A longtime staple of the Front Range's Mexican food scene will soon serve its last taco.
Comida is preparing to close at The Stanley Marketplace in Aurora (2501 Dallas St., Unit 140) after eight years, according to posts on social media. Its last service will be brunch on Sept. 22.
The closing marks the end of an era for both Comida, which started as a food truck in 2010 and grew to three brick-and-mortar stores at its height, and for its owner Rayme Rossello. The Stanley Marketplace restaurant has been Comida's last-standing location since 2019. In the closing announcement, Rossello said she is leaving the industry altogether.
"[M]y time is up. After over 35 years in the restaurant business, I am saying thank you and peace out," the post said. "This decision was not made lightly, and is one I have been working towards for the last few years if I am honest. I am grateful to the people in my life that told me it was ok to take this step. It feels terrifying and also freeing. So I imagine I am doing the right thing."
Reached by email, Rossello confirmed there will be "No more catering ... no more food truck ... no more cooking ... no more restauranting" in her future. She is considering writing a cookbook so fans can make popular items like the Sombra Shrooms and Situation tacos again.
"But other than that, no mas Comida para mi," she said.
Comida first rolled onto the culinary scene in a bright pink food truck named Tina, which served Mexican street food to hungry locals in and around Boulder. Rossello was previously co-owner of regional chain Proto's Pizzeria and pivoted to street eats inspired by trips to see her mother in Mexico, she told 5280 Magazine.
The concept was a hit, and Comida opened its first permanent restaurant in Longmont in 2012. The next year, it was one of the founding tenants at Denver's The Source food hall and, by 2016, operated a third location within Stanley Marketplace. The tacos and bar snacks were widely popular and Comida earned local accolades for them.
All three restaurants were open concurrently only for a short time, however. In 2017, Rossello closed the Longmont location after it pulled in less traffic and revenue than the other spots, The Denver Post reported at the time. In 2019, the location within The Source also shuttered.
Rossello said her next chapter starts with taking some downtime to be with her husband, "rearrange my sock drawer, look at the mountains, (and) stretch." Then, she plans to launch a property management business in Boulder County called Rayme's Home Management and Concierge Services.
"I am so grateful to all the taco lovers and friends that have supported us over the years. Of all the places they could have gone day in and day out, they found their way to us, so many times," Rossello said.