Education & Classes in Anchorage

Let's Cook Alaska's talented teaching chef, Josie McKinney, fell in love with cooking at a young age. By the age of 12, she was preparing Thanksgiving dinner for her family. Now, as a mother of four, she shares her joy of cooking by inviting students into her “dream kitchen,” where they develop culinary confidence by working with her recipe box full of diverse meal ideas. In her cooking classes, she aims to transform cooking from chore to adventure. Josie’s fun, hands-on teaching style encourages students to get their hands messy by trying techniques for themselves and clean by stuffing them into their friends’ mouths. While students prepare entire meals, Josie circulates among them dispensing tips. Classes stay small—around 4 to 10 students—to ensure lots of individual attention and extra servings to go around when the class sits down together to enjoy their creations. Menus rotate with a monthly theme, such as comfort food and international fare, prepped with fresh, local ingredients.

Hillside Music's savvy instructors fill inquiring noggins with the know-how to channel rock, classical, pop, and folk styles while shredding on one of more than 12 different instruments, including piano, guitar, and violin. One-on-one lessons, offered for students ages 4 and up, eliminate tensions that may arise between multiple students who want to name their guitar Steve. Musical mavens tailor lessons to the appropriate pace and musical interests of each pupil, focusing on student-selected songs as opposed to the curriculum proposed in Beethoven's instructional DVDs.

Growing up in Chicago Heights, Illinois, Kelly Lee Williams was more focused on crossing the finish line at high school track meets than crafting the perfect punch line. In fact, it wasn’t until he took the stage of a Chicago-area comedy club in 2001—after stints as a soldier, an IT worker, and a DJ—that Kelly truly immersed himself in the world of professional comedy. In the years since his life-changing career shift, Kelly has honed his comedic chops with performances for audiences from New York to Montego Bay, coaxing forth laughs with witty self-penned songs. His plunge into the entertainment business has taken him across the country and earned him diverse gigs that include serving as a member of the Chicago Bulls’ Incredibulls squad to gracing the big screen with a speaking role in the recently released Drew Barrymore film Big Miracle. After making the move north to Anchorage with his family and pet rubber chicken in 2008, Kelly branched out again, adding the role of teacher to his expanding arsenal of occupations.

Founded as a nonprofit by philanthropist Shana Harris, the Alaska Quake strives to build confidence and character through exhibition and education of basketball. A recent expansion member of the American Basketball Association, the Quake suit up against West Coast competitors that include the Seattle Mountaineers. During games, the athletic young men of the Quake careen over the hardcourt with smooth pick-and-rolls and rim-rattling dunks, powered on by the cheers of the crowd and the energetic moves of the Quake Girls dance team. In addition to their regular-season competitive schedule, team players and coaches also lead youth skills sessions in the offseason, teaching future all-stars the finer points of foul shooting, ball handling, and ref-tickling.

Chance and Roxie Mayberry take any opportunity to get out of the studio and into vibrant real-world scenes. As the duo behind Anchorage's Mayberry Studio, they shoot families as they slice down the slopes or bond with animals, and as instructors at Alaska Photography Academy, they take students deep into wild local landscapes. Photo safaris adventure to such destinations as Matanuska Glacier and Hatcher Pass, with some shots even accomplished from the backs of sturdy ATVs. Although these intensive excursions are open to all, more experienced clickers can pursue more in-depth classes or private lessons. No matter the level, courses emphasize practical, professional-grade tips and avoid technical jargon and risqué language such as "flash."