JACKSON, Wyo. — Two local culinary professionals have made the list of 2026 James Beard Award semifinalists, which was announced on Wednesday, Jan. 21.

Glorietta Trattoria Executive Chef Remle Colestock is up for Best Chef in the mountain region, and Oscar Ortega, owner of Atelier Ortega, is in the category of Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker. In 2025, Ortega’s shop Atelier Ortega made the shortlist in the Outstanding Bakery category, competing against four others as finalists. Ultimately the Jackson location was topped by JinJu Patisserie in Portland, Oregon.

Colestock, originally from Green River, has been the head chef at Glorietta for about four years. He sums up his attitude toward the role with one word: “community.” Colestock prioritizes local and regional ingredients, including beef bones from Sweet Cheeks Meats, flour from Wyoming Heritage Grains and eggs from Melissahof in Lander. At the People’s Market on Saturday, Jan. 24, Colestock will be serving up chili for the free community lunch beginning at 1:30 p.m. at the Teton County Fairgrounds.

“I’m just proud of Glorietta as a restaurant,” Colestock told Buckrail. “Having our name and [people] seeking us out as a restaurant is a big deal, so kind of a team victory there. But more than anything, I was the only [restaurant] chef nominated in the state of Wyoming, and I was born and raised in Green River, so I think representing Wyoming as a state … that’s pretty special to me.”

Ortega hails from Mexico City and opened his first pastry shop in Jackson in 2004 — Cioccolato — which was rebranded as Atelier Ortega in 2009. He opened a second retail location in 2016, CocoLove. According to his website, Ortega specializes in artisan chocolates, gelato and pastries. He was named one of the top 10 pastry chefs in the U.S. in 2011 by Dessert Professional and has participated in numerous international pastry competitions over the years.

For a small town, Jackson has some good eats, and that is only made clearer by the fact that at least one area restaurant or chef has made it to the James Beard semifinalist round every year since 2022. In 2024, Snake River Grill made the semifinalist round in the Outstanding Hospitality category, and King Sushi’s Chef Jason King was a semifinalist for the Best Chef of the mountain region. Before that, Teton Thai’s Chef Suchada Johnson went to the semifinalist round for the mountain region’s Best Chef in 2022, and inched closer to an award in 2023 as a finalist in the same category.

According to the James Beard Foundation website, the organization’s Restaurant and Chef Awards recognize excellence in the culinary arts, food and beverage, and hospitality industries. After an open call for nominations, a designated subcommittee reviews all nominees and narrows each category down to 20 semifinalists. During the next step, judges will visit semifinalists for a tasting period and vote for finalists. The finalists are expected to be announced in April, and award winners will be honored at an event in Chicago on June 15.

For a full list of semifinalists, visit the James Beard website here.

Monica is a Staff Reporter who studied journalism at Syracuse University and has been in the valley since 2015. She loves writing about the local food and bev scene, especially craft beer. When she’s not on the clock, you can find her paddle boarding, sewing, or whipping up a new recipe at home.