R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press In the kitchen of Reef Pizza within the Island Resort and Casino, Executive Chef Kristina Pomeroy cuts a fresh pie. Pomeroy will be conducting a cooking demonstration at the Island’s convention center on Sept. 14.

HARRIS — Executive Chef Kristina Pomeroy — originally from Stonington but now based in Escanaba — has worked in the kitchens of the Island Resort and Casino for 22 years.

During her teen years, she worked as a dishwasher at Jack’s Restaurant in Rapid River. Her introduced to food preparation began toward the end of her time there.

“Just by watching them cooking … really kind of piqued an interest in it,” said Pomeroy.

But her role with food at Jack’s was limited to helping get the fish ready for fish fry Fridays. Upon finishing high school, she left to explore other avenues.

After graduation, Pomeroy moved away and tried her hand at a couple of other things — none of which truly resonated with the young woman.

It didn’t take long for Pomeroy to realize she missed the Upper Peninsula. She moved back, and when her mother — who worked at the Island — suggested Pomeroy look into the open cook position there, she gave it a shot.

“It was just a stopping point to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. And then I found out it was what I wanted to do,” Pomeroy explained.

At the time, she was not expecting her path to unfold the way it did.

“I said, ‘Well, I kind of know how to cook,'” said Pomeroy of her foray into applying for that first line cook job 22 years ago. “Then I sort of worked my way up after I realized that this was the real deal.”

From line cook, Pomeroy went on to become lead cook, then head cook. Today, she wears a coat embroidered with “Kristina Pomeroy – Executive Chef.”

Over the years, the Island has grown. Pomeroy said that when she first started, there was “one restaurant and one little snack bar.” At present, fifteen food and drink outlets are on the premises, and only a couple of them are bars that serve beverages only. Pomeroy’s focus as executive chef is primarily in the full service convention center — which provides all the food service for weddings and other events — and Horizons Steakhouse on the top floor, but she can and does go wherever needed.

“We’ve cross-trained each other,” said the Island’s food and beverage director, Stephen Gakstatter. “Out of everybody here, I can confidently say that Kristina’s had her fingerprint on everything, pretty much.”

It might seem natural for Pomeroy’s career to have developed as her experience grew and Island Resort and Casino expanded, but her position and culinary expertise were not attained without effort.

“I just worked hard, took every extra shift I could, and found every opportunity to learn everything I could and — you know, work my way up,” said Pomeroy. “It’s been fun.”

“And I’ve got to see quite a bit of it,” added Gakstatter, who came to the Island seven years ago. “And I’m very proud of her. She’s amazing.”

Gakstatter said that he first met Pomeroy and others who are now colleagues while he was district manager at Sysco. Island Resort and Casino was one of the wholesale distributor’s major accounts.

Since working more closely with Pomeroy, Gakstatter said that he “always marveled” at her abilities and “how many outlets she managed.”

In all the years of the Island’s operation, though, a cooking show in front of a live audience has never been done. The partnership with the Daily Press for the upcoming event of Sept. 14 is new territory.

Beginning at 10 a.m. that Thursday, Pomeroy will take the stage in the resort’s convention center on a set assembled by Perk’s Cabinetry. Gakstatter will be the voice of the show for a day he described as “breaking ground” for the team. Attendees will be seated at tables facing the kitchen setup for a two-part demonstration, which will focus on cooking methods that “bring ease to the family, especially ones that have busy lifestyles,” said Pomeroy.

The perimeter of the convention room will be lined with vendor booths, including those of local farms who will also provide ingredients used at the show.

Tickets to the “Taste of the Island” cooking show are available up until the event. They are sold at the Daily Press and the service counter of Elmer’s County Market. A $25 ticket grants admission, a lunch buffet during intermission, a chance to win a door prize, and, for the first 300, a goody bag.