Meet Cowfish Executive Chef Jeff Blackwell!

All of the food at Cowfish is prepared under the direct supervision of Executive Chef Jeff Blackwell, previously the executive chef at the innovative Rocks Modern Grill at the Beaver Creek Lodge in Denver; and the AAA four-diamond-rated Wild Sage Restaurant at Jackson’s Rusty Parrot Lodge and Spa.

Jeff possesses comprehensive experience in the restaurant business and a distinguished culinary track record of superior food and service. At the Wild Sage, for example, he developed all of the restaurant’s menus, menu items and specials, with an emphasis on organically grown products, local produce and meats, and sustainable fish – a tradition he continues at Cowfish.

His Cowfish menu, which changes periodically throughout the year, features:

• Fresh seafood flown in regularly, including wild-caught sockeye salmon, blue crab and rainbow trout.
• Burgers made from local beef cattle raised free of hormones and antibiotics by Wyoming Custom Meats.
• Salads and entrees prepared with delicious, homegrown vegetables – including arugula, asparagus, broccolini, cherry tomatoes and butternut squash – from an onsite organic garden.
• Menu items and ingredients that incorporate the handcrafted microbrews from the Lander Brewing Company – such as the Atlantic Gold Beer-Battered Shrimp and Jack Mormon Pale mustard.

Jeff’s culinary efforts have garnered widespread praise in the media, including being named as “Best Chef ” in 2008 by “Mountain Living Magazine” and receiving numerous mentions and accolades in publications such as “Travel & Leisure” and “Big Sky Journal.” He is the author of the all of the recipes in the highly acclaimed “Rusty Parrot Cookbook.”

A native of Maryland, Jeff cultivated a love for fresh seafood at an early age, as he learned to tong for oysters, and trotline for Chesapeake Bay blue crab, in the state’s inland bays and salt marshes.

He worked his way through college as an entry-level line cook at the Greenhill Yacht & Country Club, where his culinary skills and aptitude grew steadily under the leadership of the club’s chefs, whose expertise include classic French, Thai and Cajun cuisines. After seven years of training, his talents and expertise were rewarded with a promotion to executive chef.

To deepen his skills in classic French cuisine, Jeff moved on to the four-star, four-diamond-rated Atlantic Hotel in Berlin, Maryland, where he trained under Chef Larry Wilgus.

A desire to head west led him to Colorado and executive positions at the exclusive Beaver Run Resort in Breckenridge; the highly acclaimed McCormick’s Fish House & Bar in Denver’s historic Oxford Hotel; the legendary Sun Valley Lodge in Idaho; and the Inn at Lost Creek’s 9545 Restaurant in Telluride.

As the executive chef at Cowfish, Jeff utilizes his years of expertise and experience to create an innovative and unforgettable dining experience for guests.