The Alaska Food Festival & Conference is the state’s largest food systems gathering!
2026 Conference
We are no longer accepting Session Proposals or Food Hero Nominations.
Stay tuned for a full agenda soon!
Westmark Fairbanks Hotel & Conference Center
Our 2026 venue, the Westmark Fairbanks Hotel & Conference Center is located in Downtown Fairbanks, Alaska, at 813 Noble Street. See Travel section for details.
2026 Co-Hosts
For our 9th edition of this conference, we are proud to collaborate with:
Native Movement, an Alaska-based Indigenous-led nonprofit that organizes grassroots advocacy, education, and movement-building around Indigenous rights, environmental justice, food sovereignty, and community-led social change
North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems (NĀTIFS), a Native-led nonprofit promoting Indigenous foodways education, food access, and food sovereignty through culinary training, resources, and community-based food systems work
2026 Conference Artist
Brianna Reagan is an Alaska-based artist, illustrator, and designer whose work is rooted in curiosity and a deep connection to the natural world. With a background in fine art, Brianna creates detailed, hand-illustrated work. Her creative practice spans painting, drawing, commercial illustration, logo design and branding, and surface pattern design.
She lives and works in Fairbanks, Alaska with her blue collar husband, where they raise their two children, two dogs, and a cat in plenty of creative chaos.
Secure your conference tickets early!
Registration is open for the 2026 Alaska Food Festival & Conference.
Registration closes at 11:59PM October 14th.
Due to circumstances beyond our control, we are no longer able to offer virtual tickets.
Through generous support from the Mat-Su Health Foundation, we were able to offer a limited number of participant scholarships, available to residents from the Matanuska–Susitna (Mat-Su) Borough. All in-person attendance scholarships have been awarded.
Friday, Keynote Panel
CONNECT: more coming soon!
Enei Begaye
Fairbanks, Alaska
Executive Director, Native Movement
Native Movement was formed in 2003 out of Arctic Village, Alaska with a vision of grassroots-led movements and healthy Indigenous nations building strong, healing, and sustainable communities for all and Mother Earth. Native Movement understands that in order to make meaningful and lasting change it is critical to address root-causes that reshape oppressive systemic power structures.
Native Movement is dedicated to movement building grounded in an Indigenized worldview and decolonizing practices. We support movement building via three major baskets of work: Action and Advocacy, Community Education, and Movement Infrastructure support.
Enei (she / they ) is of the Diné & Tohono O’odham nations, she is Tachiinii and To’dichiinii clans. Her partner is of the Gwich’in nation from Arctic Village, Alaska; together they parent four children. Enei is a longtime community organizer, trainer, facilitator, and advocate around issues of environmental justice, economic justice, climate justice, and the rights of Indigenous peoples.
Enei is a co-founder of and active member of the Fairbanks Climate Action Coalition and the Black Mesa Water Coalition. She has served on various national social justice boards, she was named one of Utne Readers “50 visionaries who are changing our world,” but more importantly she is a dirt loving, vegetable growing, fabric addicted, bookworm, and a fierce mother. She was educated both on Dinétah, the land of her people, and the halls of Stanford University. She lives in Fairbanks, Alaska, with her partner and children.
Eva Dawn Burk
Fairbanks, Alaska
Executive Director, Tlaa Deneldel Community Group
Tlaa Deneldel Community Group is a Nenana-based effort to create spaces for intergenerational learning and healing while restoring relationships with our ancestral lands and waters. Places where our Elders, youth, and community members can gather to decolonize themselves, practice traditional skills and values, and most importantly, be held and supported through collective healing.
Eva Dawn Burk grew up practicing her Dene’ Athabascan traditions of harvesting salmon, moose, waterfowl and berries and trapping with her family on their ancestral lands and waters. Eva Dawn earned a B.S. from UAF in Civil Engineering (2007) and worked as a Senior Project Engineer from 2007 to 2013. She worked on many projects involving pipelines, roads, broadband infrastructure, environmental studies, logistics, stakeholder engagement and renewable energy. She spent the last few years volunteering and working for her villages as a Wellness and Culture Camp Leader, Fisherwoman, Cook and Laborer. Currently, she is working on a Master of Science in Natural Resources and Environment with a focus on Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development. Her interests include Indigenous food sovereignty, security and health justice; traditional song, dance and language revitalization; and healing through food and culture. She leads several Indigenous food sovereignty and security working groups across the globe and is dedicated to improving food security in her community through maintaining traditional lifestyles and opening educational farms on ancestral lands.
Eva Dawn is a community activist focused on developing resilience and capacity, fostering leadership and teamwork, and learning through doing. Eva Dawn envisions a future of culture, community and collaboration.
Michelle Crisostomo
Hagatna, Guam
Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director, Guåhan Sustainable Culture
Guåhan Sustainable Culture is a women-led nonprofit dedicated to strengthening food sovereignty and community resilience on Guåhan (Guam). Michelle’s work is grounded in the belief that the CHamoru people deserve the right to grow, access, and control their own food and that reclaiming that right is an act of sovereignty.
At the heart of GSC’s work is the Food Resiliency Hub in Yoña – a 50-acre site focused on regenerative agriculture, community composting, farmer support, youth education, and Indigenous land stewardship. Michelle is actively working to establish a community land trust to ensure this land is permanently protected from development and remains in community hands, a meaningful step toward restoring the CHamoru people’s relationship with the land that sustains them. Within GSC, Michelle is advocating for a cooperative-led organizational structure and community governance, building an organization that centers joy, equity, and the voices of the people it serves.
Beyond GSC, Michelle runs her own farm and farming consultancy, and grows microgreens and herbs, raises poultry and honeybees through her small business, Tiny Greens Guam. She continues to serve as Chair of the USDA Farm Service Agency County Committee, where she advocates for local farmers and elevates indigenous perspectives in agricultural policy. She also serves on the board of Inadahen I Lina’lan Kotturan Chamoru, supporting the preservation of CHamoru culture and traditions. A mother, farmer, and advocate, Michelle is committed to community-led solutions, and ensuring equitable access to food and land, rooted in CHamoru knowledge and a deep love for her island and its people.
Alana Peterson
Sitka, Alaska
Executive Director, Spruce Root
Investing in People and Place: “Spruce Root is an Indigenous institution that provides all Southeast Alaskans with access to business development resources like loans, coaching, workshops and more. We catalyze local communities and empower small businesses.”
Alana’s Tlingit name is Gah Kith Tin, from Diginaa Hit, Luknahadi. She grew up and currently lives in Sitka, a small island community in Southeast Alaska. Professionally, Alana earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Administration at Charleston Southern University. After graduating from college she joined the Peace Corps where she served as a Small Business Development volunteer for two years on the southern coast of Peru. She obtained her Master’s degree in Business Administration from Northern Arizona University. She has continued to work in economic development in her current role as Executive Director at Spruce Root.
Favorite thing about Southeast Alaska? The strong sense of community and lifestyles that are closely tied to the land and natural resources. It’s not easy to find that anymore…
Investing in People and Place: “Spruce Root is an Indigenous institution that provides all Southeast Alaskans with access to business development resources like loans, coaching, workshops and more. We catalyze local communities and empower small businesses.”
Saturday, Keynote Panel
ADVOCATE: Decolonizing Policy-Making Movement
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
Washington, D.C.
Alaska Food Policy Council
Eowyn Corral
NSAC, Grassroots Co-Director
Eowyn (they/she), when not obsessing over where community organizing and building holistic systems meet, can be found with a handwork project, cooking, eating, or growing food. Most recently director of development and programs at Dakota Rural Action and a past NSAC Organizational Council (OC) member, Eowyn has focused on local & regional food systems and sustainable agriculture policy for the last 15 years. Based in the Dakotas, the occupied lands of the Oceti Sakowin Oyate (the Dakota, Nakota, and Lakota peoples), Eowyn comes to this work via a love for fiber animals, seasonal foods, and textile arts. As a dedicated grassroots community organizer rooted in justice and equity, Eowyn has been invited to serve in many leadership roles in movement spaces, honing a skill to facilitate what challenges us. Originally from southern California and of Michoacán descent, Eowyn plans to find their way back to the West Coast eventually to raise animals on pasture on a multigenerational farm with their family. At NSAC she works to connect and empower grassroots food and farm groups in NSAC’s membership and the broader movement, supports the coalition’s grassroots campaigns, and stewards the Racial Justice Committee.
Hannah Quigley
Virginia, USA
NSAC, Policy Specialist
Hannah (she/her) holds an M.P.H. from the University of North Carolina and a B.A. from NC State University. North Carolina is where she found her place in food and agriculture, and more specifically, in the synergies between promoting public health through a regional food economy. Her programmatic work has included designing and managing sliding-scale CSAs and business development resources for food and farm entrepreneurs, while her policy design and advocacy experience rests in farm-to-school, healthy food finance initiatives, capital access, and urban agriculture. Her approach in the work seeks to disrupt power imbalances in policy design and decision-making by centering community voices, particularly those that have been historically displaced or marginalized. She joins NSAC from Richmond, Virginia, to staff the Marketing, Food Systems, and Rural Development committee, which focuses on local and regional food systems, farm-to-school, healthy food access, and economic development.
Nezahualcoyotl Xiuhtecutli
Washington, District of Columbia
NSAC, Senior Grassroots Advocacy Coordinator
Nezahualcoyotl Xiuhtecutli is Senior Grassroots Advocacy Coordinator at the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), where he works on the Local and Regional Food Systems and the Climate campaigns. He has 20 years of experience working in rural communities and farmworkers in Mexico, Central America, and the US South. He holds a Ph.D. in anthropology from Tulane University, and his training in the discipline sparked his interest in a time-depth perspective of the diversity of agricultural practices and their social implications, including social organization around land tenure and labor relations across cultural and geographic realms. Raised in an immigrant and working-class family, he has been in community and solidarity with working people throughout his life. He has been part of the NSAC team since 2023.
Sunday, NATIFS Chefs Keynote Panel
INFORM: Cultivating Indigenous Foodways, Decolonizing the Menu
North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems
Minneapolis, MN
Alaska Food Policy Council
Chef Lee Garman
Minneapolis, MN
Executive Chef, Owamni
Chef Lee Garman was born in Washington State, went to high school in northern California and joined the military at 17. He was a sergeant in the Army and served for 9 years, then attended culinary school in Los Angeles. He began his culinary career at Plan Check in West Hollywood, worked his way up, and became Regional Executive Chef for Trejos Tacos. After he helped open The Cannabis Cafe in Los Angeles, Chef Lee moved to Minnesota where he is now executive chef at Owamni. Chef Lee enjoys hunting, fishing and of course cooking.
Chef Rob Kinneen
Durham, NC
NĀTIFS Outreach Director, Chef
An Alaska Native of Tlingit heritage, Robert “Chef Rob” Kinneen was born and raised in Alaska, where he grew up immersed in the state’s natural beauty and rich Indigenous cultures. He began working in restaurants in Anchorage at the age of 15, followed by formal training at the Culinary Institute of America in New York. His culinary journey has taken him across the United States and beyond, with notable chef positions in Louisiana, North Carolina, and Alaska. Through these early career experiences, he established his philosophy focused on using local, sustainable ingredients. Recognized as an authority on Alaskan regional foods, Rob regularly introduces people and organizations to Indigenized cuisine through guest appearances, speaking engagements, cooking demonstrations, and private catering events. He also shares his deep knowledge in his Fresh Alaska Cookbook, which offers contemporary recipes and rich storytelling about life in the Last Frontier.
Career highlights to date include preparing an Alaskan dinner for President Barack Obama, coordinating a two-day feast for hundreds of people at the 2023 White House Tribal Summit, and most recently, cooking for a week in the remote Arctic National Wildlife Refuge with the Wilderness Society.
He currently serves as Outreach Director for chef Sean Sherman’s nonprofit, North American Indigenous Food Systems (NATIFS), and was recently named a commissioner of the U.S. Interior Department’s Indian Arts and Crafts Board. Today, Rob calls Durham, North Carolina, home, but his work frequently takes him to far-flung places across the continent to promote Indigenous foodways and food sovereignty.
Chef Joseph Shawana
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Centennial College, Indigenous Culinary Advisor and Professor
Acclaimed Chef Joseph Shawana is Odawa, part of the Three Fires Confederacy. Born and raised in Wikwemikong Unceded Indian Reserve located on Manitoulin Island in Ontario, Joseph was brought up knowing that food is life. Starting in the kitchen at the early age of 13, he learned from his mother, who had learned from hers, and quickly fell in love with authentic indigenous cuisine and the way it brings people together.
His classical French training and Aboriginal background combine to create authentic, Native American cuisine executed with world-class culinary technique; full of flavor and never compromising quality over quantity.
Currently, a professor and the Indigenous culinary advisor at Ontario’s Centennial College, Joseph is committed to furthering culinary education in all communities and providing hands-on experience to Indigenous youth by inviting them to work alongside chefs and learn valuable industry applications for sustained development.
2026 Featured Sessions
Indigenous-Led Agriculture Training Leader Panel + Hands-On Skills Building Session
Fairbanks, Alaska
Calypso Farm and Ecology Center
Calypso Farm & Ecology Center has been working to strengthen food security in Fairbanks through local food production and accessible, hands-on agricultural education including farmer training programs, community workshops and youth leadership programs.
In 2021, Calypso partnered with Alaska Native leaders Eva Dawn Burk and Deenaalee Hodgdon to launch the Indigenous-Led Agriculture Training Program to provide farmer training opportunities and support for Alaska Native farmers across the state. Designed and led by Indigenous instructors, trainings focus on practical food growing skills for rural and village settings, alongside traditional food knowledge and native plants. Participants gain hands-on experience in seed starting, drip irrigation, composting and using what they have on site to build healthy soils.
Each summer, participants gather to learn from one another, share experiences and meals, creating connections spanning thousands of miles.
Since its launch, more than 160 participants from 56 Alaskan communities have participated in the program. Calypso provides land, tools, and agricultural knowledge, while Indigenous instructors guide the program’s vision. Together, this work increases access to fresh, locally grown food and strengthens food sovereignty across Alaska.
Making Your Case: From Vision to Ask in 10 Essential Elements
Evangeline Pattison, Faculty
Essentials of Development, Murdock Charitable Trust
Making Your Case: From Vision to Ask in 10 Essential Elements
Every great fundraising campaign starts with a great case, but too many organizations write theirs backward, leading with need instead of vision, or asking before they’ve earned the ask. In this hands-on workshop, we’ll break down the 10 essential elements of a compelling Case for Support, from articulating your organization’s vision and impact to framing the ask itself with clarity and confidence.
This isn’t a lecture, it’s a working session. As we move through each element, you’ll have dedicated time to draft your own language, test different approaches, and get real-time feedback. Come with your mission, your data, and your biggest goals for the year ahead. You’ll leave with a working draft of your Case for Support, not just a better understanding of what one should include.
Who it’s for: Development staff, executive directors, board members, or anyone responsible for telling their organization’s story to funders.
What you’ll walk away with: An initial draft of your Case for Support, built element by element, ready to refine and put to work.
Organic Producer Storytelling: Short Film Series
Alex and Matt Lowber, Owners
LOBO
LOBO
LOBO is an Alaska-based content studio founded and run by Matt and Alex Lowber. We specialize in high-end photo and video storytelling, working with brands and organizations to tell thoughtful, compelling stories about the people, places, and culture that make Alaska unique.
Our work is rooted in a deep connection to Alaska and a passion for sustainability, conservation, and the people who are working to build a more resilient future for our state. That passion has led us to collaborate with organizations across Alaska’s food systems, from fishermen and seafood producers to farmers, food advocates, and policy organizations. We believe storytelling can help people better understand where their food comes from, the challenges facing our food systems, and the people working to create positive change.
Organic Producer Storytelling: Short Film Series
Over the past two years, LOBO has traveled across Alaska (from Talkeetna and Trapper Creek to Nikolaevsk, Homer, Cordova, and Palmer) to document the stories of six organic producers and learn what it takes to grow food in our state. We visited farms and growing operations, explored what producers grow and why, and heard firsthand about their decision to pursue organic certification.
From kelp and birch sap to vegetables and rhodiola, each producer offered a unique perspective on Alaska’s food systems and the values that guide their work. Across these stories, we found a shared commitment to sustainability, stewardship, and building a stronger, more resilient food system within our state. This is a project of the Northwest Transition to Organic Partnership Program.
Beyond the Award: Managing Grant Funds with Confidence
Chris Brasfield, Founder & CEO
Brasfield Accounting, Homer, Alaska
Chris Brasfield, Founder & CEO of Brasfield Accounting, will discuss best practices and tips for grant accounting and grant compliance. Topics discussed include: cost segregation, timesheets, labor distributions, indirect/ fringe rate, and overall compliance systems to help keep your financial records organized.
Brasfield Accounting is a team of 15 with specialties in grant and contracts, accounting, payroll, and HR focused on bringing that vision to more business owners. While Chris and his family live in beautiful Homer, Alaska, Brasfield Accounting serves clients all over the US.
2026 Sponsors
Become a Sponsor
Questions about becoming an Alaska Food Festival & Conference sponsor this year? Contact Sundance Visser!
Fairbanks Travel Information
Hotel Room Block
- Westmark Fairbanks Hotel – The room block is available from October 13th to 19th. Book your stay within those dates by September 30th to take advantage of the discounted rate.
- Call 907-456-7722 and reference Group Code AF1
- Book online: Select “special rates” and enter Group Code AF1
Transportation
- Flying Alaska – Alaska Airlines is providing a 7% discount code for conference attendees. The code will be listed in your registration confirmation email, after purchasing your ticket.
- Rental Cars – There are several traditional rental car companies located near the airport, including Enterprise, National, Alamo, and Avis. We also recommend looking at Turo for locals who rent out their vehicles. You can often find a good deal!
- Bus Routes – Fairbanks has a fairly robust public transportation system to get around and explore the city. Check out the route maps and schedules here.
Things to Do
- Explore Fairbanks is a fantastic resource for finding things to do in the Fairbanks area! Check out their list of activities, attractions and tours. Looking to get out and experience a taste of the Fairbanks food and drink scene? They also have a long list of restaurants, coffee shops, food trucks and more!
- The Tanana Valley Farmers Market will have concluded their 2026 season when the conference begins, but you can check out their vendor list here and visit some of the businesses who sell at the market.
About the Alaska Food Festival & Conference
AFPC’s sesquiannual conference is a statewide gathering for people in our food systems every 18 months. Expect a diversity of speakers from across our food systems, including agriculture, subsistence, food waste, school nutrition, and more! Past events featured speakers from the USDA, American Farm Bureau Federation, University of Alaska, Native American Agriculture Fund, Food Tank, Greenwave, Farmers Market Coalition, and many more.
The goals of the Alaska Food Festival & Conference are to:
- Increase awareness and understanding of Alaska food systems issues;
- Provide training, resources, and networking opportunities that strengthen community leadership and participation;
- Build meaningful connections among community members, Tribal organizations, producers, businesses, nonprofits, educators, researchers, and government partners; and
- Support local economic development, food sovereignty, and innovative, community-led solutions.
Past Conferences
Community Table: Collaboration for a Sustainable Food Future
March 28-29, 2025
Keynote Speakers:
- Dune Lankard, President and Founder, Native Conservancy
- Melissa Chlupach, Associate Professor, UAA Dietetics and Nutrition, Alaska Traditional Kitchen
- Kaiulani Odom, Executive Director, Hawai’i Good Food Alliance
Festival Artist
- Marina Thomas, Kodiak
Conference Partners
Better Together: Celebrating our Abundance and Diversity
November 10-12, 2023
Keynote Speakers:
- Mariah Gladstone, Founder, Indigikitchen
- Ken Meter, President, Crossroads Resource Center
- Tikaan Galbreath, Technical Assistance Network Director, Intertribal Agriculture Council
- Meda DeWitt, Alaska Senior Manager, The Wilderness Society
Featured Speakers:
- Cara Mae Wooledge, Executive Director, Napa Farmers Market
- Audra Gaines-Mulkern, Founder, The Female Farmer Project
- Chantel Harrison, Graduate Student, University of Arizona’s Controlled Environment Agriculture Center
Festival Artist
- Valisa Higman, Seldovia
Conference Partners
Everybody Eats: Nourishing Our Culture, Our Health, Our Future
March 17-19, 2022
Keynote Speakers
- Janie Simms Hipp, General Counsel, USDA
- Eva Dawn Burk, Graduate Research Assistant, UAF College Of Rural and Community Development, and the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy
- Helga Garcia-Garza, Founder & Executive Director, Agri-Cultura Network and La Cosecha CSA
Special Guests
- Caroline Cox (Director) & Tiffany Ayalik (Producer) Film: “Food For The Rest Of Us”
Festival Artist
- Iris Sutton, Ice Wedge Art & Farm, Fairbanks
2020 Alaska Food Festival & Conference
November 6-7, 2020
2020 Keynote Speakers & Special Guests
- Valerie Segrest, Regional Director for Native Food and Knowledge Systems, Native American Agriculture Fund
- Danielle Nierenberg, Co-founder & President, Food Tank
- Sommer Sibilly-Brown, Founder & Executive Director, Virgin Islands Good Food
- Elise Krohn, Herbalist, Native Foods Specialist, Educator, and Author
- Martha Pearson, Health Promotion Director
- Kate Fossman, RDN, LD, CDE & Nutrition Specialist, Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium
- Bren Smith, Executive Director, GreenWave & Thimble Island Ocean Farm
- Anne Palmer, Program Director, Food Communities & Public Health, John Hopkins Center for a Livable Future
Festival Artist
- Jessica Thornton, Palmer
2019 Alaska Food Festival & Conference
March 8-9, 2019
Keynote Speakers:
- Ben Feldman, Policy Director, Farmers Market Coalition
- Courtney Long, Program Coordinator, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach/ Local Foods Program
2017 Alaska Food Festival & Conference
November 3-4, 2017
In our third semi-annual event, the 2017 Alaska Food Festival & Conference was held in Fairbanks for the first time. We had speakers presenting on a variety of food security, production, business, and community issues, and a fun and educational food festival, which included Alaska farmers, food demonstrations and hands-on interactive workshops on raising, harvesting and preparing food.
The goals of the conference and festival are to: (1) increase awareness of Alaska food issues among the general population; (2) provide training, resources, and networking opportunities to increase involvement in local food issues by community members and decision makers; and (3) increase connections and build community between the public, Alaska food businesses, NGOs, governmental entities, Tribal entities, and others to support local economic development and innovative solutions.
Thank you to all who made this conference a great success!
-The AFPC Conference Planning Committee
2016 Alaska Food Festival & Conference
February 26 – 27, 2016
From learning how to grow mushrooms to keeping chickens, to the ins and outs of starting a new food business in Alaska, the 2016 Alaska Food Conference and Festival had something for everyone.
2014 Alaska Food Festival & Conference
November 7-9, 2014
Thank you to everyone who made the first ever Alaska Food Festival and Conference a huge success; that includes all of our volunteers, sponsors, vendors, speakers, attendees, and countless others. It was exhilarating to see so many Alaskans wanting to improve our food system. The many conversations and connections that took place over the last three days made us hopeful, and showed us just how important it is to have a forum for this kind of dialogue. We hope to take the immense enthusiasm that came out of this event, and begin working with all of you to enact real changes and improvements here in the state of Alaska. Thanks again!