Ecuadorian chef in James Beard final
María Delia La Mota, chef of Chancho King in Florida, is a 2026 James Beard finalist for Best Chef: South, and her restaurant will compete at the awards ceremony in Chicago in June. (El Universo and local reporting covered the nomination and the June competition) (eluniverso.com) (ecuraices.com).
An Ecuadorian chef in Jacksonville is now one step from a James Beard Award. María Delia La Mota of Chancho King is a 2026 finalist for Best Chef: South. (jamesbeard.org) The James Beard Foundation announced the 2026 restaurant and chef nominees on March 31. In the South category, La Mota is listed alongside Chason Spencer of Chancho King, the husband-and-wife team behind the Murray Hill restaurant. (jamesbeard.org) (jacksonville.com) The winners will be announced on June 15, 2026, at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. The James Beard Foundation says that ceremony is the 2026 Restaurant and Chef Awards event. (jamesbeard.org) Chancho King is in Jacksonville, Florida, at 1120 Edgewood Avenue South in the Murray Hill neighborhood. Jacksonville.com reported that the restaurant grew from a pop-up into a brick-and-mortar business before reaching this year’s finalist list. (jacksonville.com) The James Beard Awards are one of the most visible honors in United States restaurant culture. The foundation says the awards recognize culinary talent as well as work tied to equity, community, sustainability, and the broader food system. (jamesbeard.org) For Ecuadorians following the race, the nomination puts a restaurant built around Ecuadorian cooking into a national United States awards field. El Universo reported that La Mota is competing in the Best Chef: South category with Chancho King. (eluniverso.com) The run started in January, when the James Beard Foundation named Chancho King’s chefs semifinalists for Best Chef: South. Finalists were then narrowed down from that larger list on March 31. (jamesbeard.org 1) (jamesbeard.org 2) EcuRaices said the restaurant’s menu is rooted in traditional Ecuadorian cooking and family recipes. Jacksonville.com described Chancho King as known locally for Ecuadorian food as it built a following in Northeast Florida. (ecuraices.com) (jacksonville.com) The next marker is simple: Chicago in June. If La Mota wins there, Chancho King will move from regional finalist to James Beard winner on one of the industry’s biggest stages. (jamesbeard.org)
