It was snowing lightly when we awoke this morning.
Breakfast at Persephone's, as usual. They recognize us already and know our drink order. I like to try new pastries while Michael is a creature of habit. Actually, I am not a lover of pastries but these at Persephone's are quite delicious.
We decided to enjoy a leisurely day. We drove into town for a short time and then we came back to Teton Village for a little walk.
These deer darted across the road in front of us. You always have to watch for wildlife!!!
Decided to find CocoLove
"Pastry Chef / Master Chocolatier / Gelatier
Chef Oscar Ortega was born in Mexico City where his culinary inspiration began. After realizing his passion & skill for culinary creations, he decided to begin his studies in pastry arts at Cast Alimenti, Italy. Ortega furthered his education by attending various courses in pastry, chocolate and sugar work. His abilities and passion for pastries grew, expanding and working years throughout the UK, Italy, France and USA.
In 2004 Ortega opened his first pastry shop, Cioccolato in Jackson Hole, Wyoming USA. This is where he created his first exclusive line of Artisan Chocolates and Fine Confections. Shortly thereafter, he took the opportunity and formed the first Mexican Pasty Team to compete in International pastry competitions. In 2009 Cioccolato expanded and was renamed Atelier Ortega (AO). Today AO is a thriving business that produces an extensive variety of Artisan Chocolates, Desserts, Entremets, Gelato, Confections, Artisan Bread and Viennoiserie serving its global customer base.
In peruse of culinary perfection in 2009 Chef Ortega became the first Mexican Chocolate Master, and represented his country in the World Chocolate Masters Finals. He also competed at the World Pastry Team Championship 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012. Le Mondial des Arts du Sucre, Paris in 2008, 2012. 2014 and 2018. He also competed at the very prestigious Coupe du Monde de la Patisserie in 2007. Gelato World Cup 2012, 2014, 2016 in Rimini Italy, 2016. Later that year he competed at the world pastry champions in Milan Italy and won the award for Best Pralines in the World, one of the most important and prestigious pastry and chocolate award. He has participated and awarded in many other national and international pastry, chocolate and gelato competitions. Ortega’s work has been featured in Television specials (PBS, TLC, Discovery Channel, Food Network, Travel Channel) as well as being featured in pastry and food national and international magazines.
In 2011 Chef Ortega was named one of the top 10 pastry chefs in America, and became the head pastry coach for the USA pastry team club that competes in Le Mondial des Arts du Sucre in Paris. In 2012 Chef Ortega opened his 2nd shop in Jackson Hole, WY CocoLove. This is his retail boutique that carries his exclusive lines of Artisan Chocolates, Gelato, Desserts, Confections & a variety of Artisan breads.
Additionally, Chef Ortega works as a pastry consultant and as a corporate pastry chef for a gourmet products distribution company where he helps his clients to achieve culinary success."
Yummy!
The chocolate is sent in from Switzerland. No wonder it is delicious!
These are not exactly the flavors I would find at Sprüngli in Switzerland.
Mexican hot chocolate has cinnamon added.
Chantilly cream is a sweetened whipped cream with vanilla added (some recipes use liqueurs in place of vanilla).
Whipped cream is often sweetened with a small amount of sugar (usually granulated) and sometimes vanilla extract. While a Chantilly recipe has a greater quantity of sugar and often confectioners' sugar versus granulated. Generally speaking, Chantilly is twice as sweet.
They were planting new willows and pine trees here at Teton Village. Getting ready for the summer season. These willows are a favorite of moose.
We had the resort to ourselves. Had time to read the local paper, Jackson Hole Daily.
They had an article about elk hunting in the paper. Funny.....yesterday on our tour, I asked Jeff about this.
"Elk populations in Wyoming's major herds are nearly 30% over objective, Wyoming Game and Fish Department Personnel revealed as their governing commission approved hunting seasons and nearly 2,000 additional licenses Wednesday.
Some 101,800 elk populate the state's 28 closely monitored herds, according to he estimates presented in the agency's proposed annual hunting season setting regulations. That's 28.6% above the objective for these groups.
In addition to the 28 herds for which the agency makes individual population estimates. through trend count or population model methods, seven additional herds are manages for landowner/hunter satisfaction. Some 8,400 elk made up those seven groups combined.
That makes Wyoming home to an estimated 110,200 elk, about one for every six people in the state. That is not counting the thousands of calves that will be born this spring. Population estimates are calculated after the fall elk hunting season.
Fish and Game anticipates 64,410 hunters will kill 27,096 elk in 2021.
Game and Fish considers a herd that is within 20% of its agency defined numerical objectives to be "at objective." The statewide 28.6% figure surpasses that range. Thirty-four percent of herd unis are above the 20% plus or minus range and 17% are below that "objective" range.
Across Wyoming, the 10 year elk population trend as been pretty static.
One thousand nine hundred more licenses have been issued.
All told, elk hunters will spend 476,760 days afield pursuing elk, Game and Fish calculates.
Resident licenses cost $62, but some tags for only cows or calves sell for $48. Game and Fish charges non-residents $707 for lottery issued full price elk tags, which includes a fishing license, and $303 for cow/calf licenses.
This year's count revealed 10,784 elk in the iconic Jackson Elk Herd. Fully 8,384 were on feed on the National Elk Refuge this winter.
Refuge elk have regularly exceeded the federal reserve's separate goal of hosting no more than 5,000 elk each winter.
The herd is Wyoming's first feed-ground population known to have a chronic wasting disease infected member, raising worries that concentrating them on feed lines could exacerbate disease spread."
Enjoying the fireplace in our room this evening. How romantic!
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