Levi Adams, Andrew Jylkka Win $1,500 in Third Annual Sitka Food Business Innovation Contest
Andrew Jylkka of Southeast Dough Company baked sourdough bread in Wrangell before moving to Sitka earlier this year.
Sitka Local Foods Network
One winner plans to cultivate mushrooms. The other is a baker who is selling bread and fermented foods to Sitka residents. Both, Levi Adams of Forage and Farm and Andrew Jylkka of Southeast Dough Company, have won the two $1,500 prizes in the third annual Sitka Food Business Innovation Contest.
“We had some really good entries this year, but these two rose to the top,” says Charles Bingham, board president of the Sitka Local Foods Network, which sponsors the contest. “Even with the coronavirus outbreak, Andrew is actively baking and selling his bread. Levi is still getting his business started, but his entry was the most thoroughly written and researched, by far, of any we’ve received in the three years we’ve hosted the contest. The Sitka Local Foods Network’s mission is to increase the amount of locally harvested and produced foods into the diets of Southeast Alaskans, so we hope our prizes encourage local food entrepreneurs here in Sitka.”
The Sitka Food Business Innovation Contest has $1,500 prizes for each of two categories: start-ups (less than two years old) and existing businesses. This year all of the entries were in the start-up category, but since Jylkka already was baking and selling bread and had a history of baking in Wrangell, his entry was moved to the existing business category so there could be two awards. “We felt both entries were deserving of awards,” Bingham said.
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In his entry, Adams wrote, “My business will provide the opportunity for Sitkans to experience the healthful and flavorful addition of fresh and dried wild and cultivated mushrooms, both native and exotic to their daily routines. Forage and Farm will strive to meet the growing demand for culinary and medicinal fungi in the community by foraging fresh wild mushrooms in the warm seasons and bringing them to market at the Sitka Food Co-op, as well as distributing through an independent CSA (Community Sponsored Agriculture) program [Adams’ mother, Lori Adams, operates the Down To Earth Gardens CSA in Sitka]. In the colder seasons, cultivated mushrooms will be provided.”
With several scouting trips under his belt, Adams said he is waiting for commercial harvest permits from the USDA Forest Service and the Alaska Department of Natural Resources (state forests). While waiting for the permits, Adams said he plans to gather red alder and hemlock logs so he can cultivate mushrooms on his family’s property. He also is looking to purchase refrigerator and dehydrator equipment to store and process the mushrooms.
“With funds obtained from the Sitka Food Business Innovation Contest I will redouble my efforts toward cultivation,” Adams wrote. “I hope to bring a large number of diverse and nutritious mushroom species to the market as soon as possible. Nothing supercharges my sense of purpose like applying permaculture principles to foraging and farming and understanding that I can leverage those efforts to enrich and enliven my community. For partnering with me in this, the Sitka Local Foods Network has my deep gratitude and respect.”
Levi Adams of Forage and Farm holds white and rainbow chanterelle mushrooms he harvested.
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Since moving to Sitka, Jylkka has been baking about fifty loaves for Sitka Food Co-op deliveries and also selling through social media. He also was scheduled to teach a Sitka Kitch class on baking brioche before the coronavirus forced its postponement. In addition to baking his bread, Jylkka has been making sauerkraut and kimchi to sell.
“Southeast Dough Company does not aim to just make a good loaf of bread,” Jylkka wrote in his entry. “The goal here is to continue building on the positive food culture that exists in Sitka and strengthen the foundations of our community. I have a strong belief that good food brings people together and allows them an avenue to connect to one another that they may otherwise not find. My chosen medium for this product is bread. The mixing of water, flour, salt, and yeast has been at the heart of society for millennia and the breaking of bread is symbolic of neighbors coming together to build lasting connections.”
Jylkka currently is using his home kitchen to bake his bread, and he estimated he could ramp up production to 400 loaves a week in his current kitchen. But he really wants to move into a larger commercial kitchen and possibly hire an assistant.
“This prize will help me take the next step to move out of my home kitchen and into a commercial space. I’m excited to be able to offer my products more consistently to the members of this community,” Jylkka wrote. “I would love to participate in the farmers market, and I understand that everything is a waiting game right now so no worries there. I also need to make some decisions as to when I chose to expand with everything that’s going on.”
Last year’s winners were Brittany Dumag of Castaway (food cart with Cuban pork sandwiches using Alaska pork) and Tamara Kyle of Sitka Sauers (fermented foods), with a special youth winner award for Abigail Ward of Sitka Spices (meat and fish rubs). In 2018, the winner was Hope Merritt of Gimbal Botanicals (beach greens and local teas).
Sitka Local Foods Network
Sitka Local Foods Network
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