James Beard finalist from Ecuador

María Delia La Mota and Chason Spencer, the chef-owners of Jacksonville’s Chancho King, are finalists for the 2026 James Beard Award for Best Chef: South. (jamesbeard.org) The James Beard Foundation announced the 2026 restaurant and chef nominees on March 31, and it said winners will be revealed on June 15 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. (jamesbeard.org) Chancho King is an Ecuadorian restaurant in Jacksonville’s Murray Hill neighborhood, and the nomination puts La Mota among the few Ecuadorian-born chefs now competing at the top tier of United States restaurant awards. (eluniverso.com) The category matters in Florida because Best Chef: South covers Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Puerto Rico. In 2024, Miami chef Valerie Chang of Maty’s won that regional award. (jamesbeard.org) Chancho King reached this stage in two rounds. The restaurant was first named a semifinalist on January 21, before advancing to the final nominee list on March 31. (jamesbeard.org 1) (jamesbeard.org 2) The restaurant’s rise has been fast by awards standards. La Mota and Spencer launched Chancho King as a pop-up inside Aardwolf Brewing Company in 2020, then opened their brick-and-mortar restaurant in Murray Hill in August 2023. (jacksonville.com 1) (jacksonville.com 2) Local expansion is already underway. Jacksonville.com reported in February that Chancho King was preparing a second location at The Block Jax food hall, while its original restaurant remained in Murray Hill. (jacksonville.com) Coverage in Ecuador has framed the nomination as a national point of pride, with El Universo and EcuaRaices both highlighting La Mota’s Ecuadorian roots and the restaurant’s focus on traditional Ecuadorian flavors. (eluniverso.com) (ecuraices.com) For Jacksonville, the next date is June 15. For La Mota, it is a shot to turn a six-year run from pop-up to national finalist into a James Beard win in Chicago. (jamesbeard.org) (jacksonville.com)