Dining with Haley at Bacar

Haley Guild has done what many say they will but few ever do; she has traveled the world, a woman alone. Backpacking around Europe, with only herself to depend on, she nurtured a growing love of the unknown and constantly pushed herself. Being a sommelier at Bacar challenges her too. Haley says she welcomes working with the extensive wine list.

“ I love the list. We inherited a legacy from Debbie Zacharias and have big shoes to fill,” but it is her casual presence on the floor that engages her clientele. When it comes down to it Haley is as humble as they come. For her, selling wine is not about her ego, “it’s about giving people what they want.” However, there is a dichotomy to what she says, for Haley is passionate about esoteric wines. Using her background in the obscure and unknown she tantalizes her patrons’ palates, but first she must convince them to let her.

“I always try to be myself and give people recommendations based on what I would want to drink,” she says.

Haley’s career path is not one of happenstance. A Bay Area native, she left Northern California to study hospitality and tourism management at San Diego State. After graduation she flew to England for another six months of education at culinary school before donning a backpack and living the low budget venture of a traveler. Upon returning to the United States Haley came back to her roots and took up at A Côté, in Oakland, where wines from outlying regions and arcane varietals take center stage. As a manager she developed her palate and a deep appreciation for the lesser-known wine regions of Europe. Ask her what her favorite region is and her response is Jura, a cool climate area sandwiched between northern Burgundy and Switzerland, and though the answer may be recondite her reasoning is not.

Haley has only ever wanted to work in the hospitality industry, and as such she gravitates toward food friendly wines. The nutty whites of Jura, with their searing acidity, are an exciting compliment to myriad dishes.

It’s easy to see that Haley is passionate about wine. She works the floor at Bacar so that her clientele will grow to appreciate the exotic as she does. For her wine is an experience, an adventure, and one she strives to introduce to every palate.