Recap: July 2025 Alaska Food Systems Network Gathering

By Ellen Olack, Project Manager, AFPC

Our Summer 2025 Alaska Food Systems Network Gathering took place virtually on July 24th and brought together another incredible mix of farmers, community leaders, food advocates, and network partners from around the state. These quarterly gatherings help us stay connected between conferences, share what’s happening on the ground, and highlight the creativity and resilience in Alaska’s food systems.

Highlights from the July Q3 Gathering

We began the gathering with a quick icebreaker to get a sense of who was in the (virtual) room—always a great way to connect and recognize the wide range of voices in Alaska’s food system.

Following that, we shifted into a more difficult but important update: informing attendees about the USDA’s unexpected termination of the Regional Food Business Center program. This decision, based on a shift in the current administration’s priorities, has left a significant gap in resources and support for our work—though we remain deeply committed to our mission. For more context, we encourage folks to read the blog post written by our Executive Director Robbi Mixon.

After that difficult conversation, one of our guest speakers gave us some brighter news. We heard from Megan Militello, who introduced us to the newly formed Alaska Manufacturing Association (AKMA) —an exciting initiative supporting local producers and value-added businesses across the state. (Want to learn more? Check out her guest blog post here.)

With the “informing” part of the gathering complete, we kicked off the “connecting” part of the gathering with something a little different—and a lot of fun: a live cook-along! AFPC’s own Sundance Visser guided us through preparing AFPC’s Board Member Chef Zeynep’s Çılbır, a popular Turkish dish featuring poached eggs over garlicky yogurt and chili-infused butter. It was a delicious and engaging way to connect over food, even from afar.

While we enjoyed our delicious lunches, we shifted into storytelling and learning with a screening of “Growing Community: An Indigenous-led Farmer Training Program in Alaska,” a short film by Alaska Native filmmaker Gabe Derrick (see images below). The film highlights a unique collaboration between Calypso Farm & Ecology Center and Indigenous leaders in growing land-based knowledge and food sovereignty.

We were honored to be joined live by filmmaker Gabe Derrick, Indigenous Agriculture Trainer Gatgyeda Haayk, and Farm Director Susan Willsrud of Calypso Farm and Ecology Center, who shared more about the inspiration behind the film, the power of mentorship, and how land stewardship and community are at the heart of the training program.