Paul Carayas, GM/Wine Director of San Francisco’s Saison Cellar & Wine Bar, is an arbiter of affordable luxury
With close to 30 years of industry experience, Paul Carayas, general
manager and wine director of San Francisco’s Saison Cellar & Wine
Bar, exemplifies leadership and hospitality, defying the stereotypes of snobbery that are often associated with the sommelier profession.
Although he has studied with the Court of Master Sommeliers, Carayas credits astute mentorship and self education as the driving forces behind his obsession with wine. His success, however, could also be attributed in part to values he acquired early in life.
as the driving force behind his obsession with wine.
Early leardership roles
By the age of 15—when most teenagers would be relegated to jobs like bussing tables and washing dishes—he was working as a host in the small town of Surprise, Arizona. He credits the fact that he had the maturity and people skills to succeed in that role to the years he spent participating in the Boy Scouts of America. “I became an Eagle Scout when I was 13”—just 5–7% of Scouts earn that rank by age 18—“and by that time, I already had leadership and public speaking experience through scouting.” It’s clear the earnestness and grace that radiate through his professional comportment began there.
After attending Arizona State University to study business management, Carayas went to the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he credits the release of the movie Sideways in 2004 for sparking his interest in the Pinot Noirs of Santa Ynez. “
At the time, all my friends were getting into wine, and it was then that I began tasting on regular basis,” he recalls. It was his move to San Francisco in 2008 that cemented his career in wine. There, he joined Jesse Ziff Cool at Flea Street Café. “Jesse has been a part of the Slow Food movement for decades, and she puts a lot of emphasis on place
and producers,” he notes.
He was mentored by Flea Street’s wine buyer, who taught him how to taste with sales representatives and to sell wine, and eventually became the restaurant’s wine and beverage director.
Not long after, he began a leadership role managing the wine program at the one-MICHELIN-starred Chez TJ in Mountain View where he increased profitability by curating pairings of older vintages, adding Coravin pours, and building a full bar program.
When his nine-year tenure at Chez TJ came to a close, Carayas spent a month in Bourgogne, where he attended the annual Grands Jours de Bourgogne. There, he spent time tasting with restaurateur Mark Bright and returned last August to open Saison Cellar & Wine Bar in
the former Les Clos and Petit Marlowe spaces under Bright’s
leadership.
For the newest concept in the portfolio of Saison Hospitality, which operates the MICHELIN-starred Saison and Angler restaurants as well as Saison Winery, Carayas expertly oversees the by-the-glass and
bottle lists, designed to complement a light menu offered at prices he describes as “affordable luxury.” As he puts it, “We’re a taste of the MICHELIN experience without the MICHELIN bill.
Hours:
Monday – Thursday: 3:00pm – 10:00pm
Happy Hour: 3:00pm – 6:00pm
Friday & Saturday: 2:00pm – 10:00pm
Happy Hour: 2:00pm – 5:00pm
$1.50 Oysters: 4:00pm – 5:00pm
Members Cellar: 228 Townsend St. San Francisco, CA 94107
Wine Bar: 234 Townsend St. San Francisco, CA 94107
Saison Cellar offers rare and highly coveted wines from around the world.
Event space, luxury wine storage, cellar memberships are also offered by Saison Hospitality co-founder and Saison Winey winemaker Mark Bright.