Fuqua: It’s cool. There are a lot of wine bars here, but it kind of works to my advantage because Biron is unique among the many. I don’t think I could do this in a city where there wasn’t already plenty of normal wine bars to pick from. I mean this bar is in an alley. It’s way off the beaten path, so it attracts a different set of people than your usual wine bar. Most wine bars are designed for people who read about and collect wine, but Biron has become popular with people like me, restaurant people.

SFBG: Was that on purpose?
Fuqua: Well, after working as a cook for years, I wanted a place where I could socialize with other cooks and restaurant types, but not have to serve people while I was doing it. This place was like that right from the start, but it was more of an art gallery with wine as opposed to a wine bar that showed art, which is what Biron is now. When I took over, I wanted to keep the relaxed vibe, but I wanted better wine. Biron has become popular with people who know about wine from working in the restaurant industry rather than with people who know about wine from living a life of luxury. Cooks, waiters, bartenders, wine directors. Those are my people and I run this place with them in mind.

SFBG: Yeah, I think that’s why I like it so much here. It just seems so unpretentious. I mean, I don’t think there’s any other place in the city where you can sip Tecate from a can as you snack on cheeses with names you can’t pronounce.
Fuqua: Well, working in restaurants, especially as a cook, is strange. It’s sort of an underpaid and under appreciated job, so the people who do it will always have a taste for stuff like beer and liquor, but they develop higher-end tastes too. Most of the cooks I know, for example, seem like straightforward beer and liquor people, but they all know about wine. Biron sort of mirrors that lifestyle. It’s a place where two worlds meet and I think it works because I run it. I’m a beer guy as much as I am a wine guy. I mean, I can be a snob about wine, but at the end of the day its just wine. Restaurant people understand that way of thinking.

SFBG: Is that who hangs out here mostly then, restaurant people?
Fuqua: Definitely. We were at full capacity at 2:00 am last night and I would say 98% of the people hanging out were sommeliers and bartenders and waiters. They like to come here to enjoy the stuff they make and serve all day without the pretense and without having to be fake. Of course, they still have to pay for it.

SFBG: Yeah, I know what you mean. I have so many waiter friends who are broke as shit. But they still go out to the best restaurants and they always have the best wines.
Fuqua: Ha! Yeah, that’s another unique thing about working in restaurants. You get all these poor people with really fancy tastes. Like they’ll be living in a crappy studio apartment with no heat. They don’t have any insurance. But still, they won’t think twice about spending half their night’s tips on a good bottle of wine. I’m the same way man. Obviously, I love a good bottle of wine.

SFBG: That brings up something I’ve been curious about. When it comes to wine, it seems like 80% of it is bullshit. I mean, is the expensive stuff really that much better than the cheap stuff? Can you tell the difference between a cab and a pinot? I serve wine at my side job and I know I can’t.

Fuqua: Oh dude, I can definitely tell a cab from a pinot! But I know what you mean. There’s a certain amount of showmanship involved in the world of wine, but after a while you develop a sense for its complexity. There’s this guy who hangs out here all the time, one of the top sommeliers in San Francisco who worked at Rubicon for years. Whenever he comes in I’ll pour him a glass of wine to see if he can identify it blind. You can say it’s all bullshit, but he almost always nails it. I can’t always do that, but you really do develop a sense for the diversity of flavors in wine after a while.

SFBG: Did you have to take classes?
Fuqua: Well, I took a few classes back in Vermont, but I think most people in the restaurant industry just sort of pick it up from being around it so much. I also do monthly tastings and probably spend about four hours a week tasting and studying wine.

SFBG: Would you call yourself a wine snob, then?
Fuqua: I love wine; don’t get me wrong. But I dislike it at the same time. So yes, I can be snobby about it, but I don’t consider myself a wine snob. Like, the other day I got to enjoy a ’66 Rothschild. That’s like an $1800 bottle of wine. I mean it was beautiful. It was great. But come on dude; that’s a pretty insane price for some wine. That’s not what I’m all about. Biron caters to people who would feel the same way about that experience. Sommeliers and wine directors appreciate wine, but they don’t take it too seriously. I mean it’s not a joke; it’s our livelihood. So let’s talk about it and study it. But at the end of the day, dude, let’s just drink.

SFBG: So what about you? Do you hang out in wine bars?
Fuqua: Ha! No, not really. I think I would, but because I work in a wine bar, I wind up spending a lot of time tasting and talking about wine. At the end of the day, I kind of want to remove myself from the scene. I hang out at The Dovre and Zeitgeist a lot. I went The Argus the other night and then ended up at The Phoenix because it’s close to my house. I’m always really busy so I tend to hang out at bars I can stumble home from.

SFBG:Any last words?
Fuqua: I'd really like to thank all the awesome people who've worked at Biron in the past and everyone who works here now. They've really helped make up for my weakness as an owner and manager. Seriously, man, without them none of this would be possible. I'd probably still be a cook. Not that that would be a bad thing; I still miss it sometimes.