Food and culture go hand in hand in Western Alaska, and a new restaurant in Bethel is bringing new food and new culture to the Yukon Kuskokwim Delta. Mexkimo, which sells classic Mexican dishes, opened its doors last month.
Depending on who you are, if you walk up Fourth Avenue in Bethel you might smell something cooking that is either nostalgically familiar, or brand new. It’s the smell of fresh tortillas cooking inside Bethel’s newest restaurant, Mexkimo. Inside, Joan Beckham sits at a small table eating an asada burrito. She says it reminds her of growing up in New Mexico.
“We eat Mexican food all the time. It’s not necessarily a cuisine, it’s a way of life," said Beckham, who has been in Bethel six years. She says that previously, the only Mexican food she’s been able to have is what she cooks.
“This place fills a big void in my heart for Mexican food. My poor children are like, 'Are we gonna have tacos, enchiladas, anything like that…AGAIN!' Because that’s all I really know how to cook," Beckham said.
The restaurant's name is a combination of the words Mexican and Eskimo, though the food is not. It’s actually more akin to the type of Mexican food served in Texas.
“My grandson was born in Bethel, so I said 'Oh, we’ve got a Mexkimo,'" said Alfred McCabe, part owner of the restaurant. He smiles as he walks from table to table, chatting with customers and making recommendations on what they should try.
McCabe is from Loreto, Texas, and grew up eating Mexican food and speaking Spanish.
“Texas food is different from California food, or any other place for that matter. So I wanted to bring a little taste of that into Alaska," McCabe said.
McCabe and his wife started by making tacos and selling them at Bethel’s Saturday Market. They then bought a food truck, and now they are renting this space from Dimitri’s, a Greek restaurant which is only open in summer.
Back in the kitchen, Margarita Lopez, one of Mexkimo’s chefs, is chopping carrots and cilantro.
“Hola, como estan? Mucho gusto," said Lopez.
Lopez is from El Salvador, and came up to Bethel with her ex-husband, who is from Mexico. She moves quickly from one end of the small kitchen to the other, almost running while cutting, sautéing, and rolling dough into tortilla shapes.
Hispanics make up about 1.5 percent of Bethel's population. Many come for jobs and end up staying like Lopez and her ex-husband. Now she is sharing her cultural knowledge with the region.
Back in the seating area the phone rings; someone is calling to place an order. The owners' daughter and manager, Ashley, answers.
“This is Ashley, how may I help you?" she asks.
Ashley reads the special to the caller and waits for them to decide. Then she laughs playfully; the caller has never had Mexican food before so she makes a recommendation:
“So how about our street tacos, asada street tacos, and… what else is popular? Would you like a plate with rice and beans?" Ashley asked.
Most people in Bethel have probably had Mexican food before, so this might not be anything new for them. But for the people living in villages near Bethel who haven't tried this type of food, this could be a big deal. Or at the very least, a darn good taco.