At Dirty Skillet, strangers sometimes arrive for dinner and find themselves sitting around the same fire. Large tables with fireplaces at their centers bring together visitors who might otherwise never meet, and by the time guests finish eating, they may have exchanged stories with people they met only an hour earlier.
That atmosphere has become the calling card of the seasonal restaurant at Bear Creek Lodge. After eight summers serving the small Kenai Peninsula community, owners Jeannine Stafford-Jabaay and her husband Derrick Jabaay have received one of Alaska’s hospitality industry’s statewide honors.
At its 55th annual convention in Fairbanks, Dirty Skillet was named Restaurant of the Year by the Alaska Cabaret, Hotel, Restaurant and Retailers Association, known as Alaska CHARR. Stafford-Jabaay and her husband flew to Fairbanks with their daughter and lead bartender, Rachel, to attend the conference for the first time shortly after the restaurant closed the season with a townside farewell picnic.
Winning was far from certain, so they planned to visit local breweries and make professional connections regardless of the outcome. But by the time their trip ended, the four had considerably more to celebrate.
During an interview with the Peninsula Clarion, Stafford-Jabaay said the nomination materials suggested that customers’ experiences played a significant part in the restaurant’s recognition. Guests had described the feeling of being welcomed into a family and leaving with new friends, with much of that experience beginning around the dinner tables.
Most of the seating is arranged to encourage larger gatherings, with garage-style doors open toward Bear Creek Pond. A couple arriving for dinner might find themselves beside travelers passing through Hope, or residents catching up over a meal. Meanwhile, the kitchen serves dishes influenced by the owners’ travel, with flavors drawn from countries such as Thailand and Turkey. Edible flowers and carefully chosen seasonings appear in meals prepared by chefs who bring their own experiences to the menu.
Building the restaurant, however, required an entirely different set of skills from those the couple brought to Hope.
Both had worked in construction in Anchorage before moving to the community in 2013. They gradually made it their permanent home, eventually purchasing neighboring property that included cabins and an existing dining operation.
Previously, meals were primarily reserved for overnight guests, who could enjoy a set menu at a designated dinner time. But the Jabaays wanted to create a separate establishment that welcomed anyone who came through town.
And so, Dirty Skillet opened in 2019, although its owners were uncertain how many customers would actually turn up. They quickly found out.
Demand exceeded their expectations, leaving the inexperienced operators scrambling through their first season. Most of their employees were younger than 21, meaning Stafford-Jabaay, her husband, and their bartender were among the few people qualified to serve alcohol. “We were running like crazy,” Stafford-Jabaay recalled.
Just as they began working out how to accommodate the unexpected demand, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, though their property’s size allowed them to adapt. Picnic tables were spread across several acres, giving customers room to eat outdoors, and large openings in the dining room provided fresh air.
As Alaskans searched for places to dine during the pandemic, the restaurant began attracting customers who might otherwise never have discovered it.
The business has since developed a following that brings people back to Hope each summer, forming a relationship with longtime customers that is reflected in the milestones celebrated around those same dinner tables.
One family has returned every year to celebrate their daughter’s birthday. Her first celebration at Dirty Skillet was in 2019, and she turned 9 this summer. Over time, the staff have come to know her extended family, including grandparents who join the annual gathering. For Stafford-Jabaay, those relationships provide some of the clearest evidence that the restaurant has become the place she originally envisioned.
One particularly meaningful message arrived from a Homer local.
In an email sent to the Dirty Skillet, a customer described visiting the restaurant on several weekends each summer. She explained that her husband’s declining health had made social gatherings difficult and that going out without him often left her feeling like an outsider. At the restaurant, however, she was greeted with an embrace and welcomed like an old friend.
“Every time I show up on your doorstep, you wrap me up in your arms and say how happy you are to see me,” the woman wrote.
Stafford-Jabaay printed the message and placed it in her office, where she can return to it as a reminder of what their work means to customers.
Maintaining that atmosphere requires considerable effort outside the kitchen, particularly when the summer season brings employees from elsewhere in Alaska and beyond. Of the restaurant’s 14 staff members this year, all but one received housing provided by the owners. Those accommodations require year-round upkeep, even when the dining room is closed.
This summer, several returning employees on the team received a renovation budget and set about transforming their residence. They painted the walls, replaced light fixtures and selected new furnishings before beginning to host gatherings there.
According to Stafford-Jabaay, friendships developed away from work carry into the restaurant and influence how employees interact with customers.
“You live with these people, you work with these people, and you play with these people,” she said she tells prospective staff members.
That closeness extends into Hope itself. The restaurant has worked with the local school on cooking classes and its property provides residents with recreational opportunities during the colder months, including an ice rink where families can gather before heading inside for hot cider.
Because live music is part of Dirty Skillet’s summer programming, the owners pay attention to volume and performance times to avoid disrupting nearby residents. For Stafford-Jabaay, those relationships are central to the business. “We wouldn’t be able to do this without the support of the whole community,” she said.
Now that the season has ended, the owners are considering what the statewide recognition might mean when the restaurant reopens. A rooftop dining area has been suggested, along with the possibility of franchising the business. But none of those plans currently appeal to them.
Stafford-Jabaay would rather preserve the atmosphere that has developed in Hope, where the business has become intertwined with the lives of its employees and regular customers. She described receiving the award as something resembling a statewide embrace, recognizing the work her team has already accomplished.
“This is our dream to build a beautiful place for our community and our friends and people that will become friends,” she said.
With its eighth season complete, Dirty Skillet is closed for the winter and expects to welcome diners back in May 2027. When the doors reopen, Stafford-Jabaay hopes visitors will find much of the same experience that brought them there in the first place: a place to sit, share a meal, and leave knowing a few more people than when they arrived.
Dining and Cooking