These Latino James Beard Award nominees garner national attention

In Wyoming, Idaho and Alabama, Atelier Ortega's Oscar Ortega, Salvador Alamila's Amano Restaurant and José Medina Camacho's bar Adiõs have earned them prestigious 2025 James Beard nominations.

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.