Man V. Food comes to Talkeetna

Film crews are a dime a dozen in Talkeetna at certain times of the year. Summer time brings film crews looking at Denali and mountain climbing, winter brings crews from around the world to get a glimpse of the Wilderness Woman’s contest and Bachelor Ball.

This past weekend a film crew came in for a completely different take on Talkeetna. Food.

A cable television show called Man versus Food hosted by the Travel Channel ate their way through Talkeetna on Saturday and Sunday. The crew had searched out small town Alaska, and chosen Talkeetna, specifically the Talkeetna Roadhouse and the West Rib Pub for their fare.

The show is hosted by Adam Richman and focuses on places around the U.S. to get big food. The Roadhouse, with its somewhat famous cinnamon rolls and climber breakfasts…locally, known simply as “the standard”, and the West Rib for its burger and brew, were the stars of the show.

Roadhouse owner Trisha Costello said they worked a 12-hour shift in the kitchen to satisfy the film crew on Saturday. Sunday, the crew spent their time at the West Rib, where the first 50 locals were invited to pack in and get a free burger and be part of the ambience.

Local residents shied away from the scene on Saturday, but a few Anchorage residents got to be part of the show at the Roadhouse and although they admitted they had never HEARD of man versus food, they appeared to enjoy themselves as the crew picked on them to share their view of Talkeetna and the Roadhouse fare.

No cameras or taping was allowed while the show was filmed. The Travel Channel’s segment on Talkeetna airs in December along with another show, “101 best places to eat in America”.