05/30/2026
Can’t wait 😛
As promised, Ulele now features Baby Back Ribs “Chief Mocoço.” These award-winning Compart Family Duroc pork chili-rubbed ribs are grilled and served with our tangy, mustard-based Delta slaw with red peppers, onions and golden raisins.
Who was Chief Mocoço?
Chief Mococo was a Native Florida chief who lived along Tampa Bay in the 1500s, near the Tocobaga village of Princess Ulele, daughter of Chief Hirrihigua.
Florida legend tells of a 17-year-old Spanish explorer named Juan Ortiz, captured after earlier Spanish explorers had brutalized the local native tribes. Ortiz was condemned to die by being slowly roasted alive over hot coals.
As Ortiz screamed from the fire, Hirrihigua’s daughter Ulele rushed forward and pleaded for mercy, ultimately saving his life. Ortiz survived, though badly burned, and carried the scars forever.
Years later, Ortiz escaped to the nearby village of Chief Mocoço, who protected him and eventually reunited him with Hernando de Soto’s expedition. Ortiz later became an interpreter between the Spanish explorers and Florida’s native tribes.
Our Baby Back Ribs “Chief Mocoço” honor this dramatic Tampa Bay legend of fire, survival, mercy and connection between neighboring native peoples.
Fun fact: Spanish explorers brought the first pigs to Florida in the 1500s, likely making Tampa Bay one of the first places in what is now the United States where pork was introduced.
For reservations: Ulele.com
