JACKSONVILLE — In Murray Hill, there’s a place where creativity and never-ending evolution are perched on one's taste buds. Where the bold flavors of Ecuadorian-American cuisine coincide with trying and experiencing something new.
It’s called Chancho King. Francois Castro and the husband-and-wife team of Chason Spencer and Maria La Mota — all co-owners — call the restaurant a bold, shameless and “scrumtrulescent” example of cultural fusion. One that even they can’t seem to define.
“We ourselves are still trying to learn it because it’s so grand; it’s such a big thing,” Castro said. “And, so, we’re trying to learn it as well as introduce other people to it.”
As the only Ecuadorian restaurant in all of Northeast Florida, the trio said their diner introduces an eccentric take on traditional Latin-American cooking.
“That makes us unique enough because we bring something to the table that’s just like a flavor combination that most people just don’t get,” Castro said.
La Mota, Spencer and Castro began Chancho King as a street food vendor back in 2019. A tent on the side of the road, Spencer said the group sold pork sandwiches, house-made plantain chips and a drink for under 10 bucks.
The pork sandwich, a popular staple in Guayaquil, Ecuador, and other South American countries, consisted of hot pepper aji, mild tomato aji, lime-pickled red onions and pork crackling. They said this is what truly put them on the map.
It was the perfect fuse of Ecuadorian fare and American grub, and the perfect way to catch people’s attention.
“We knew a pulled-pork sandwich or like a pork sandwich or roasted-pork sandwich would translate well here to the Jacksonville market because people are pretty familiar with pulled pork. It’s a barbecue thing,” Spencer said.
La Mota said the name of the restaurant plays on this theme, chancho meaning “pork” in Ecuadorian dialect.
Even with the slow down of the pandemic, Spencer said that’s when the business really kicked off. Working seven days a week, the group left their jobs and began working the business full time, eventually moving to a food truck.
“[We] did whatever it took to make it work, and pretty much all three of us have been in it since day one,” Spencer said.
Having a brick-and-mortar spot was always on their mind, until one day it fell right into their laps.
The restaurant is marked as a place of comfort and anticipation. Behind the bold, red bar is where the group said all the magic takes place.
Whether it’s empanadas with rotating flavors, cheesy pan de yuca or maduro con queso, the menu has a plethora of options from which to choose.
The recipes for the menu came from La Mota’s grandmother, whose roots, along with Castro’s, are based in Ecuador.
The original pork sandwich remains their most sought-after dish, while llapingacho is another popular item, a cheesy potato-cake meal with rice, a fried egg, peanut sauce and a protein.
“These are foods that we would eat at her grandmother’s house, when we go to visit when we were living there, what she grew up with,” Spencer said.
With a frequently changing menu, the group said they are able to stay creative and come up with new food combinations for customers to try.
“Chancho is more than just chancho; it’s an ever-growing thing,” Castro said.
Their lively Sunday brunch ceviche bar is a prime example. The trio said what was first created as a way to pay rent has become a staple that a slew of neighborhood regulars look forward to, featuring shrimp al ajillio, Spanish tortilla, fried fish, along with some surprise specials.
“Nobody knows what the specials are until Chason makes the first one,” La Mota said. “We kind of know what it is, but we don’t know what it is.”
A fast-paced team effort between the servers mixed with traditional tunes mixed with the bright lighting and lively cooking presentation is what they said makes the experience truly something special.
Cultivating connections within the community is something that they said is important. Keeping things hyperlocal and fearless is the goal.
Take cooking a 50-pound locally produced wahoo or serving up charred octopus on their ceviche bar.
“We’re just getting that trust,” Spencer said. “Back in the day, we used to be really nervous about buying off-the-wall things and throwing crazy specials out there.”
Although expansion is potentially in their sights, they said that investing in what they’ve built so far is important — becoming a powerhouse in the community and a safe space for the people of Jacksonville to not only be themselves, but add a new and striking taste to their palate.
It is chancho after all.
