He was the face at the front desk, the host with a warm smile that greeted customers at Leche de Tigre. He carried drinks, opened wine, bussed tables and told stories. He did whatever was needed to elevate customer experience.
Axel Oliva did all that and more. He formed a powerhouse trio with his brothers, Chef Emil Oliva and bar manager Alec Oliva, that brought Michelin and James Beard recognition to a Peruvian cebicheria in Southtown.
Oliva was a dynamic personality with a kind heart before his recent passing at age 31. Friends and family gathered Thursday evening at Porter Loring Mortuary on McCullough Avenue to mourn and celebrate a life cut short for reasons not publicly disclosed. Mourners included chefs and restaurateurs.
“You couldn’t walk into Leche and not see Axel’s huge smile or him dropping off your pisco sours,” said Diego Galicia, co-founder of Michelin-starred Mixtl, which sits one mile from Michelin-recommended Leche de Tigre. “Emil must be sick of me because I always text him before friends and family are headed over. There is a magic there that you can’t replicate. And I think it’s because people don’t go there just for the food but to see them.”
Many came to see Axel, the late general manager who co-founded Leche de Tigre in 2023. To understand his impact, consider the turnout for his memorial service. Mourners filled the main chapel, which has a seating capacity of 250, lined the walls and spilled into the overflow room in the back.
When doors opened for the open casket service at 5 p.m., it took nearly an hour for most people to file in and be seated and for the rest to find spots to stand. More than two dozen people spoke during a three-hour, open mic service. There were tears, touching remembrances, occasional ripples of laughter.
Gerardo Santos, Axel’s best friend since elementary school, recalled a gifted athlete who could dribble between his legs and sink three-point shots as a kid, a fearless adventurer who enjoyed jumping off fences and roofs of houses.
“Axel was a daredevil growing up,” Santos said. “One time he broke his arm. I went over to his house, expecting him to be all sad. But he opened the door and there he was eating chocolate and said, ‘Hey, wanna go jump on the trampoline?’”
Speaker after speaker recalled a charismatic man given to thoughtful gestures. One co-worker recalled dropping out of college, walking the streets, aimlessly, then approaching Axel outside Leche and asking for a job. He got hired.
A second colleague told how Axel gave him a job out of high school at 18. Another, through halting sobs, said, “He gave me a home I can go to when I can’t go to my own home and a family to go to when I can’t go to my own family.”
Axel left a mark on many who were not able to attend his service. Chef Jason Dady told the San Antonio Report that Leche de Tigre is his children’s favorite place to dine. If it were up to them, Dady said, his family would eat there every day. The host at the front desk was part of the appeal.
“Axel was a very sweet and special man,” Dady said. “He was the face at the front of Leche and welcomed everyone with grace and the epitome of hospitality. It’s a tragic loss for our restaurant community. My prayers go to his family through this unimaginable loss.”
Many years ago, Axel tended bar for Chef Andrew Weissman at Signature Restaurant.
“He was a terrific individual,” Weissman said. “I was always happy to see him behind the bar when I would arrive at Signature. His positivity and curiosity was so refreshing. His death has affected so many because of his kindness and light.”
In September, Axel celebrated victory with his brothers at the Fajita Lounge Showdown. There are no Tex-Mex ingredients or skirt steak on their menu. But the Olivas produced the best taco in a strong field of competitors. As Emil noted, the brothers are half Peruvian and half Mexican.
“Winning the Fajita Showdown was really amazing,” Axel told the San Antonio Report last fall. “We went in just to have fun and cook some fajitas with the community, not really thinking we would win. However, we always love to give it our all and I personally love grilling.”
Inside Porter Loring, voices broke and speakers dabbed their eyes with tissues. Lillie Durkee spoke softly through tears. “Axel’s legacy is love,” she said. “He’s the kind of person everyone gravitated to.”
A standing-room only service offered one example. A GoFundMe account offered another. The goal was to raise $12,000. More than $14,000 has come in. Then there was the memorial erected on the Leche de Tigre porch. Loved ones left cards and candles, flowers and photos.
Galicia recalled the time Axel stopped by Mixtli and asked to tend the bar. Request granted. “I was impressed,” Galicia said. “He knew what he was doing.”
A strong friendship formed with Axel and his brothers. So strong that Galicia, a Michelin-starred chef, routinely takes his wife to Leche de Tigre for date nights and other celebrations.
From the front of the chapel, beside colorful flower arrangements, Galicia directed his final remarks to Emil and Alec, dressed in black and seated beside their mother.
“The restaurant community is completely behind you,” Galicia said. “Anything you need, we are here to help. We love you and support you.”
