Chefs and Restaurants

The Cenotes Served as Sound Inspo at Durham, N.C.'s Aaktun

Liz Grossman

When Chef Oscar Diaz toured the historic building that houses his restaurant/coffee bar Aaktun in Durham, N.C., one thing came to mind. “It was a dark, cavernous space,” he recalls. “I thought, what if we take inspiration from the cenotes of Tulum and make it escapist and hidden?” The other thing about caves? Amazing acoustics. Diaz, a former DJ, and partner Jose Jimenez of the Mezcalito Group Inc...