Jens Hansen, an Anchorage chef and owner of Jens Restaurant in midtown, passed away Friday afternoon at the age of 68, according to his wife Annelise.
She said he died after complications from leg surgery, but had not been well for a few years due to a decline in his health, and had not worked at his restaurant for some time.
Annelise said word of her husband's death spread quickly on Friday and the restaurant was packed that evening, full of friends who wished to pay their respects to the well-known chef. The restaurant was also open Saturday evening.
"He would want us to carry on," said Annelise.
Originally from Denmark, Jens opened the restaurant 24 years ago after working for the Captain Cook Hotel for 18 years.
"What he was most proud of was the young chefs he had trained over the years," said Annelise who explained that many of Anchorage's chefs had learned from her husband.
Jens and Annelise had been married for 43 years.
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