Celebrity chef visits Kenaitze

Healthy tradition

'Top Chef' shares love of traditional foods
It's not often Alaskans will roll out the red carpet for someone from New York City, but the Kenaitze Indian Tribe's monthly Diabetes Wellness Gathering and Lunch combined with the Elders Lunch at Tyotkas Elders Center in Kenai on Friday to host a special guest from the Big Apple.

Sam Talbot, an executive chef with more than 12 years of cooking experience at numerous prestigious restaurants, joined the Kenaitze. Talbot was also a fan-favorite and semi-finalist who eventually placed third on season two of the Bravo network's reality show "Top Chef," which involves chefs competing against each other in weekly challenges.

The 29-year old Sicilian-American chef has also been a Type 1 diabetic for the past 17 years and annually works with the Diabetes Research Foundation and the Chefs for a Cure event. As such, he spent the afternoon speaking about his experiences as a person with diabetes and offering suggestions on cooking with traditional foods, of course including an Alaska staple: salmon.