Beneath Glorietta’s glowing neon sign, Jackson Hole’s Western character gives way to something moodier. Tucked alongside the Anvil Hotel in downtown Jackson, the trattoria is the definition of quaint. The wood-fired hearth warms the room, while the easy Italian-style service is, quite simply, a vibe.
The menu brings Italy and Wyoming together through handmade pasta and local ingredients. Many dishes are cooked over the fire. The truffle tagliatelle was especially tasty, with the kind of rich flavor that demands one more bite even after you have promised yourself you are finished. At the center of it all is Executive Chef Remle Colestock. He spoke with Appetito about cooking with fire and the Italian dish that continues to influence his work.
How do you balance traditional Italian cooking with the ingredients and flavors unique to Jackson Hole?
Experience, repetition, patience and restraint.
What role does the wood-fired hearth play in the way you approach cooking?
Our menu revolves around it. It impacts the dining room with atmosphere and aroma. Always looking to get more smoke and char into new recipes.
If you could cook one meal for anyone, past or present, who would be at the table?
My Grandpa Joe.
What’s one thing you’ve learned from cooking in the mountains that you didn’t expect?
Housing and labor challenges.
When guests leave Glorietta, what do you hope they’re talking about on the drive home?
Tiramisu, hopefully any conversation starting with their last bites they had, and going backwards from there through the meal.
Is there a recipe you can’t imagine ever taking off the menu?
Not really a recipe, but bison teres major with local mizuna (canewater farm) and agrodolce cipollini onion. A simple and straightforward petite filet.
Is there a meal you’ve had in Italy that still influences the way you cook?
The amatriciana sauce. At Glorietta we serve it with rigatoni mezze and our spin is that the smoky braised pork should be shredded and folded into the sauce.
What’s one flavor combination you think everyone should try at least once?
I love the idea of hot or sauteed pickles/giardiniera or vinegar. Sautéing giardiniera completely changes the experience.
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