Schaefer’s Wines & Spirits

Emily stepped into the shoes of long time party guy Dan Madden in 2025. Emily lives locally in Wilmette and is often sighted at local rinks as a hockey mom to three. Emily's professional background includes positions at Northwestern University's Kellogg School and NU Athletics. She's here at Schaefer's to help you navigate those big parties and events with stellar Schaefer's customer service.

David’s been an actor, singer, waiter, sommelier, wine & spirits educator, consultant, mixologist and beverage director. He teamed on independent start-up restaurants (Bistrot Zinc & Brio), helmed a division of dining destinations for Lettuce Entertain You (Scoozi!, Antico Posto, Petterino’s & others) and was the Director of Beverage for Levy Restaurants (national operations including venerable venues The Kentucky Derby & U.S. Open). He created Wine Spectator award-winning wine lists and crafted cocktails for restaurants, concerts & industry galas. David has educated & entertained thousands of staff and guests at trainings, wine dinners & events for over 35 years. By turns, gourmand & gourmet, he revels in food, wine & travel in the U.S., Europe and the world. Distance running helps him balance his vices with a little virtuous exercise. David’s true passion is sharing stories and suggestions about wine, spirits & food. His best recommendation: embrace the unknown and be willing to try something new!

Mick’s our Beverage Director. He has responsibility for a full range of beverages, including a strong spirits background from his 25 years of experience. Mick served as the Beverage Director at Blanchard’s Red Lion in Boulder in the late 80’s. In the mid-90’s, he moved to Vail where he was surrounded by renowned chefs at such restaurants as Sweet Basil and Larkspur. It was also at this time that he earned his Sommelier Certificate. In early 2002, Mick moved to Chicago to assist leading operations at Smith and Wollensky Steak House. His passion is to travel the world, eat, drink, meet people and enjoy their stories. Mick’s recent wine travels include Tuscany, Piedmont, California’s Central Coast and Oregon’s “Pinot Camp,” Israel, and northern France.

Eli sees more parties and weddings in a week than most of us see in a lifetime. He’s the head of our delivery department, and he’s the one who makes sure all the libations for your event get there on time and in one piece. Eli might not be the employee who’s been here the longest, but he was the youngest to start. At age 15 he began as a warehouse worker during the 1993 Christmas season.Eli lives in Evanston and enjoys playing basketball and football with friends. We think he also writes poetry, but he won’t show anybody his stuff.

No one who visits our food department comes away without meeting Mary. She likes the fast pace and the camaraderie at Schaefer’s. Customers look to Mary for her ideas and her quick, no-nonsense solutions to their entertaining challenges. Need appetizers for 60 people in an hour? A picnic basket to impress a first date? A hostess gift for an impossible-to-please potential in-law? Let Mary help! She also has a talent for enabling customers to entertain with hassle-free confidence, providing do-it-yourself advice on everything from a wine-and-cheese tasting to helping decipher oddball recipes with hard-to-find ingredients. Mary enjoys cooking on her days off for her family, and spends spare time researching ingredients for special meals. But we all have passions outside our first love, and for Mary it’s fishing. Mary is also our authority on all things Iberian: foods, wines, culture and bullfighting.