Wild Sage ~ Jackson Hole Restaurant

Wild Sage Executive Chef Jeffrey Blackwell

At an early age, the Rusty Parrot’s Executive Chef Jeff Blackwell cultivated a unique appreciation for fresh harvests from the sea as he learned to tong for oysters and trot-line for Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab on Maryland’s inland bays and salt-marshes.

Financing his way through college, Jeff found a job as an entry-level line cook at the Greenhill Yacht and Country Club. His interest in the culinary arts blossomed under the leadership of the Club’s chefs, whose specialties ranged from Classic French and Thai to Cajun cuisine. After seven years of rigorous training, Jeff’s developing talents were rewarded when he was promoted to Executive Chef.

Chef Blackwell’s desire to learn more about the culinary profession took him to the Four-Star, Four Diamond Atlantic Hotel in Berlin, Maryland, where he trained under Chef Larry Wilgus in classic French cuisine. Opportunity then led him to Colorado and the position of Executive Sous Chef of restaurant and banquet facilities for the 550-room Beaver Run Resort. After a stint at Irwin Lodge — an exclusive powder skiing lodge between Crested Butte and Aspen where he used power generators to cook — Chef Blackwell served as Sous Chef at the highly acclaimed McCormick’s Fish House and Bar in Denver’s historic Oxford hotel. When the Executive Chef position became available at Gretchen’s restaurant at the legendary Sun Valley Lodge in Sun Valley, Idaho, Jeff jumped at the chance to employ his culinary talents at America’s oldest ski resort, transforming a family favorite eatery into a fine dining restaurant. In 2004 he headed for the high-altitude peaks of Telluride, Colorado, where he assumed the position of Executive Chef at the Inn at Lost Creek’s 9545 restaurant.

Jeff joined the team at the Rusty Parrot Lodge and Spa in the fall of 2005 as Executive Chef of the AAA Four Diamond-rated Wild Sage restaurant. Jeff was drawn to the community of Jackson Hole and the Rusty Parrot Lodge & Spa’s award-winning Wild Sage, in large part because of the creative freedom he enjoys in developing the menus and specials for the restaurant. Served in an intimate, 26-seat dining room warmed by a river rock fireplace, Chef Blackwell’s cuisine features a wide-ranging selection of flavors and ingredients, with an emphasis on organically grown products, local produce and meats and sustainable fish and proteins – often blended in surprising combinations. His efforts have earned praise including being named “Best Chef” in 2008 by Mountain Living magazine. When he’s not busy in the kitchen, Jeff enjoys the area’s abundant wildlife, “the best skiing in North America” at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort and mountain biking and hiking with his dogs, Basil and Sweetie.