Larsons sell Alpenglow
The wood-fired pizza restaurant Alpenglow has a new owner.
Nolan Woodard, a former guide, carpenter and food industry worker, now owns 75% of the restaurant and will take over operations beginning in April. Owners Olen and Anna Larson will still own 25% of the restaurant but are moving to Florida next month where Olen Larson has family.
“We just wanted to be a little closer to family. We’re a young couple and starting to think about a family, healthcare, being close to a hospital,” Olen Larson said. “And we needed a younger crowd.”
Olen Larson said he and Anna have retained minority ownership and will act as an advisor from afar.
“Starting this week, he’s going to have his crew coming in and learning the dough process, practicing the pizzas, figuring out where to get their feet set,” Larson said. “Operations wise we will be like a lifeline, guidance for anything business related, restaurant related, recipes, new ideas. If he wants to expand the restaurant it gives me the opportunity to be a part of that.”
Anna and Olen purchased Alpenglow from Cambria Goodwin in May 2020, just months after the pandemic prompted governments to shut down businesses. Larson said they provided takeout for the first six months that they owned the restaurant and slowly opened up dine in options as vaccines became available.
Larson said the pandemic seemed to create a habit of takeout that persists. He said that the restaurant survived the pandemic and thrived afterward because of local support as the past two summers of cruise ship traffic didn’t translate to a significant bolstering of revenues that was expected. Haines saw few ships during the summer of 2021 and while a record number of passengers arrived in 2022, many arrived in the late evening after they had already eaten dinner.
“The hours didn’t quite match up,” Larson said. “We weren’t seeing too many of those cruise ship passengers come in. Anna and I just want to thank the community for their patronage and helping us grow as a business. We hope they keep their arms as open as they were to us to the new owner coming in and support him as much as they can.”
Woodard said he’s excited to return to the food industry where he’s worked in various restaurants including pizzerias. He lived in Haines seasonally in 2016 and took a job at Rusty Compass. He later worked as a guide and moved in as full-time resident in 2019 where he worked in construction at Chilkoot Indian Association.
“We’re super excited. I’ve got a good crew of people coming to work for me,” Woodard said. “I’m learning a lot and getting all dialed in. I’m excited to get behind the line and start making some good food.”
Woodard said he doesn’t plan on making any immediate changes in the near term besides opening up for additional days this summer. He said he plans to keep the restaurant open in the winter.
“The restaurant has been a key part of the community,” Woodard said. “We’re excited to continue that and looking forward to getting community feedback.”
CIA developing carpenter apprenticeship program
The Chilkoot Indian Association has launched a pilot program for a carpentry apprenticeship program. In partnership with organizations across the state, eight of CIA’s laborers learned framing, sheetrock and taping, and earned an Occupational Safety and Health Administration certification.
CIA carpenter Justin Mitman participated in the two-week, 80-hour training where they built a shed and mudded drywall in the Uglys’ clubhouse.
“For the drywall aspect CIA was kind enough to let us do our training at the Uglys clubhouse,” Mitman said. “Instead of having to build something and tear it down, we built something that’s going to be beneficial for a nonprofit. That was really cool of CIA to do that.”
The Uglys fundraising efforts include providing scholarships to Haines School graduates and Christmas gifts to children in need.
CIA project manager Sylvia Heinz said CIA is in discussions with potential partner organizations including the Alaska Department of Labor, Alaska Works Partnership, Tlingit and Haida Central Tribal Council, Spruce Root and Team Rubicon, the all-veteran disaster relief organization, as it hopes to expand the program region wide and offer it to tribal members and the wider public.
“If a carpentry apprenticeship program is exclusive to tribal members or exclusive to Haines, we’re not going to have access to enough people to keep it going,” Heinz said. “It needs to have momentum. For long term sustainability the goal is for it to be a regional program.”