culinary team
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| ingredients |
| chef de cuisine chris rattaro grew up in the vibrant culinary scene of the san fransico bay area. his first "chef" was his grandmother teaching him the finer techniques of, amazing and abundant, italian cuisine. after enrolling in a culinary course, chris knew he had found his calling. his career began at blackhawk grille in california where he worked his way up the line to sous chef. three years later, alongside two fellow chefs, he transformed garibaldi's restaruant in oakland, california. chris continued sharpening his skills at masa's in san fransico starting as saucier, possinier and ultimately sous chef. next up, he earned a coveted job at the french laundry in napa valley. here he started as a commis and eventually a chef de partie. while working in napa chris dreamed of alaska. he landed a chef position at the remote winter lake lodge. chris fell in love with everything alaskan. eventually moving to the small ski hamlet of girdwood, he immediately bonded with the culinary team of jack sprat infusing his love of humor and excellent technique. chris has a unique ability to balance dedication to good food, creativity, and love for the outdoors all while having fun. lead chef de partie jamie hall is a third generation alaskan. she was born and raised in fairbanks and after one particulary record-breaking cold winter, she moved to seattle. after graduating with her culinary arts degree from south seattle community college, jamie went on to develop her skills in the pacific northwest. she worked as sous chef in notable seattle restaurants such as eva restaurant with chef amy mccray and etta's seafood in pike place market, a tom douglas restaurant. jamie later combined her passion for culinary arts and education as a teacher of high school students at a vocational technical school in seattle. upon her decision to return to alaska, she approached chef kirsten dixon at winter lake lodge and became a chef for the dixon's award-winning outfit in remote alaska. jamie recently received her batchelor of arts in business administration from alaska pacific university. she supports local products, enjoys haiku, and listens to nights with alice cooper. for lead brunch and chef de partie matt murphy, it all started with a chemistry set as a boy. fascinated by the chemical and creative process of cooking, he was born ready for culinary pursuits. as an experimental adult, he took the long way to the kitchen, dabbling first in politics in massachusetts. years later he ditched the political machine, and opened a pub with his uncle in cape cod. eventually his passions for hiking, hunting and skiing brought him to the thriving portland restaurant scene and abundant farmer's markets. matt came to girdwood in the spring of 2010 to pursue adventures in the outdoors, and has been happy to find a kitchen that will allow him to create exciting cuisine, while still enjoying access to the wilderness of alaska. chef de partie carrie kraft's love of food began early in life after the first time her father took her mushroom hunting in the foothills of the pacific northwest. she was fascinated by watching the ingredients she found turned into meals for her and her sister. as a child at home, she was constantly underfoot in the kitchen and at age 15 she got her first job in a restaurant as a counter girl quickly finding the real action was in the kitchen. she convinced them to train her on prep and in less than a year she was working the saute station on busy weekends. over the next ten years she moved up and down the west coast gaining experience and building her skill set at various restaurants before coming to alaska in early 2011. carrie spent her first summer exploring alaska by rail. she was enticed by the gorgeous scenery, endless backpacking, fishing and skiing opportunities that alaska had to offer. instantly charmed by the town and community of girdwood, she found her new home. carrie is excited to be part of a strong culinary team and family at jack sprat. |