When planning what would be the 30th edition of UAA's Celebrity Chef Invitational (CCI), Culinary Arts department chair and assistant professor Kellie Puff knew exactly who to invite as the head chef: Tim Doebler, UAA alumnus and former faculty member who was instrumental in leading the event for its first two-plus decades as the program's former director.

The duo wanted to pay homage to the original menu from '93, updating it from fall to spring with a modern twist. At Doebler's request, each course was led by alumni at different stages in their careers, from recent grads to established restaurant owners, with assistance in the kitchen from culinary students, as is CCI tradition.

The result was a "family reunion"-style event that brought together students, alumni, faculty (past and current), volunteers, community partners and industry supporters to raise more than $105,000 for UAA's Culinary Arts program (including a surprise $30,000 gift from First National Bank Alaska to update bakery equipment). New for this year, two live auction packages — a private dinner with alumnus Nate Bentley of Altura Bistro in the back room at South Restaurant and a private multi-course dinner with culinary department faculty at Lucy’s — brought in $19,000 combined.

Scenes from UAA's 2025 Celebrity Chef Invitational (All photos by James Evans / University of Alaska Anchorage)

'I was there'

In the early '90s, after a fresh remodel to Cuddy Hall (then known as Cuddy Center), the Culinary Arts program was looking for a way to generate buzz and connect with a local hospitality industry that barely knew it existed. Doebler, as department chair at the time, helped develop an advisory committee with industry leaders filling several positions. Members Ann Parrish (whom Doebler credits with naming the event) and Betsy Lawer suggested doing a fundraiser dinner with a famous chef to showcase the program.

"These brilliant people said, 'OK, Doebler, you're the director of the program, make it happen.' And they gave it back to me and, to be fair, they gave me a lot of advice because I'd never done a fundraiser like that before," said Doebler, noting he was a new professor at the time. "They were very kind and they taught me what I needed to do. And then I ran it for the next 25 years."

The first year welcomed around 200 guests — nearly all related to the food service, hospitality and tourism industry in some way — and the attendee count rose steeply each year as the event began to draw more industry support and its reputation grew. Tickets to the event have sold out every year since capacity was capped at 275 to preserve the formal, fine-dining experience and avoid overcrowding.

"[Our industry partners] started to realize, 'We need to really support this program because then they can increase their student enrollment. And that increases our chances for getting highly qualified, skilled people who could be our future potential employees who actually know how to cook or know how to bake or know how to run a restaurant," said Doebler.

Among the biggest names in the event's celebrity chef roster is Martin Yan, who has hosted his own cooking show, Yan Can Cook, on PBS for more than 40 years and published over a dozen cookbooks. Other notable names include John Hill, who was the White House executive chef for Ronald Reagan; Frederic Castan, a Master Chef from France; and Andrea Trapani, an esteemed chef from Florence, Italy. Alaska chef, business owner and cookbook author Kirsten Dixon was another impactful guest, representing a local inspiration for what students could achieve.

Scenes from UAA's 2025 Celebrity Chef Invitational (All photos by James Evans / University of Alaska Anchorage)

'Like a family reunion'

Doebler guided thousands of students during his 33-year career with UAA, and returning to campus as the celebrity chef proved a great opportunity to catch up with many of them.

"I got to see so many students that graduated from the program and then came back to help that evening and that entire week. And I was so proud," said Doebler. "To see all these students that you helped along, and to see that they're doing well, they seem to be on a positive track with where they're going in their lives and they feel like school really helped them is heartwarming."

Doebler was also surprised at the event by a visit from his mentor, Master Chef Dieter Doppelfeld, who started UAA's culinary arts program in the 1970s with Karl Eid. Dieter encouraged Doebler to apply for his position at UAA, which he left to teach at the Culinary Institute of America.

Although Doebler was one of the first program alumni to return as faculty, he might have started a trend. "It was also heartwarming for me to see that most of the faculty are alumni from the program and that they too were students in the program, just like I was — and now several years later, they're faculty and they're taking care of the program."

Scenes from UAA's 2025 Celebrity Chef Invitational (All photos by James Evans / University of Alaska Anchorage)

Looking ahead

As attention shifts to planning ahead for the event's next 30 years, the organizers are looking for ways to keep the event fresh for the future.

"Historically, events like this run their course, and you have to reinvent them a little bit," said Puff. "I'm seeing a younger demographic attending. Maybe they're not as into the wine pairings and the black tie. So, what does that look like?"

Some new additions this year included handmade, edible gifts instead of trinkets. Chef Noah Miller prepared homemade dried pasta in a shape special to the event, while Community and Technical College operations assistant Samantha Wagner led a team of students and volunteers in making 400 chocolate-dipped and sparkling rosé macarons.

With the latest CCI now wrapped, the department is full steam ahead preparing for Lucy’s spring opening and summer boot camps for youth.

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This article has been updated to note that the 2025 Celebrity Chef Invitational raised $105K.