James Beard nod for Chancho King

María Delia La Mota of Chancho King in Jacksonville is a 2026 James Beard Awards nominee for Best Chef: South. (jamesbeard.org) The James Beard Foundation announced the 2026 Restaurant and Chef Award nominees on March 31, and it said winners will be named June 15 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. (jamesbeard.org) El Universo reported that La Mota, an Ecuadorian chef, co-founded Chancho King with Chason Spencer and that the restaurant serves dishes including arroz con menestra, llapingacho and shrimp encocado in northeast Florida. (eluniverso.com) In the Beard Awards, Best Chef: South covers Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Puerto Rico, according to El Universo’s summary of the category. (eluniverso.com) The nomination puts Chancho King in one of the foundation’s regional chef races, which are part of an awards program the James Beard Foundation says recognizes excellence in food, beverage and hospitality across the United States. (jamesbeard.org) This year’s nod followed an earlier step in the process. The James Beard Foundation named its 2026 semifinalists on January 21 and said nominees would follow on March 31. (jamesbeard.org) Chancho King’s path to this point started before the restaurant had a permanent address. News4JAX said La Mota and Spencer began as a tent pop-up about six years ago before moving into a brick-and-mortar space in Murray Hill. (news4jax.com) Reporting from Jacksonville has traced that buildout more precisely: the couple launched Chancho King inside Aardwolf Brewing Company and the former Vagabond Coffee in 2019, then opened their first brick-and-mortar restaurant in August 2023 at 1120 Edgewood Ave. S. (bluewaterhealthyliving.com) For La Mota, the Beard nomination is also a marker of how Ecuadorian cooking is landing in a national awards field that has historically been dominated by more established regional and fine-dining names. The result of this round comes June 15 in Chicago. (jamesbeard.org)