L.A. Chef Lord Maynard Llera took home top honors Monday night — a coveted James Beard Award for Best Chef: California — for his unique heart-and-soul take on Filipino barbecue.
The Beard Awards are like the Oscars of the food world. And Llera, the owner-chef at Kuya Lord , was the only SoCal chef nominee this year, which was an accomplishment in and of itself. But it was only the beginning.
His victory — best California chef! — represents a win for Los Angeles and Southern California, and for the many Filipino Americans who call SoCal home. Moreover, Llera’s win raises the profile of a cuisine that many would say has gone overlooked for far too long. "It's just surreal," he said after his win Monday night.
"I came here 20 years ago from the Philippines with a dream of opening a restaurant." And to have achieved that as well as the evening's top honors? "It's, like, amazing," he said. Llera started with a pandemic pop-up and leveraged it into the fast-casual concept located in the microneighborhood of the moment, Melrose Hill.
The menu channels Llera’s unique take on southern Filipino-style cooking. In particular, Kuya Lord is known for its lechon kwali, a twice-cooked pork belly that manages to walk the line between a crispy, crackly outside and succulent inside. While the win introduces Llera to the world, the recognition of his talents is long overdue.
Back in 2022, L.A. Times Food critic Bill Addison called Llera “a gripping new expressionist of Filipino coo.
