The Taste of Evolution

At Maison in downtown Driggs, owner Jimmy Fraser knows you’ll find exactly what you’re looking for, even if you didn’t know you were looking for it.

It might be a slice of old-world pepperoni pizza on homemade sourdough, or a bowl of miso shallot dip with chili flakes and Asian tang. Maybe it’s a table to post up at and work until your friends meet you for happy hour. Or maybe it’s a rare bottle of Burgundy from the wine cellar, where Jimmy invites you to come, browse and buy at your pace. 

Whatever you find, the evolving Driggs culinary scene has never tasted so good.

“I think it's good to keep evolving,” Jimmy says. “We're not trying to reinvent ourselves here. Maison was more about organic growth, where I wanted things to grow naturally instead of forcing things."

Humble beginnings

Evolution is on Jimmy’s mind these days. Before opening Maison (pronounced maize-ON) in 2024, he launched a few other concepts in and around Jackson Hole. Each one put an unusual spin on the ordinary, like a “high-end gas station” he opened in Wilson, where you can still get kombucha and gourmet candy bars with your Coca-Cola and Reese’s.

For a few years he managed Eleanor’s, the popular watering hole in downtown Jackson. Then, on his daily commute from Driggs to Jackson and back, he had an epiphany. 

“I was driving the Pass and knew I wanted to open my own place,” Jimmy says. “I’d done it before and liked the process. I knew this could be different.” 

That epiphany became Maison. It started with the location — one block off Main Street in a 1912 remodel — and a retail shop, where you can still purchase wine, beer and gourmet foods to take home. It was cozy, iconic and, most importantly, it was close to home. Jimmy and his wife, Julie, were starting a family. 

“My wife, from the start, wanted to open the kind of place we wanted to go to,” Jimmy says. “You'll see her hanging out here with our kid and our friends' kids. This is small-town Idaho. Family is very important. We want you to feel that here.” 

Slow cooking

The menu at Maison is always changing, and not because the Frasers can’t make up their minds. It’s all part of the plan.

“I've come out firing too much in the past,” Jimmy admits. “We wanted this to grow organically. We started with the wine shop, then wine and beer with a small menu, maybe six items. This season we’re adding even more.”

Maison’s first bona fide hit came this past summer with sourdough pizza. Jimmy’s current favorite is “Spice In The Hive,” made with red sauce, mozzarella, pepperoni and ‘nduja, described by Jimmy as “funky, spicy, spreadable Spanish sausage.” The not-so-secret ingredient is housemade spicy honey drizzled on top. 

The menu might be small, but it’s mighty, and it’s growing every season with locally sourced meat and vegetables from Teton Valley producers like Late Bloomer Ranch and Easy Acres.

“Everyone says this over and over, but using the best possible ingredients will yield a better quality meal,” Jimmy says. Even a relatively “simple” pie, like the summertime margherita, gets a boost from local sunburst tomatoes with shallots and garlic.

Home away from home

Jimmy and Julie Fraser love owning a restaurant in their hometown. Their young daughter, Emma, is already a regular, and just down the street Julie opened a new gift store, Heyday Goods. Best of all, home and work aren’t a commute away over busy Teton Pass.

"We have maintained the family-friendly vibe here,” Jimmy says. “We wanted to be a place you can bring the kids to run around. This is a place you can come spend hours.”

He’s not kidding. Maison is counter service, meaning no one is watching and waiting to flip your table. The vibe is “casual and inviting,” he says, just like the menu. 

But casual does not mean lazy. Jimmy is always evolving — and so is Maison. Just a few weeks ago, he and his team were cooking up new pizzas for the winter menu. Look for the French onion soup and beef bourguignon pies made with gourmet cheeses — “something other than mozz,” he says — and thick, hearty sauces.