meat market. Cases filled with all kinds of meat, along with an amazing variety of spices, sides, and sauces to accompany his award winning products. A classically trained tenor turned meat curing master is yet another success story of small town guy makes it big.
Entrance to Tommy G’s meat market
Tommy G’s awards from competitions
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