Guests flock here year-after-year to ski our 76 named trails, enjoy scenic tram rides, and to sample fresh seafood and hearty “modern mountain” cuisine. With ski pubs, upscale mountain top dining, and a state-renowned sushi bar “Sakura” to choose from, we offer plenty of dining options catering to hungry outdoor enthusiasts.
This is why we are delighted to welcome talented new chef Wes Choy to our team.
General Manager, Mandy Hawes says, “We are thrilled to have such an innovative chef join us here at Alyeska Resort, and we know he can bring some of his ideas and creative flair to our popular menus”.
Chef Choy grew up in New York, completing a B.S in Accounting at Alfred University after leaving school. However, after several years he decided to embark on a different trajectory, enrolling for a culinary arts degree at Vancouver Community College in 2011.
Whilst there, he was recipient of the Chef Marcasi Scholarship and awarded “Student of the Year” for top of the class. He spent his time assisting with Junior Team Canada functions and B.C. Chef Association gatherings, thus concluding this was definitely the career path for him.
Wes explains “I’ve always loved food and realized at an early age that cooking helps to harness my imagination. It’s a method of empowerment for me, not only to create something, but also to share it with others”.
Once he began to follow his destiny, Chef Choy’s journey took him from Vancouver where he worked as a cook, to the bright lights of Las Vegas where he was chef/co-owner of Pasta Fresh. The restaurant finished in the Top 5 of Best New Restaurant and Best Italian in Las Vegas in 2013. He completed seasonal stints as Sous Chef/Chef de Cuisine in the Little Nell Hotel in Aspen before venturing to Alaska in 2014 where he has lived ever since.
There’s one thing many chefs love about Alaskan cuisine, and that is the opportunity to work with the freshest, locally-sourced produce around, and Wes is no different, stating: “I love the possibilities of cooking in Alaska. First and foremost, we get to work with freshly caught Alaskan seafood on a daily basis, and secondly, we have an abundance of naturally foraged ingredients such as kelp, fiddleheads, morels and birch syrup – with these amazing ingredients, the creativity can be endless!”.
Chef Choy goes on to say, “So, many things excite me about this new role, but I am most excited about working with the amazing and talented staff here at the resort”.
Given his passion for Alaskan cooking, fresh produce, and for the natural beauty of the wilderness frontier, it seems like we may have found our perfect match.
Please note that while our restaurants are closed until Jan 1st 2021, Chef Choy has created a wonderful selection of items to enjoy on the go or in the comfort of your room.
