When we opened our doors on January 12, 2007 we thought we might have a few customers, a nice quiet wine bar, and perhaps be a respectable addition to Rancho Bernardo. We have far exceeded our wildest expectations and we can say nothing but Thank You! We continue to be the talk of the town and all the thanks we give to our guests, our supporters, and the TBR team.
Zak and his wife Pavlina live in San Diego on the outskirts of Poway with their two rescue dogs Pinot and Kozmo. Zak works for a national distributor of security products as their controller and in his “free time” works to improve The Barrel Room, hockey, cycling, running, and spending time with loved ones. Zak and Pavlina are proud Uncle and Aunt to Tyler Higson and Kylee Gail Higson. Pavlina is currently working towards her dental hygiene degree and will be graduating in 2011.
Zak has over 10 years in the wine industry and spends much of his time looking for new wines, working on new dishes at The Barrel Room, numerous charity events, everything financially related, and is involved in most everything that makes up TBR.
Grant has over ten years of wine industry experience and comes from a restaurant family. He has lived in Rancho Bernardo since 1993 and graduated from Rancho Bernardo High School in 1996, later obtaining a bachelors degree from San Diego State in business and an MBA from the University of Phoenix. Grant spends countless hours researching and seeking new wines to keep our wine list fresh and exciting and conducts many of our Sunday wine tastings for our guests. He has been happily married to his wife Beth for since 2005. They welcomed their daughter Mia in 2009.
Nate is a 13 year veteran in the restaurant business that really enjoys his family, consisting of his beautiful wife Courtney, his son Tyler and Daughter Kylee. When he’s not having fun at work or enjoying family time Nate enjoys the occasional round of golf and loves playing hockey. A Rancho Bernardo high school graduate that has lived in North County since the early 1990′s and really loves making The Barrel Room a fun place for his friends and neighbors.
O’Neill brings over ten years of management experience from both the restaurant and telecommunications industries. He handles the daytime operations, including vendor relations, human resources, and the accounting for The Barrel Room. When O’Neill is not spending his time managing The Barrel Room, he likes to stay active by playing golf, softball and other competitive sports. He’s a big fan of the Padres and Chargers and enjoys the few times the teams do well.
Marc was born and raised in France (Clermont Ferrand) in Auvergne state where he graduated from three years of culinary school at L’Ecole Hotelliere de la Chaise Dieu under Chef Alexis Cartal in 1989. Marc also served in the French military under Major Executive Chef Ouvry. Marc brings over 18 years of experience to The Barrel Room and specializes in various types of cuisines including Mediterranean, Tropical, European and fine dining.
Jim has been on the team since TBR opened in January, 2007 and is TBR’s Director of Wine and Marketing. Jim and his wife Nicki live in RB and enjoy time with their children, three grandsons and Mousse, their chocolate lab.
Open Daily at 11:30am!* Please note that our closing times may vary based on on business volume. If it’s getting late, please call ahead.
All seating for The Barrel Room is first-come, first-served unless you would like to book a very large party for a private event or work meeting, please call – (858) 673-7512
