Wild Sage

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Restaurant Rooted in Place

Wild Sage sits inside the Rusty Parrot Lodge and Spa in downtown Jackson, Wyoming — a family-run boutique property that first opened in 1990 and has spent more than three decades earning its reputation as one of the most acclaimed addresses in Jackson Hole. The restaurant occupies an intimate dining room where firelight flickers across the tables on one side and warms a set of comfortable chairs by a bookshelf on the other. Due to its size and standing, reservations are strongly recommended.

Chef Hugo Goodwin and the Kitchen's Philosophy

Executive Chef Hugo Goodwin leads the Wild Sage with a clear and personal conviction: food is a language, and every dish should tell the story of where it comes from. "The menu is like the Rusty Parrot — both rustic and refined," he says. That balance finds its way onto every plate.

Goodwin works closely with local producers — Canewater Farm in Victor, Idaho; Wasatch Organics in Utah; Late Bloomer Ranch in Driggs; OK Ranch in Tetonia — taking whole animals and seasonal harvests on the farmers' schedules, not a supplier's. Nothing is wasted. Whey left over from house-made ricotta, for instance, is charred with garlic scapes and turned into a savory sauce for wild Chinook salmon. The ricotta itself fills corn caramelle pasta. "Their success is our success," Goodwin says of the growers who deliver to his kitchen door.

The seasonal menu shifts constantly — sometimes right up to the moment of service — as new ingredients arrive. In summer, crates of just-picked squash, fragrant garlic scapes, and whole fish prompt dishes that didn't exist days before. In winter, a longer pantry allows for more deliberate preparation. Either way, the kitchen's restraint is a throughline: tomatoes never appear out of season, and simplicity is treated as a form of respect for the ingredient.

Standout Dishes and the Team Behind Them

One dish that captures the kitchen's duality is lamb sourced from Fall River Ranch in Jackson, served with local vegetables and finished with a herb-laminated pasta sheet. "Elegant simplicity is the idea," Goodwin explains — considerable labor and thought made to look effortless and approachable.

A pork pappardelle built around braised shoulder, paired with a sauce of just tomato, garlic, and basil, shows the same philosophy from a more rustic angle. Sous Chef Nataline Mann brings that same focused attention to the breakfast menu, where the ambition is to master the classics — "specifically the eggs."

Goodwin is supported by a strong team: Food and Beverage Manager Nicole Cox, whose wine list — recognized with the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence in 2025 — spans both classic and low-intervention varieties; Maître d' Patrick Kraushaar, whose light-touch service ensures guests feel looked after without feeling managed; Executive Sous Chef Horacio Garcia, a Rusty Parrot veteran; and Chef de Cuisine Collin Hemens, with nearly a decade of cooking in Jackson.

The Setting and Its History

The lodge behind Wild Sage carries its own story. A devastating fire in 2019 destroyed much of the original log structure, but the Rusty Parrot was rebuilt with its intimate scale and mountain-luxury character intact — honored heritage woven into a modern frame. That same spirit of continuity and reinvention runs through the seasonal fine dining that Goodwin and his team put on the table each night.

The result is a restaurant where the food, the room, and the land outside all feel like parts of the same conversation.