Meet Chef Eric “EZ” Encinosa, owner and operator of 

Chef EZ & the Mariposa.  

He is a Jacksonville native with over 25 years of restaurant experience.  

Chef EZ grew up in a family that loved to cook. The most requested family dish for every occasion was always his mother’s Ropa Veija…

and Publix Fried Chicken.

While Executive Chef at Mezza Luna Neptune Beach, he was awarded the honor of

Top Chef of Jacksonville at the 2017 March of Dimes Top Chef Gala.  

He has since gone on to hold the position of Head Chef at Palm Valley Outdoors, while working to make his dream of owning his own restaurant a reality. 

It has materialized in the form of Chef EZ & the Mariposa.  

Mariposa is the national flower of Cuba, and was cultivated in his childhood backyard by his father, a horticulturist of palm trees, bromeliads, and mariposas.

This truck is dedicated to JoAnn & Mateo Encinosa.