Before there was a road to Homer, before there was electricity, before Homer was even a municipality, a group of businessmen created the Homer Chamber of Commerce. In 1998, the group celebrated its 50th anniversary and published "Kachemak Kitchens -- A Taste of Homer Cookbook," which contains hundreds of favorite recipes from homesteaders, chefs, lodge owners and others. The cookbook is available at the chamber's headquarters on the Homer Bypass, but here are some samplers:

Steamed Mussels

Gather the largest mussels you can find, scrub them with a stiff brush and pull the "beards" off. In a pot, use several cups of water and white wine, a little salt, and some chopped celery. Steam mussels until open. Serve with broth mixture, if desired.

<> Gretchen (Abbott) Bersch

Robin's BBQ Halibut

1 large halibut fillet

cut in 2-inch squares

1/2 cup soy sauce

1 cup cooking wine

2 tbsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. fresh minced garlic

1 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 cup olive oil

long wooden skewers

(presoak in water)

Mix ingredients and marinate halibut at least 4 hours, then put 4-5 pieces on each skewer. Cook on barbecue or under oven broiler about 5 minutes, turn, cook 5 minutes more or until fish is flaky. Sprinkle with fresh minced parsley and serve with lemon wedges.

1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 cup lime juice

1/4 cup water

2 tbsp. minced onion

5 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. fresh minced garlic

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

2 lbs. salmon steaks,

cut 1-inch thick

<> Gail Phillips

Southwestern Flavored Salmon

Combine oil, lime juice, water, onion, cumin, garlic, salt and pepper in shallow glass baking pan. Pierce salmon on both sides and marinade. Cover and refrigerate at least 20 minutes, or up to 2 hours. Grill or broil fish until cooked, 4-5 minutes per side, brushing occasionally with marinade. Serve with lime wedges and salt and pepper, if desired.

<> Becky Pfeil