It’s hard to believe summer is coming to a close, but the last Jackson Hole Farmers Market of the season hopes to send it off with a bang.
On Saturday, the market will host its Community Fall Festival. Plan to block off a chunk of the day for this one, as food trucks and vendors will be serving everything from lobster rolls to hummus. And reigning Chopped Junior Grand Champion and Jackson native, Buck Milligan, will be cooking against Jesse Rezin from The Kitchen for the first “Beat Buck Milligan” cook-off event.
The fun starts at 8 a.m. Farmers and other producers will open their booths to sell the best of summer’s produce for this season-ender. Food trucks and other vendors will be selling everything from hummus to lobster rolls. Those vendors include:
- Sagebrush Grill
- Little Red Cafe
- La Fiera
- Street Tacos
- Figs
- Freshie’s Lobster Co.
- JH Pop!
If you like lobster, save room for Freshie’s Lobster Co. , a Park City based restaurant that got its start at the farmers market. In 2017, they took home a blue ribbon at the 2017 Down East Lobster Roll Festival in Portland, Maine.
The crowning event (sponsored by the market, New West Knifeworks and Fine Dining Restaurant Group) to wrap up the season is the competition pitting Milligan against Rezin, which starts at 9 a.m.
Each contender will get to select two teammates, and — in addition to secret ingredients assigned by the event’s judges — get to choose from the season’s freshest offerings at the Jackson Hole Farmers Market.
The event will be hosted by KMTN’s DJ Mark “Fish” Fishman, and judged by Jackson’s top foodies: Annie Fenn, Mike Reid and yours truly, as well as a surprise guest judge.
Milligan became a Chopped Junior Champion at age 11 and returned in June of 2017 to become the first ever Chopped Junior Grand Champion. Born and raised in Jackson, Milligan says his interest in food started at around 6 or 7 while helping his dad- New West Knifeworks Founder, Corey Milligan, hunt, gather and cook delicious dishes for the family. When Milligan was invited to participate in the Chopped Junior Tournament of Champions, he trained at the Rendezvous Bistro under Rezin, who was executive chef there at that time. Milligan is backed up in the competition by New West Knifeworks; Jackson Hole Mountain Resort Executive Chef Michael Britton; and his uncle and chef to the stars Chris Kidder from Los Angeles.
Rezin has deep roots in the Jackson community and has been a member of the Fine Dining family since 2004 when he moved to Jackson Hole as a sponsored snowboarder. Finding his strength, intensity and passion for great food well matched for a career in the culinary arts, he earned his culinary degree and worked his way up the ranks within the popular Fine Dining Restaurant Group. In 2018, Rezin took the helm as executive chef of The Kitchen, where his zeal for Asian cuisine and his mindful approach to culinary presentation is communicated in each dish he creates. His team will be rounded out by two more of the Fine Dining Restaurant Group’s culinary lineup.
