By
Vic Poulos
Photography by
Sergio Olivas
A change in lifestyle has led an El Paso wine lover to make a career change, which now offers El Paso one of its finest restaurants – with perhaps the best wine list in the entire City!
Ericsson Nunez, started his career in logistics back in ‘07, moved up the ranks at UPS and then DHL, then later became a business consultant for prominent manufacturing and distribution companies on both sides of the border.
His professional career took him all over the world.
Nunez traveled extensively in the U.S. and Mexico, Europe, Central and South America and even Asia (including a two month stint throughout China and a five year executive term in Guadalajara).
At some point during these globe-trotting adventures, he realized what he enjoyed most in life: hosting friends and family around fine food and wine and the lifestyle that came along with it.
“I’ve been curious about food and wine since my early twenties. The older I got, the easier it became to truly explore food and enjoy wine,” says Nunez.
As with many of us, his “aha!” moment came during the pandemic while living in Guadalajara. He drank lots of wine (of course), but also read Karen MacNeal’s “Wine Bible” and several other wine-centric books, leading him to complete coursework at the Wine & Spirits Education Trust of London shortly thereafter.
Family obligations and a dream for a lifestyle change led Nunez to make his love for wine and hospitality a priority in his life.
During the summer of 2022, he returned to El Paso from Guadalajara, marking the beginning of a dream coming true. After many planning sessions, conversations, and negotiations, that dream became a reality.
By the summer of 2023, Nunez found himself co-owner and general manager of Thyme Restaurant located in the Upper Mesa Hills neighborhood in the heart of West El Paso.
Take a step inside his restaurant and you’ll instantly feel the upscale touches that surround you: floor, chairs, chandeliers, drapes, artwork, silverware and everything in between. You name it, it’s been upgraded. No matter where you sit, your eyes will gravitate towards the curated wine cellar under the staircase which stores over 1,400 bottles at ideal cellaring temperature.
Believe me, you can only stare so much.
Eventually, you’ll order a glass, then a bottle, and the dream goes on and on, deciding then and there what you will order next time.
According to Nunez, all of the changes were made seamlessly over the past year without closing the business (not even for one day). When I asked why he never closed, as it is almost impossible to believe the transformation was accomplished without doing so, he replied, “Well, the restaurant has a 19-year trajectory; closing down and surprising loyalists with a ‘new’ concept seemed intuitively risky at the time, despite everyone else’s opposition. With support from my business partner and help from our wives, I stood by my decision and I opted to make our loyal patrons part of the renovation experience by working overnight on Sundays and Mondays to unveiling the changes on Tuesday mornings.”
In hindsight, it was the right decision, as longtime guests marveled over the evolution of the interior and savored the new menu changes.
“Our regulars were eager to come back and see what was new,” he says.
Seeing the decor today, it’s hard to envision that the space was once a drive-in bank! (If you don’t believe me, go knock on the bulletproof window which serves as a picture frame of the tail end of the Franklin Mountains.)
Over the years and after frequent trips to Napa Valley and wine growing regions in France and Italy, Nunez knew that his love of wine was more than that – it was an obsession.
Nunez wanted a restaurant with a wine list that offered more than the standard three white and three red wines that everyone knows and expects.
Instead, he took his curiosity in wine to a whole different level, proving the adage that “If you do what you love, work will be fun and not just ‘work’.”
Quickly, it became a lifestyle to success.
Thyme Restaurant is fine dining at its best, and the wine cellar and its offerings are a testament to Nunez’s dream and love of all things wine.
While studying for and achieving his WSET 1-3 certifications, he held true to his belief that wine service needs to be constant and of the highest order regardless of the price of the wine.
Thyme Restaurant’s staff are individually trained on the wine list and regularly taste by the glass offerings (and others) to suggest and assist in food pairings. The staff utilizes the finest stemware available, without concern for the price of the wine being poured, nor whether it is by the glass or the bottle. They go a step further and use a specific glass for rose and white wine, another for Bordeaux derived red varietals, another for red and white Burgundy and Nebbiolo, and a champagne flute is always on hand for those special occasions.
Thyme Restaurant offers more than 400 individual wine selections on its list.
The wines range in price from $11 a glass to thousands of dollars a bottle, providing everyone the ability to enjoy a glass, “the proper way!”
Nunez’s stated goals are to create a wine culture at his restaurant, ensure pairings are appropriate, and oversee wines offered that are not only accessible in price but also quality.
Nunez tasted more than 2,000 wines over an eight month period to complete his curated wine list, all tasted and selected personally, not by distributors.
In its first year of operation, Thyme Restaurant is the only Texas restaurant to have sold multiple cases of the world famous Italian wine Masseto. As of June 2024, it has been awarded the Best of Award of Excellence by Wine Spectator Magazine, an accolade few restaurants receive, even after decades of trying.
Located at 5857 N. Mesa St in the Century Plaza, parking is never an issue. Reservations are highly recommended. If you call ahead, you can pre order your wine, have it extra chilled or decanted, and stored in the cellar until you arrive! If you don’t finish your wine, current law allows you to take the remaining wine home for tomorrow, which many wine lovers know: it is often better the day after.
Nunez’s initial belief in the integrity of the wine list has truly been a model for success.
Thyme Restaurant’s wine service, offerings and dedication to improvement in wine education and quality has led this newcomer to El Paso’s restaurant scene to have one of the top wine lists in El Paso.
Eclectic, but wide, deep yet affordable, have become unbeatable combinations for wine lovers in the region. Nunez is currently intrigued by up and coming wine regions such as northern Spain, particularly its white wines and of course Borolo, after a recent trip to Italy.
Let’s toast to Nunez’s lifestyle choice – “it’s about Thyme.”
