"Chicken of the Woods" mushrooms foraged by Petty Officer 1st Class Zach Hassilev, the 17th Coast Guard District special command aide, August 8, 2021. Hassilev often forages and fishes for fresh Alaskan ingredients for the dishes he cooks for the Coast Guard.
“I have a fascination with ingredients,” said Hassilev, “So, being from Alaska, I’m pretty involved with foraging and fishing. I like going out and collecting edible mushrooms for dishes I cook at work, and there have been occasions where I have been able to go fishing on the morale boats and catch some halibut for events. Being stationed in Alaska really has its perks for me because of the abundance of fresh ingredients.” - U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Zach Hassilev