Humble South LA food hall finds viral success, hits national stage as two chefs are tapped for top awards

In a city obsessed with glitz, omakase tasting menus and $1,500 dinners, two of Los Angeles’ biggest culinary stars of the moment can be found slinging seafood and sweetcorn quesadillas — out of a humble food hall at one of the city’s grittier corners.

Formerly more than a little off-the-grid, the humble Mercado La Paloma at S. Grand Ave. and W. 37th St. in South LA is receiving newfound recognition this week after not one, but two of its stalls were nominated for top prizes in the national, annual James Beard Awards, often referred to as the Oscars of food.

The twin nods for the chefs behind the Michelin-starred Holbox, a seafood spot, and Komal, a Oaxacan stand celebrated for its own-made tortillas, comes amid a surge of interest in the long-running incubator space run by the Esperanza Community Housing Corporation, a local nonprofit.

For years a favorite among in-the-know foodies, suddenly a seat at the table, particularly at Holbox, can mean bracing for lengthy, round-the-block lines — spurred on by rave reviews from local social media stars with followers in the millions.

Chef Gilberto Cetina, the force behind cult-favorite Holbox, has been nominated for the 2026 James Beard Award for Outstanding Chef, a national category — currently considered one of the most prestigious honors in American dining.

Holbox has long been an insider darling, as evidenced by its one Michelin star; the eatery is known for its razor-sharp Mexican coastal-style seafood — think uni tostadas, pristine ceviches and smoky grilled fish, ideally enjoyed at a string of hard-to-snag seats facing the hard-working open kitchen.

Cetina was previously a finalist in 2023 for a James Beard for the best chef in the California category, and a semi-finalist in the Outstanding Chef category in 2025.

This year’s nomination pits him against local fine-dining royalty like Niki Nakayama of n/naka, a West LA sushi institution.

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And in true City of Angels fashion, the recognition is as much about the setting as the food: a scrappy, immigrant-rooted food hall producing Michelin-level cooking without the Michelin-level attitude.

Across the busy space, Chef Fátima Juárez at the masa-driven Komal has earned a Beard nomination for Emerging Chef, another national category. 

Her operation is even more stripped-down — a molino-focused stall where corn is nixtamalized in-house and transformed into deeply personal, Oaxacan-inspired dishes.  

Juárez, who previously worked under Cetina at Holbox, has carved out her own lane at Komal — and doing it with dishes that rarely crack $12.  

The 2026 James Beard Awards are shaping up to be a major moment for Los Angeles.

Among this year’s finalists are the Arts District’s New Korean spot Ki for best new restaurant, Chef Kwang Uh of Baroo for best chef in California, the beloved classic seafood spot Providence for outstanding hospitality, the Michelin-starred Kato at the Row LA for outstanding beverage program, and coffee shop owner and barista Jack Benchakul of Endorffeine, a Chinatown cult favorite, for outstanding beverage professional.

There’s also industry buzz around legacy names, with LA culinary icon Nancy Silverton set to receive a lifetime achievement honor.

If Cetina and Juárez take home the trophy in June, it won’t just be a win for Holbox and Komal — it’ll be a win for every hole-in-the-wall taqueria, strip-mall gem and food hall stall that prove location and dollar signs aren’t everything.