Tide and Table:

When clients aboard the charter vessel Dauntless suggested helping chef Alisa Jestel create her long-dreamed-of cookbook two years ago, she didn't imagine it would lead to cameras, a film crew, and a documentary premiering at Petersburg's Wright Auditorium next week.

"Tide and Table," a short documentary from Two Doors Down Productions, began as a modest 8-10 minute film concept. But after Emmy-winning director Brian Bill and his crew arrived in Petersburg last May, they realized they'd stumbled onto something far more compelling than a simple promotional piece.

"Over the course of six days of filming, I just started to interact with the community of Petersburg and people that Alisa was connected with," Bill said. "And I realized, this is a much deeper story. It was like layers-you just kept uncovering layer upon layer upon layer."

Bill, a longtime commercial filmmaker, had visited Petersburg once before in 2014 to film a story about Icicle Seafoods. But this time was different.

"I wasn't embedded into the community," he explained. "This was the first time where everyone I was engaging with, from not just Alisa and Jim, but from Wheelhouse [Fish Co.], from harbormaster Glo ... I just realized this type of community doesn't exist anymore."

On the crew's last day in May, before heading to the airport, Jestel invited them to a Rotary Club beach barbecue at Sandy Beach. And that experience clinched it. Bill called his business partner, Aaron Rivers. "'Aaron ... we have to come back," Bill told him. "We're not doing it justice by just filming here for five or six days."

The crew returned

in September for another week of filming. This time, they captured additional perspectives, including interviews with 94-year-old Don Nelson, whose father was there at Petersburg's founding, and lifelong resident and renowned storyteller Mike Schwartz.

Maria Irvin, who works with Two Doors Down Productions, explained that the New Jersey-based company primarily handles commercial work for Fortune 500 companies, nonprofits, and startups spanning diverse industries. But this documentary represents a meaningful shift for the studio.

"This will actually be the first documentary that we release," Irvin said.

From the beginning, Jestel and her husband Jim Edgars, who operate Dauntless together, set clear boundaries for the production.

"We're not into the drama type stuff," Jestel said. "We're not going to be that 'Deadliest Catch' show. It's going to be authentic. It's going to be coming from a good spot."

Bill aligned nicely with that vision. "This isn't a reality show," Bill said. "I am not going to force or fake something."

Bill described how one of TDD's cinematographers, Stephen McGee from Detroit, initially struggled with the lack of traditional narrative tension in the story.

"He was really trying to figure out, 'What's the conflict?'" Bill recalled with a laugh. "I'm like, Stephan, there is no conflict. We're bringing forward the uniqueness and what's missing now throughout the United States - the strong sense of community. To me, that is a story I want to tell."

Jim and Alisa emphasized along the way that they wanted the film to showcase Petersburg's broader community rather than focusing solely on them.

"Our story doesn't stand alone," Jestel said. "There are so many cool connections, and it all weaves together. That's what we love about Petersburg and Southeast Alaska living - the interconnectedness of how we all help each other out."

The film features a diverse cast of local characters, including Don Nelson and Mike Schwartz, commercial fisherman Brian Kandoll, silversmith Erin Kandoll, harbormaster Glorianne Wollen, mastersmiths Adam and Haley DeRosiers at their Muddy River homestead, and fisherman Shalie Dahl Moore, among others.

The film's title, "Tide and Table," comes from a Tlingit saying explained by Mike Schwartz: "When the tide goes out, the table is set." The phrase captures the essence of Southeast Alaska's relationship with the sea and its bounty.

Irvin, who had never been on a boat before visiting Petersburg, was struck by the community's spirit and the significance of the local fishing industry. She was particularly moved by the interviews with older community members.

"It's really remarkable how they describe it with so much love and so much grace," she said. "There's such a historical element to it, but they're also very spiritual when they speak about Petersburg and the nature of it."

"Everyone accepted us with such kindness, and I feel like that really helped us capture the community super authentically," Irvin said. "Making those connections and seeing the way that you guys live was just honestly one of the best experiences of my life."

Bill echoed that sentiment: "You don't see community like this anymore in the lower 48."

The film incorporates archival images from the Clausen Memorial Museum, helping tell Petersburg's origin story, and will feature limited-edition hand-pressed posters created by Signal Return, a Detroit company that uses old-school letterpress printing techniques.

"I wanted the poster to be authentic as well," Bill said. The crew filmed the poster-making process during a recent Detroit shoot.

Two Doors Down plans to submit "Tide and Table" to numerous film festivals throughout 2026, including food film festivals, documentary competitions, Alaska regional festivals in Juneau and Anchorage, and brand storytelling categories at venues like Sundance. With its runtime currently around 30 minutes, it fits nicely into the short documentary category for festivals.

"It's going to be on the festival circuit for a long time," Irvin said. "It'll be going into next year. So it'll be a fun ride seeing how it turns out."

"The goal is really to take it as far as we can," Bill said, noting potential interest from streaming platforms.

Following the Petersburg premiere, Bill plans screenings in New York in late January or early February.

The cookbook

The documentary has stepped into the spotlight, but Jestel's cookbook remains very much in production. With about 140 recipes already written, edited, and photographed, the project is currently deep in the recipe-testing phase.

Jestel explained. "We're just about ready to send it to the publishing company."

Originally titled "Dauntless: A Culinary Journey Through Southeast Alaska," the cookbook might now be renamed "Tide and Table." The coffee-table-style book will feature high-end photography and showcase local seafood and Alaskan recipes alongside Norwegian and Swedish dishes that reflect Petersburg's culinary heritage.

The collaboration that made it all possible began when a mother-daughter team aboard Dauntless offered their expertise. One was a pediatrician-turned-TED-speaker, the other a recent graduate with degrees in graphic design and sustainable foods.

"They were like, 'Oh my gosh, we're going to do your cookbook with you. We're your team, we're your people,'" Jestel recalled. "They're super methodical, and they're very scientific, and they're just super driven. So I now have more spreadsheets, more documents, more things than I ever knew was possible."

The cookbook is being published through a hybrid publisher that will handle distribution while allowing Jestel to maintain some control, including selling copies directly from the boat and to Southeast Alaska bookstores.

Jestel hopes to coordinate the cookbook's release with a potential New York premiere of the documentary in January or February 2026.

"I never have any expectations of making it big on cookbooks," Jestel said with characteristic modesty. "But if we could get it to cover its cost and break even, that would be amazing."

Petersburg's premiere

During a September potluck dinner at Sons of Norway Hall attended by over 100 community members, Bill made a promise. "I said, 'I'm going to show you guys the film first ... I want Petersburg to see the film before I bring it anywhere."

The documentary will premiere December 5 and 6 with three screenings at Wright Auditorium, including a 2:00 p.m. matinee on Saturday. The screenings will include a Q&A session after with cast and crew.

Following each screening, audience members can scan a QR code to provide feedback through a survey - providing Petersburg community members an opportunity to give input that will shape the final version before it enters the festival circuit.

The crew plans to conduct additional filming during their December visit to enhance the final cut.

The premiere will also be a benefit for Petersburg's nonprofit Northern Nights Theater.

"When I met with Cyndy [Fry], she explained what [the theater] provides from an entertainment standpoint but also from an educational standpoint," Bill said. "When she explained how it was struggling, I just said, we're going to treat it as a fundraiser."

Attendees can donate whatever amount they choose at the door, with all proceeds supporting the student-run cinema that nearly closed last year during the pandemic's financial aftermath. Two Doors Down will be making a contribution of $3,000.

For Bill, the film's message extends beyond documenting a unique place.

"There's just so much going on in the world right now that is not good," Bill said. "I feel the message of this film is all about people being together and caring for each other - the strength and power of community ... you just come away a different person when you experience Southeast Alaska."

"I want people to be like, I'm going to reach out to my neighbor today. I'm going to say hi to someone I never said hi to before," he explained. "If that can come out of this, and of course some people say, 'Hey, go visit Petersburg. It's an amazing place to go'-that's our goal."

For Jestel, the entire experience has reinforced what makes Petersburg special. "This is just our way of life, and it's simple, but it's great," she said.