The Truffle Table Has Closed, Modern Mexican Concept Set to Move In

The Truffle Table says goodbye after a decade in business. Molly Martin

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"We are so proud of our time that we had in the food industry in Denver. We had a great run, and now it's someone else's turn," says Karin Lawler, who operated the Truffle Table at 2556 15th Street for ten years with her husband, Rob.

The couple has lived in the Mile High for over two decades. Both were alums of farm-to-table staple Potager when they purchased a specialty foods store at 2906 East Sixth Avenue in 2007, transforming it into what is now the city's longest-running cheese shop. They added the Truffle Table, a cheese-centric wine bar in LoHi, in 2013.

Four years ago, they sold the Truffle Cheese Shop to longtime managers Joe Schwab and Janet Schaus. (It's now owned by another former employee, Lisa Morris.) The couple also planned to sell the Truffle Table to an employee, but that deal fell through. "It's what brought us back from our travels in 2020," Karin notes. "Thankfully, it brought us back — because then COVID hit, and we would have been stuck overseas. It was a blessing in disguise."

Alma Fonda Fina will open in late 2023.

Alma Fonda Fina

Karin says that she and Rob met chef Johnny Curiel and his wife, Kasie, when they came into the Truffle Table for dinner. "They asked lots of great questions, and they're super-kind people," she recalls. And now they're the new owners of the LoHi space, which they plan to refresh and rebrand as a modern Mexican concept called Alma Fonda Fina.

Set to debut later this year, it will be the chef's first solo restaurant project. His résumé includes working on concepts with restaurateurs such as Troy Guard, Richard Sandoval and Dave Query. "Alma Fonda Fina will showcase chef Curiel's Mexican roots and his immense passion for hospitality," says a statement announcing the news.

Kasie is also an industry vet, with "over a decade of experience as a regional executive, vice president of operations, and vice president of prestigious institutions including the Hillstone Restaurant Group," the statement continues.

"We're excited for them to bring their experience and enthusiasm to the neighborhood," Karin says. Meanwhile, she and Rob are ready for their next chapter. "Rob is an incredible painter," she notes, "and we're planning on just focusing on ourselves and our family for a little while."

Plus, she adds with a laugh, "the restaurant industry is definitely meant for younger people."