George's North Slope & Sophie's Oyster Bar -- that's all one
restaurant -- was packed when I went to visit George Malekos in
Eagle River, Alaska. It was the first day of the Iditarod
International Sled Dog Race, the classic 1,049-mile marathon
from Anchorage to Nome, and it seemed as if the whole town had
come to George's for breakfast before the arrival of the dog
teams.  Eagle River was just a spot on a map when Malekos
started cooking hamburgers out of a small, leased trailer 14
years ago. The business has grown since then: Today he employs
114, seats 1,500 patrons a day in three different dining rooms,
and boasts the biggest chandelier this side of Anchorage. And
Eagle River has become a town. There's not much paving yet,
except the main road and George's parking lot, but the
population is up to 30,000 and growing. There are churches and
schools, liquor stores, a small shopping mall, and Little League
teams -- one of which George sponsors.  I thought of George
Malekos a lot as I completed my three months