"I am a big believer in regional foods, and I think this is what makes our restaurants in Alaska so outstanding," said Kinneen. "We are really lucky to get the quality of fish, fresh vegetables and mushrooms that we have available up here."

Kinneen, 35, started working as chef at Orso in 2007 after a stint trying to build his own restaurant in Anchorage's Mountain View. Kinneen and his wife, Carolyn, started Noble's Dinner in 2004, but closed after business dropped to a crawl during a major construction project in the neighborhood.

Originally from Petersburg, Kinneen's family moved to Anchorage when he was in school. Kinneen graduated from the King Career Center's culinary arts program in 1994 and later moved to New Orleans to learn southern-style cooking.

"I learned a lot about how to look for and use fresh, locally available foods there," Kinneen said. "I think the food in the south is highly underestimated, and probably some of the best regionally produced food in the U.S."

Kinneen returned to Anchorage in 1996 and worked for Saks Cafe and Restaurant until 1998, when he moved to North Carolina for four years. He returned to Anchorage in 2002 to work at the Hotel Captain Cook, and later moved to the Seven Glaciers in Girdwood until the start-up of Noble's Diner in late 2004.

Scan the Orso menu and at the top of the fish entre list is fresh wild salmon.

"I am really lucky that Orso has let me develop a cuisine modified to use regionally available food," he said. "It's pretty outstanding when an Italian restaurant breaks out of a stereotype and finds the magic in locally produced food and fresh-caught fish."

The chef prepares such dishes as fresh Alaska yellow eye rockfish, which sells for $18.95, cashew crusted fresh Alaska halibut at $24.95, Bering Sea king crab legs for $33.95.

"Fresh, tasty and artfully presented, at a fair price is what Orso also wants to be known for," said Michael Hurst, marketing director for Orso.

As he prepared the dishes, Kinneen explained that the use of fresh Alaska cod, yellow eye rockfish and halibut offers two advantages: great texture and a flavor that can be used in any cuisine.

Kinneen inspects all the fish products that come in the door, and limits his orders of specialty fish for the menu dishes to ensure a high level of freshness and no leftover waste. Orso buys about 4,000 pounds of crab and 6,000 pounds of halibut each year.

The restaurant serves salmon - thousands of pounds a year - from Copper River Seafoods and has a network of other suppliers like Norton Sound Economic Development Corp. for various other types of bottom fish.

As much as possible, Kinneen also uses locally grown vegetables and mushrooms and flavors with onions, and other seasonings grown in the Matanuska Valley.

Even the salad dressings and marinades are made from fresh Alaska ingredients, like handpicked spruce tips and smoked mustard seeds from flowers.

Kinneen's recipe for smoked alder vinaigrette is based on a mustard developed by Moosetard, a company based in Fox, Alaska, that specializes in gourmet Alaskan mustards.

"The best part about this restaurant is that with our buying power we can keep Alaska fishermen and growers in business," said Kinneen.

Fresh fish and vegetables aren't all he gets fresh. Orso had just received 100 pounds of elk from Misty Mountain Meats, located in Delta Junction.

"You have to be versatile if you are going to ask someone to slaughter their animals, so we use the elk for many different dishes," said Kinneen. "We will not only offer the rib chops, but New York steaks, tenderloins for a special wine dinner, and later grind the leftover elk for a Bolognese sauce used over pasta."

Prices for the elk dishes range from $20 to $40 a plate. That's down from last year, when prices topped $65 for elk meat cuts.

"Look at the quality of this, very little marbling and hardly any fat, and the raw meat has a good smell to it," he said, showing off slabs of elk meat to his cooking and wait staff. "This is quality meat that will be cooked medium rare to retain its tenderness. If the customer orders it well done, then you would be better to direct them away from the elk to a traditional steak.

"Alaska wild fresh foods have a lot to offer over second-best frozen products," said Kinneen. "Besides the nutrients and richness, it adds to the sustainability and stability of our local economy."

Rob Stapleton can be reached at rob.stapleton.@alaskajournal.com.