Photos by Cesar Lopez, with interviews by Jeri ChadweLL
r e t n u o C
Cultu re
How well do you know your bartenders and baristas?
R
eno’s a town brimming with bars and coffee shops, so there’s no shortage of hangouts from which locals can choose. Perhaps you’ve even got a favorite of your own, a place where you know the person behind the bar and that person knows your favorite drink and how you like it served. But how well do you really know your bartenders and baristas? In the case of photographer Cesar Lopez, the answer to that question is pretty well. Lopez is a man about town—and he pretty much always has his camera in tow. Follow him on Instagram (@delafotoreno), and you’ll see. His account is packed with pics of Reno coffee houses and bars and the folks who frequent them—including the ones slinging drinks. Inspired by Lopez’s photos of these familiar faces, the RN&R set out to get to know a bit more about some of Reno’s baristas and bartenders.
Peter Barnato
The Loving Cup, 188 California Ave. What have you learned about Reno from your vantage point behind the bar? I know everything, I feel like. That’s probably the best possible way to get to know this city, especially locals—depending on where you’re bartending. I’ve always kind of stuck with mostly neighborhood bars. You get to know all of the facets of people—the best of people, the worst of people, myself included.
What should Renoites know about you, about your life and passions when you’re not working? Well, I just love Reno. I had a lot of opportunities to leave, but I wanted to stay in Reno. … I grew up here. My parents were here. And I grew up at the Elks Club. My first job was when I was, like, 9 years
old washing dishes. I am [an Elk now], and my grandpa was. We grew up there, working in the kitchen and setting up for events and stuff. I remember my first experience recognizing what a bar was. After we were done with our dishwashing shift, we’d go over to the bar and Tuffy the bartender, who seemed like he was 100 years old at the time, and he’d serve us drinks and let us sit at the bar when he was cleaning it up. Me and my brother and my cousin pretended we were sitting at the bar like the old boys. I don’t even remember what it was, probably Shirley Temples. I just remember loving that whole culture. Even at that young age, it stuck with me.
“Counter Culture” continued on page 12
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