UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA ANCHORAGE

“When the student leaves here, the graduate needs to be ready for work,”
he said. That means making sure the equipment they are trained on in the
Cuddy Center kitchens matches what industry is using.
Combined, First National Bank of Alaska, UAA and the culinary arts
department raised $300,000.
“I can’t say enough good things about First National Bank,” Doebler said.
“They want to make sure that the facility is maintained.”
Doebler joined the department in September 1986. He had planned to study
accounting in college. That’s what his parents had in mind. But his plans
changed when a high school teacher noticed his interest in cooking and told
him about career options in culinary arts. At the time, the field of culinary arts
was a fairly novel career choice, he said.
“My mother thought it odd that I would get a degree in cooking,”
Doebler said.
Left: Stephane Kendall and Pastry Chef Instructor Vern Wolfram decorate a cake. Above: Ixchel Carroll, Amy Voss and
Alice Landers, front row, smile for the camera. Middle row is, Rebecca Leslie, Grace Huhndorf and Melissa Magnus.
Back row is Mercedes Horton, John Layton, Sonya Irwin, and Niki Foreman.
However students find their way into the programs he operates at UAA,
many are choosing culinary arts as a second career, Doebler said. The average
age of students in the program is 28.
Doebler told the story of one man who had always enjoyed cooking and
when he retired from Fish and Game, enrolled in UAA’s culinary arts program.
Student Jeffrey Hughes called the program one of Alaska’s best-kept secrets.
“The distinguished instructors promote a hands-on learning environment that
allows each student to develop his or her potential, and exposes students to the
many possibilities that exist within the culinary profession,” he said.
6 Accolades
Accolades 7