Before moving to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, two decades ago, Oscar Ortega had left Mexico City at a young age and spent many years in several European countries, where he studied gastronomy with what he calls incredible teachers.
But he never forgot “where my roots came from, my origins,” he said in an interview with Noticias Telemundo. Cacao originated in Mexico, he explained, which was one of the reasons Ortega decided to dedicate himself to becoming a chocolatier, gelato maker and baker.
This year, his Jackson Hole establishment, Atelier Ortega, is one of five finalists for the outstanding bakery prize of the prestigious James Beard Awards, which will be announced June 16 and are considered the Oscars of the culinary world.
Ortega, whose desserts have won international competitions and who’s been featured on numerous television programs, is one of almost 20 Latinos who are finalists across different categories, recognized for making their mark in the culinary and beverage arenas — including in states with smaller Latino populations.
One of them is Wyoming, a state where 10% of the population is Hispanic and that many people might associate more with “cowboy country” than with chocolate making, Ortega said with a laugh.
“But I said, ‘Let’s see, let’s try,’” and he opened a chocolate and pastry shop in 2004. There were days when he didn’t sell anything, he said, but then everything started selling out. To keep honing his skills, he began entering international culinary competitions. Initially, he represented Mexico, his native country, but after winning several times, he was invited to join the official U.S. team with which he has won several prestigious international awards.
“And after I made the desserts for the competitions, I would serve them in my bakery when I got back. And that’s how it began to establish itself” to the point of getting James Beard recognition, Ortega said.
‘Tastes just like my grandma’s’
Like Wyoming, Idaho and Alabama are not states with the largest Latino populations.
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But in Caldwell, Idaho, people of Hispanic descent make up almost 40% of the population compared to 13% in the rest of the state. In this city, Salvador Alamilla’s dishes at his restaurant, Amano, have earned him a nomination for 2025 James Beard best chef: mountain, where he’s competing against four other chefs in nearby states.
The restaurant’s website touts a dedication “to uplifting the food and beverages of the Mexican diaspora through ancestral cooking methods.”
From the beginning, Alamilla said, his restaurant sought to be a place that offered “the dream of eating like you did at home, with food like your grandpa or mom used to make it.” That’s why regardless of whether he wins the James Beard Award or not, he said he’s already been rewarded by “seeing how people react to this food, saying, ‘That’s how my dad made it,’ or ‘Wow, it tastes just like my grandma’s.’”