Editor’s note: This story was adjusted on Dec. 7, 2023 to delete a detail about the opening date for Bodegón by Domingo Sausage, yet to be determined.
AXKAWA (formerly Señor Taco Show) has closed its doors after 10 years of operation. The beloved taqueria underwent an evolution when they changed the name of Señor Taco Show to AXKAWA in 2019. The word “axkawa” means abundance in the indigenous Nahuatl language from the Curiel-Bernal family’s home region of western Jalisco, Mexico. The family adopted pre-colonial recipes in tandem with their original menu of Mexican cuisine, and spent a year expanding into the space where they had resided the previous five years.
Francisco Curiel and Marylu Bernal, his wife and muse, ran the restaurant with their children and co-owners, Desireé, Fátima, Marisol and Emmanuel “Manny.” The menu featured delicious family recipes that the crew grew up with, while “Chef Francisco” crafted fresh and authentic creations. Much of the inspiration for the menu came from his time managing restaurants in Jalisco.
“Gathering around the table to enjoy meals and nourish our bodies and spirits has always been the foundation of our family, and we feel blessed to have been able to share that with the community,” Desireé Curiel told The Sopris Sun. She continued, “We are forever grateful for this beautiful community, as they have wholeheartedly supported us the entire time. It was such a special experience to share our food, our creativity as it came through, but most of all, our family.”
Francisco and Marylu decided to retire from the restaurant business this year and will now be living in Mexico full-time. “It was honestly time for my parents to step away and retire after all these years,” Desireé stated. “They have worked so hard and it was time for a new era in their lives.”
Francisco said that his favorite part of the business was nourishing Carbondale’s community. “It was about the satisfaction of creating food, the essential sustenance that we cannot live without. It was a blessing to participate in this with my family and create and maintain our existence in a delicious way; what a marvelous experience it has been,” he stated.
Despite AXKAWA closing its doors, Desireé shared that catering will still be available under her management. “Our catering operation will continue with our traditional Señor Taco Show and AXKAWA classics. Every now and then, we will add different things based on client needs and we always leave room to explore,” she told The Sopris Sun. “As our catering operation continues, it will leave a little space through which we can maintain our connection to the community. ”
The restaurant space at 46 North 4th Street will not remain empty for very long, however. Bodegón by Domingo Sausage, sharing Argentine cuisine, has already begun moving into the location.
“Bodegón has been great so far,” Desireé Curiel stated. “It was necessary to find someone who has a passion for what they do to come into this space we have created with so much love, creativity and passion.”
She continued, “We are excited to offer them the special space we created and are looking forward to seeing how they transform it into their own. We highly encourage everyone to go experience Bodegón, we know it will be worth it!”
For those inclined toward nostalgia, there is original Señor Taco Show swag available for purchase on the restaurant’s website: www.axkawa.com
For more information on catering, contact Desireé Curiel at deziluna@icloud.com or call 970-319-2421.
Enjoy México, Señor y Señora Taco!