Joseph Maxwell Schroeder started working in restaurants nine years ago and is currently at The Capital Grille in Rosemont, IL. His participation in this year’s Best Sommelier in America will be his first Sommelier competition. Certified through the Court of Master Sommeliers, Maxwell hopes to receive his diploma from the International Sommelier Guild this year.
Maxwell credits his father for much of his success. His advice to his son “if you want to be great at something you have to get obsessed and stay obsessed” is in Maxwell’s thoughts every morning. Maxwell believes passion and humility are two of the most important qualities of a successful sommelier.
Currently reading Boozehound, his usual tastes in books are classics such as Catch 22 and the Confederacy of Dunces.
Maxwell’s most memorable wine service experiences are when he opens a phenomenal bottle for a skeptical table, especially when it is something without a name that as he says, “blows 90 percent of his list out of the water.”