Pru Mendez has always enjoyed food and wine, but it wasn’t until three years ago that he decided to transform his passion into a business: He opened Tucos Wine Market and Café on G Street in downtown Davis. Since then, Tucos has thrived, and Pru has cooked for several notable locals and food authorities, including New York Times bestselling author Michael Pollan.

Pru took a few minutes out of his busy work day — “I work from when I wake up to when I go to bed, seven days per week,” he said — to answer a few questions via e-mail about his life as Tucos’ owner.

Though he originally hails from Puerto Rico and grew up in California’s Central Valley, Pru, 45, was living in southern Florida and working in international sales for technology companies when he decided to move back to California to open Tucos. The decision to live in Davis was easy, he said. “I moved to Davis to be closer to family and for the excellent public schools for my two children,” he said, adding that Davis’ “small town life” and proximity to Sacramento and San Francisco are additional bonuses.

“For a long time I was looking to take some money out of the stock market and create something fun that I could enjoy,” explained Pru, who earned his bachelor’s degree in computer science from CSU Hayward. “(A)nd I love food, wine and travel.