One of the hottest tickets to nosh in Anchorage is a reservation scored for the popup Den of Thieves Dining, the brainchild of Luke Doherty and his partner Sam Wagner.
By day, Doherty teaches the fundamentals of culinary arts such as basic sanitation, nutrition, and baking at the University of Alaska Anchorage Culinary Arts program. At night, he and Wagner’s fine dining alter-ego as Den of Thieves takes form a handful of times a year as a culinary imaginarium. The pair uses the project as an outlet to surprise, delight, and challenge diners by introducing guests to sometimes unfamiliar ingredients or familiar ingredients that push the envelope of their traditional pairings.
“What I aim to offer is something different than you’ll find in most places,” Doherty said, “something that’s not available every day. I think that’s what makes this special.”
The popups hold a dual purpose. They’re a glimpse into the rarified world of finer dining, and they serve as a training ground for students. The meals are also an opportunity to promote local produce, showcase Alaska-procured items, and instill a high skill level of technique and service.
At an earlier dinner, dubbed the ZERO Proof for its showcasing of nonalcoholic beverages made with combinations of herbs and syrups, Doherty introduced the evening offerings by advising that guests might find some of the menu “a little bit challenging.” Den of Thieves dinners focus on “what’s local, what’s seasonal, and what’s exotic,” he announced before moving forward with service in a fall evening at South Restaurant + Coffeehouse.
More recently at Lucy Cuddy Hall on the UAA campus in March 2024, assorted local chefs and other culinary cognoscenti prepared themselves for an awe-inspiring evening of gastronomic innovation.
On hand that night was Ned Kretchik. He works as the deliveries manager at Sweet Caribou, a popular patisserie and sandwich shop, has taken assorted culinary classes at UAA, and worked with Doherty at South. Kretchik has become a key member of the Den of Thieves team and was part of the crew at the March popup.
“I think these events are really important because they not only give space to lesser-known chefs with new ideas, but they also invigorate people, especially people like Luke who have done teaching as well. I can really see how [these dinners] benefit the up-and-coming chefs,” said Andi Haley, who is a regular attendee of Den of Thieves events with his partner Jess.
It’s people like Kretchik who have blossomed under Doherty’s tutelage.
“Ned is a crucial leg on the Den of Thieves table, mostly providing front-of-house support and is a whiz in the kitchen when it comes to plating,” Doherty said.
One of Doherty’s former students, Kelsey Clark, puts her culinary mettle to the test as a baker at Sweet Caribou along with Kretchik. She first met Doherty as a student at King Tech High School in their culinary arts program. She first entered the Den of Thieves as a student before scoring her baking gig at Sweet Caribou.
“I really gained a lot of confidence working Den of Thieves dinners,” said Clark. “Sweet Caribou is a high-volume bakery with a high quality of production. If I hadn’t been able to work a more finer dining situation with Den of Thieves, I might not have had the confidence to even apply for a job like this.”
Doherty’s own inspiration for cooking is seemingly innate, with vague memories of being ushered into the culinary world, beginning with a pint-sized chef’s jacket he was given as a youngster. He concedes he can’t quite remember if the jacket planted the seed or if his call to the culinary arts existed before that sartorial calling.
“What I aim to offer is something different than you’ll find in most places. Something that’s not available every day. I think that’s what makes this special.”
“I was really passionate about art when I was younger, though I found it wasn’t a medium that I excelled at,” said Doherty. “When I found food and cooking, it became the right kind of outlet for those feelings and the things I wanted to do. So, I guess in the end, this was the art form I settled on.”
His art form has increasingly focused on “vegetables, things that are wild, things that come from Alaska.” Doherty continued, “Truthfully there is real seasonality here. Even in our condensed farming and growing season in the summer, there are so many things that come in waves. It just moves so quick compared to other places.”
According to Doherty, it remains difficult to define Alaska cuisine, even with a focus on seasonality. “When you talk about what Alaskan cuisine is, it has truly yet to be defined. I have a hard time putting my finger on it,” he said. But salmon and halibut are ignored at one’s peril when speaking of regional cuisine. Doherty showcased winter run chinook at the March event.
Like any good art, however, the details were where things got interesting. A palate cleanser of sparkling jasmine tea sweetened with unrefined Okinawan black sugar called kuromitsu, an ingredient common in Japanese cuisine, is an example of how these dinners can be a vehicle to introduce diners to the unfamiliar. Doherty is also partial to the kabosu, a Japanese citrus used to accent fish, that was used in the Den of Thieves version of Dippin’ Dots ice cream.
Jess Haley, Andi’s partner, has known Doherty for nearly ten years and credits him for bringing her into the Anchorage gastronomy fold as an ambassador of culinary arts.
“He really feels passionately about teaching and mentoring youth, which I think is also such a value of a lot of Alaskans who want to see kids stay here and want to see kids thrive,” Haley said.
She also finds the dinners to be a unique Alaska outlet for food and creativity.
“Alaskans are generally such creative people. I think of food as an extension of the arts, especially the way Luke presents it; it’s what Alaska is about. Part of that is growing up in the darkness that fuels creativity and passion for survival, and Luke is just presenting that in a different way.”
For Doherty, teaching, cultivating the next generation of Alaskan chefs, and elevating cooking to an art form are all inextricably linked.
“I don’t know what else I would do if I wasn’t doing this,” he said. This is what I am meant to do. This is where I am supposed to be. In the kitchen.”
And the next generation of culinary artists trained by Doherty will most certainly feel the same way about food, thanks to their unique proving ground in Den of Thieves Dining.
Editors’ note: to enter the Den of Thieves yourself, follow their Instagram, @denofthievesdining
First published in the print edition, Spring 2025.
