Antonio & Mary Guerrero

This year’s Hall of Fame honorees are Mary and Antonio Guerrero, owners of El Taller and Cafe Azteca located at 275 Essex Street. The Guerreros represent the heart of Lawrence: Mary, a school teacher, met Antonio an incredible chef in his home of Mexico City, and they have been restaurant owners in the city since 1994. For the past 38 years, Antonio has been enriching our community with his culinary expertise and cultural contributions, beautifully manifested through his dishes. Through El Taller, the Guerreros keep the legacy of the Bread and Roses Strike alive today - not just through their carefully curated bookshelves that hold titles about labor history and the fight for social, racial, education, immigrant, and economic justice, but by creating a community space where every member of Lawrence can gather to learn from one another and break bread together. Whether it’s an open mic night, a local artists’ market, an author reading, or any of the other events hosted at El Taller, the Guerreros have created a unique and important hub of creativity and organizing (the roses), and yes, really amazing food too (the bread).