LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Los Angeles chef Lord Maynard Lera has been named Best Chef in California by the James Beard Foundation.
Maynard is the owner of Kuya Road, a fast-casual Filipino restaurant in Melrose.
Before opening Kuya Road in 2022, Lera cooked at Bestia, a fine-dining Italian restaurant in the Arts District, and ran a Filipino pop-up out of his home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Owning his own restaurant had always been a dream of his.
Lela moved to Los Angeles from the Philippines in 2004, and Kuya Road serves cuisine from the southern Tagalog region where he grew up.
“This menu tells the story of the foods I loved to eat as a child,” Lela said.
The restaurant offers a variety of dishes, including slow-roasted thick-sliced pork, golden garlic Java rice, and chami noodles, and they also offer a meatless option with tofu.
“Finally, Filipino food is starting to be recognized,” said Manuel Dizon, a customer from Hollywood. “It’s time for talent to introduce Filipino food to the community.”
“It tastes like home cooking, but it seems even better quality,” said another customer.
Often referred to as the “Oscars of the food world,” the James Beard Awards were established in 1990, with the first awards presented in 1991.
Winners will receive medals, certificates and national recognition.
“Hard work and perseverance always pays off, and it means a lot because we are representing them,” Lera said. “I have made my country proud.”
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