Brookfield Eatery Hopes You'll Come For The Tacos, Stay For The Art

BROOKFIELD, CT — The owner of a new Mexican restaurant in Brookfield is turning over his wall space to local artists

El Mexicana Tacos & Cantina has been in business since March 31, taking over the space at 483 Federal Road from Franco's, an Italian restaurant. Owner and operator Arturo Hernandez said his guest list has been growing slowly, aided considerably by the popularity of the eatery's fish tacos.

Hernandez said he is a patron of the arts and sympathetic to those with no place to show off their work.

"I mean, not everybody has access to a gallery," he told Patch

But El Mexicana had plenty of wall space going to waste. Hernandez said he put the word out on Facebook, and local painters have been blowing up his DM ever since.

The first artist to have her work displayed was Katushka Millones. Originally from Lima, Peru, the oil and mixed-media artist has been living in Brookfield for 22 years. Drawing much of her inspiration from the natural world, Milones and her easel are common sights in the parks and even along the sidewalks in town.

A member of the Ridgefield Artists Guild and Kent Artists Association, Milones' work is a mainstay in area galleries, libraries, and even government buildings. She said that having her work exhibited at El Mexicana was less about self-promotion, and more an opportunity to show the world that "Brookfield has talent."

She tutors "school kids who are really into art" and saw this as a chance to make a real-world, inspirational connection between working artists and the artwork all around them.

"I want Brookfield to know that we have such talent around us," she said.

Next stop? Salsa.

Hernandez described his restaurant's partnership with local arts as a "win-win" for all concerned. The artists light on gallery space, the new restaurant looking to create a unique identity, and the community all come out ahead.

At another of his restaurants, Senor Pancho's in Middlebury, Hernandez said he plans to introduce salsa classes.

"And if it works, I may start doing salsa classes here in Brookfield."

Previous promotions at Senor Pancho's have included special 4-course Puerto Rican cuisine meals, and paint nights where patrons are given brushes and an art class along with their knives and forks.

"We are in the entertainment business," Hernandez explained. "So we try to come up with ideas of ways people can have fun at our place."