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Executive Chef
Meet Executive Chef Erik Slater
As executive chef for the 180-room Seward Windsong Lodge in Seward, Alaska and Kenai Fjords Wilderness Lodge on Fox Island in Resurrection Bay, Erik Slater oversees food and beverage operations for both the Resurrection Roadhouse Restaurant and the Goliath Bar & Grill, as well as all catering functions for both lodges.
Slater's love of cooking came from his mother, who began honing his skills as soon as he could reach the range top. By the time he was 18, Erik Slater was a cook at the Elk Café in Spokane, Washington. A couple of years later, he worked at a small Italian café, learning old family recipes and techniques from the owners.
He later moved to the Mars Hotel as sous chef, before leaving Washington for Anchorage, Alaska, to work as head chef of Sorellas. He then moved to Napa Valley where he did fresh sheet menus paired with Napa Valley wines at the Dutch Treat Café. Slater took some time off to travel through Thailand, learning the authentic details of Thai cooking, returning to Alaska to work at a small Asian fusion restaurant in Juneau.
In 2000, Slater moved to Seward where he was head chef at Ray's Waterfront Restaurant and a partner in Seward's Railway Cantina, before joining Seward Windsong Lodge in 2004, as executive chef. He serves on the board of the Alaska Culinary Academy.
Since Seward Windsong Lodge is a seasonal facility, Slater and his family winter in various parts of Mexico and the western United States, seeking out new and interesting ideas to incorporate into his menus.
In 2011, Executive Chef Slater was honored to be selected by Alaska Governor Parnell to represent the state in the Great American Seafood Cook-Off in New Orleans.
