BREAKING: Chef Jeff Chanchaleune is Oklahoma’s first two-time Beard finalist

State will learn if it wins consecutive Best Chef Southwest awards in June

On Wednesday, Jeff Chanchaleune, chef/owner of Ma Der Lao Kitchen, was named a finalist for the James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef Southwest.

It’s the second year in a row Chancheleune is a finalist for the award won last year by Grey Sweater’s Andrew Black. It’s the third time overall Chanchaleune has been cited by the Beard Foundation, dating back to 2019.

Chanchaleune will return to Chicago for the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards Ceremony on June 10 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Congratulations to chef Jeff. Here’s hoping he returns with a medal.

He’s up against Rene Andrade of Bacanora in Phoenix, Ariz/.; Steve Kestler of Aroma Latin American Cocina in Henderson, Nevada; Steve Riley of Mesa Provisions in Albuquerque; and Eduardo Rodriguez of Zacatlán in Santa Fe.

The nod comes for his work a Ma Der Lao Kitchen, where he presents traditional Lao cuisine through an Oklahoma lens.