Kitchen manager Beau Jamison of the Duck Inn slices the breast meat of one of the twelve turkeys he prepared for the restuarant’s Thanksgiving dinner at the Duck Inn on Kalifornsky Beach Road on Thursday, Nov. 23, 2017 near Soldotna, Alaska. This Thanksgiving — the twelfth for which that Jamison has prepared the Duck Inn’s traditional meal, closes a year of hardship for Jamison — in August he recieved a clean diagnosis after struggling with lymphoma since October 2016, and it’s his first year as a single father after his wife’s death. (Ben Boettger/Peninsula Clarion)

Kitchen manager Beau Jamison of the Duck Inn slices the breast meat of one of the twelve turkeys he prepared for the restuarant’s Thanksgiving dinner at the Duck Inn on Kalifornsky Beach Road on Thursday, Nov. 23, 2017 near Soldotna, Alaska. This Thanksgiving — the twelfth for which that Jamison has prepared the Duck Inn’s traditional meal, closes a year of hardship for Jamison — in August he recieved a clean diagnosis after struggling with lymphoma since October 2016, and it’s his first year as a single father after his wife’s death. (Ben Boettger/Peninsula Clarion)

After cancer, wife’s death, Duck Inn kitchen manager keeps serving Thanksgiving

As the Duck Inn restaurant served its 11th annual all-you-can-eat Thanksgiving dinner Thursday, owner Lela Rosin said she’s thankful for one specific thing: the Duck’s kitchen manager Beau Jamison, who received a cancer diagnosis 13 months ago.

Jamison has been leading the Duck’s traditional Thanksgiving meal since it began in 2006. Last year’s Thanksgiving —a month after his diagnosis in October 2016 and a month before the death of his wife in December — was no exception. This year Jamison led the meal cancer-free after getting a clean diagnosis in August.

Jamison credited the kindness of his coworkers and the Duck’s owners with helping him through the year, saying they had saved his life. He described the kitchen crew — most of whom have been working together for about five years, he said — as having “the right mix of goofiness and hard work.”

“It helps lower the tension,” he said.

The work itself also motivates him.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

“Even after 12 years, I love my job,” Jamison said. “I come here every day, happy. I’m probably a weirdo for that. I just love to work — my family thinks I’m weird, too, because that’s my favorite thing to do — go to work … I like the challenge of being able to perform. And you get instant gratification in the feedback. ‘Oh, that was great.’”

This year has been a double test of Jamison’s cheer and work ethic: in addition to his diagnosis with non-Hodgkins lymphoma, a form of cancer affecting blood cells, his wife’s death left him a single father to their 12-year-old son.

“I worked the whole time, didn’t take any time off,” he said.

Though kitchen work requires occasional heavy lifting — a pot of soup or bag of ingredients — Jamison said it’s mostly a matter of mental concentration.

“It’s memory and timing,” he said. “And you’ve got multiple tasks, too, so it’s not just memory and timing on one thing — you’ve got to spread that over 22 tickets.”

Jamison scheduled the chemotherapy treatments he needed every two weeks for his days off, which fell in the middle of the week. The steroids given during the treatment to strengthen his immune system helped him through the following days, but by the weekend — the restaurant’s busiest time — the effect would be starting to lapse.

“My guys would come in and relieve me early, so I didn’t have to put as much time into it,” Jamison said. “…I’d go home from here and go straight to bed, and my son would help me out there. I think it took the biggest toll on him … We’re hoping we have a good summer this year, because we’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”

Jamison has had his last chemo treatment. The chemotherapy port remains implanted in his chest, and will stay for five years just in case, he said.

“I didn’t think it was going to take me down, no matter what the diagnosis was,” Jamison said. “I always believed I was going to kick butt. And I did. I was really happy to find out I was right. I did beat it.”

This Thanksgiving, the work in the kitchen remained moderate but constant.

“It ends up being one of our busiest days,” Rosin said. “Sometimes if someone comes in and they can’t afford it, we’ll just let them have dinner. And if any of our employees work it, then their families can come in and have dinner with them for free. Because sometimes it’s a sacrifice for them to work on that holiday, and we want to reward them and let them still be with their families.”

The menu has stayed the same, featuring the traditional foods of the day: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn-on-the-cob, green-bean casserole, and fruit and pumpkin pie with or without cream.

“A lot of people who don’t have family, it gives them some place to go,” Jamison said. “There’s people around. They can hear warm laughter and enjoy a good meal. Nobody’s going to cook a big old feast for one person, themselves. But I like that we offer that to the public. Some of our customers have been with us since the beginning.”

While discussing the best creams for making homemade whipped cream and pausing to taste-test a soup Jamison was working on, the cooks and waiters kept the pies moving in and out of the ovens, full plates going into the restaurant, and empty ones returning to the kitchen. Assistant manager Pete DiCarlo said they were well-prepared for the concentration of diners who usually arrive for Thanksgiving around 2 p.m. DiCarlo’s relief would be arriving around that time, and he’d leave to spend the rest of the day with his family.

“We might come back here,” DiCarlo said.

As for Jamison, he planned to leave around 1 p.m., but might stay as late as 5 p.m. if needed. He also planned to bring his son and girlfriend back to the Duck to eat.

Throughout the day Jamison estimated his crew would serve about 10 gallons of gravy. He’d cooked 12 turkeys, equalling about 240 pounds of meat. Of that, Jamison estimated that there’d only be about 30–40 pounds of leftovers at the end of the day, which would go home with staff members or be put into soup.

The night before Jamison’s dog had escaped and roamed the neighborhood until he finally found it close to midnight — around the time he came in to start slow-roasting the turkeys. At 6 a.m. he arrived to begin the day, starting with casseroles.

“Living the dream!” he said. “I’ve got enough energy to live my dream, to live your dream, whatever. For anything.”

Reach Ben Boettger at ben.boettger@peninsulaclarion.com.

Duck Inn cook Jon DeMilta lays out two orders of traditional Thanksgiving fare — turkey, mashed potatoes, corn-on-the cob, stuffing, rolls, and yams — at the Duck Inn on Kalifornsky Beach Road on Thursday, Nov. 23. 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ben Boettger/Peninsula Clarion)

Duck Inn cook Jon DeMilta lays out two orders of traditional Thanksgiving fare — turkey, mashed potatoes, corn-on-the cob, stuffing, rolls, and yams — at the Duck Inn on Kalifornsky Beach Road on Thursday, Nov. 23. 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ben Boettger/Peninsula Clarion)

Kitchen manager Beau Jamison of the Duck Inn inspects pies ready to be served as part of the restaurant’s traditional Thanksgiving meal in the kitchen of the Duck Inn on Kalifornsky Beach Road on Thursday, Nov. 23, 2017 near Soldotna, Alaska. (Ben Boettger/Peninsula Clarion)

Kitchen manager Beau Jamison of the Duck Inn inspects pies ready to be served as part of the restaurant’s traditional Thanksgiving meal in the kitchen of the Duck Inn on Kalifornsky Beach Road on Thursday, Nov. 23, 2017 near Soldotna, Alaska. (Ben Boettger/Peninsula Clarion)

More in News

Pool manager and swim coach Will Hubler leads a treading water exercise at Kenai Central High School in Kenai, Alaska, on Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Swimmers, parents call on Kenai to support Kenai Central pool

The KPBSD Board of Education last week said communities will need to step up and take over administration of pools within the next year.

Traffic passes by South Spruce Street in Kenai, Alaska, on Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai drops effort to rename South Spruce Street

The resolution would have changed the name to make it clear which road led to North Kenai Beach

Gov. Mike Dunleavy compares Alaska to Mississippi data on poverty, per-pupil education spending, and the 2024 National Assessment of Education Progress fourth grade reading scores during a press conference on Jan. 31, 2025. Alaska is highlighted in yellow, while Mississippi is in red. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire)
Dunleavy calls special session for August

Lawmakers on Wednesday said they were surprised by the move.

A makeshift coffin decrying the risks of Medicaid funding cuts is seen on Thursday, June 26, in front of the Blazy Mall in Soldotna. The cuts were included in legislation passed by the U.S. Senate early Tuesday morning. (Photo by Jonas Oyoumick/Peninsula Clarion)
Ahead of Senate vote, Soldotna protesters defend Medicaid funding

Cuts to the program were included in legislation passed by the U.S. Senate early Tuesday morning.

Board President Zen Kelly speaks during a meeting of the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District’s Board of Education in Soldotna, Alaska, on Monday, Dec. 2, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai Peninsula Borough school board to finalize budget

The new budget designed by the committee will be considered at a public hearing during the full board meeting on Monday evening.

The Russian River Sanctuary Area is seen in the area labeled B in this map provided by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. (courtesy)
Strong sockeye run prompts early open of Russian River Sanctuary

In regulation, the confluence is expected to be open from July 15 to Aug. 20.

The Swan Lake Fire can be seen from above on Monday, Aug. 26 on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska. (Photo courtesy Alaska Wildland Fire Information)
Burn suspension lifted for Kenai Peninsula and Kodiak

The public is asked to remain vigilant while burning due to minimal available resources.

Commanding Officer Corey Engel, Rear Adm. Megan Dean, and former ASPEN Commanding Officer Shea Winterberger smile for a photograph during the Change of Command ceremony on Thursday, June 26, 2025, on the Homer Spit in Homer, Alaska. (Chloe Pleznac/Homer News)
USCG ASPEN changes command

Commanding Officer Corey Engel will be in charge of the cutter’s operations and crew.

Volunteers repair the trails at Erik Hansen Scout Park in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Volunteers revitalize Kenai scout park

Kenai’s Erik Hansen Scout Park overlooks the mouth of the Kenai River in Old Town.

Most Read