It has been a long and arduous workweek and this is the first time in ages that I have been gifted with the rare opportunity to sit at my computer during happy hour and write.
I’m in the kitchen area with my whole family at the moment, all of us doing our thing.
There’s Alyeska, puzzling next to me. I’ve got Anton playing with legos, Mom making a salad with fresh greens from the farm, and my dad shaking up his newest creation of cocktails.
It’s a special moment, the kind of moment that was missed during the madness of this particular holiday season at the Krull house.
I’m finding that all of my returns to Alaska have centered around the opening of first: the coffee shop. And now: the restaurant.
And the last two years, they have inconveniently timed themselves around the holidays, which make for an unusually stressful time of year.
It was a miracle we managed to decorate the house at all this December, let alone handle wrapping presents and partake in holiday cheer amidst all the chaos, but we did, and now we’re thrust back into the madness of opening a business.
I don’t think I’ve officially shared with you yet, but aside from brew@602, there also lies a restaurant up at Whistle Hill called Addie Camp.
Addie Camp is a rail car that was built in 1913 and used to run on the 1880 Train in South Dakota. Named after a mine in the Black Hills, she was shipped up to Alaska via the Alaska Railroad and now lies up at the hill, refurbished and ready for another chapter as a restaurant.
Addie Camp is a lot of things. She’s intimate, nostalgic, historic, quaint, timeless, and reminiscent of a bygone era.
The word that comes to mind most often though whenever I see her up on that hill?
Special.
See, Addie Camp is one of the main instigators in helping get me back to Alaska.
It was during my visit in September that I was awestruck at how marvelous the whole restaurant was coming along. I had just toured by dad’s hydroponic farm and when we got inside of Addie Camp, I just felt this incredible feeling of missing out on what was likely going to be a spectacular success on the Peninsula.
The coffee shop, the farm, and the restaurant were all visions come to life by my absurdly talented and creative mom and with my dad’s support, I felt that this was a venture that I wanted to be a part of.
What they’re doing for themselves, for the family, for the community, and for the state, adds so much value and is such a positive upgrade to the Peninsula. But more importantly, it’s an inspiration.
I’ve experienced first hand how much work it takes to open a business. My dad has been a medical entrepreneur for years and my mom just had a thing for train cars and look where that’s taken her. Being surrounded by this kind of entrepreneurial spirit is encouraging me to follow my passions, and all this hard work shows me that dreams really do come true.
Last night, for our second soft opening, I got to work alongside my sister as a hostess as my brother waited tables, my dad remained host and bodyguard at the front door (and occasional taster of wine), and my mom checked in on everyone as they enjoyed their first meal at Addie Camp.
We were a family working alongside each other helping open a business and it was special.
Addie Camp made this special.
