Part One of a Three-Part Editorial

Last month, the home of the highly popular and successful Taj Aiken restaurant, which is very much open for business, was erroneously listed as an abandoned building by the City of Aiken. Then it wasn’t. This month, the City’s Design Review Board called for a motion in its July 7 meeting to partially demolish the historic Aiken Standard building that has housed the busy Taj Aiken restaurant at 213 Richland Avenue for the past five years. What’s going on here? After 4 years of back and forth by City offices, this question deserves an honest answer. 

Mention the restaurant, Taj Aiken, or the name of its owner, Alokkumar Akse, to anyone in Aiken, and you may hear an outpouring of stories about the generosity and goodwill of this small business owner and his restaurant’s support for the Aiken community.

Most recently, on July 4, 2026, Taj Aiken was in the local news after Mr. Kumar, as he is well known, extended a gesture of appreciation for the hard work and dedication of the Aiken County Sheriff’s Department officers by providing boxed lunches to the search crews working in those earliest hours of the Javeayah Harris tragedy.

Taj Aiken’s boxed lunches have been a staple of many such kind efforts over the years.

In June 2020, Mr. Kumar thanked our local first responders for their selfless service in the pandemic (“epic heroes,” he called them) by delivering “delectable meals” to them at the Aiken Regional Medical Centers. 

There is also that annual Christmas tradition at Taj Aiken, where one day every December since 2021, the Aiken community has been cordially invited to stop by and pick up one of the hundreds of free boxed meals prepared by Taj Aiken. The December 2025 event, in which 550 boxed lunches were given away, was a collaborative effort to raise money for the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle fund. 

There was also that time on October 2024, after Hurricane Helene tore through Aiken and left many without electricity and other essentials for days and weeks. Kumar rose to the occasion by providing free boxed lunches to the general public every day over the course of a week — and with special invitation to “lineman, police, health care and all front line workers who worked tirelessly to bring our lives to normal.”

There was also that time just a few weeks ago, on July 2, when Mr. Kumar visited Aiken’s Teen After School Center. As he described on the Taj Aiken Facebook page:

“Their work in our community is remarkable, and it’s clear that the kids are our future. We were informed that the center needs help from the community to create a dedicated space for students to study and more. While it’s impossible for one person to do everything alone, we firmly believe that together, we can make a difference. Taj is ready to contribute materials to this worthy cause. We appeal to the people of our town to join us in making this a reality. Your donation of materials, money, or skills will be instrumental in bringing this project to fruition.”

If the term “boxed lunches” conjures images of baloney sandwiches and bags of chips, a glance at the photos of the finely prepared, flavorful Indian cuisine in Taj Aiken’s boxes will quickly dispel that. These are some of the same flavors and scents that greet visitors to his restaurant at 213 Richland Ave.

Indian Fare “Kaleidoscopically Seasoned” 

The deliciousness of Taj Aiken’s fare and the artistry of the spices has been the topic of local restaurant reviews at Augusta Magazine, the Aiken Standard newspaper, and online sites from reviewers like Michael Stern, whose superlatives on the food have included magnificent, stunning, and kaleidoscopically seasoned. Stir into this festive place the goodwill of a man like Mr. Kumar, and you might witness people transforming into a community.

This is why his restaurant has been described as “an Aiken institution” and why Alokkumar Aske has been described as “a pillar of the community.” This is also why some 1407 Aiken citizens signed an online petition calling for Mr. Kumar to be presented with a Key to the City in appreciation for his contributions to the Aiken community in the Hurricane Helene recovery, during which he opened his doors, his wallet and his heart to provide over 1900 free boxed lunches to anyone who wanted one. As one lunch recipient wrote on social media, “Taj Aiken was a beacon of light and hope during a very challenging time.”

While many of us know about the large efforts through news headlines and social media, not everyone sees the smaller efforts that commence without fanfare or mention. Councilwoman Diggs witnessed one such incident and described it during a City Council meeting. (More on that in Part Two in this editorial series).

Giving back, it seems, is a way of life for Mr. Kumar.

One might wonder (I did) what compels Mr. Kumar to these acts of generosity and goodwill. I was told by several of the regular patrons to his restaurant that it’s just who he is.

In Mr. Kumar’s own words, speaking at the 5th annual free boxed lunch giveaway in December 2025, he said, “I feel lucky to be able to do this for the people. I thank God for that He gives us something for us to give back. I like the festival. I like the Christmas tradition so we can give back and do something,”

One might also wonder, (I did), why the old Aiken Standard building that has housed Mr. Kumar’s restaurant for the past 5 years was declared “abandoned” last month by the City of Aiken, and why the City’s Design Review Board appears to have voted this past week, against its own preservation ordinance, to approve partial demolition of this historic building. I have asked these questions and come up empty. Perhaps others, reading this story, can make sense of it. 

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NEXT: 

Part Two: The Pascalis footprint from 2022-2025 plus some testimonials from the podium.

Part Three: The events of June and July 2026 as the successful Taj Aiken restaurant at 213 Richland Avenue is listed as abandoned, then not abandoned, then approved for partial demolition.