Meet Your Server: Mackenzie Schneider

Mackenzie Schneider’s day revolves around serving others, whether it’s helping a client feel their best at her acupuncture practice Golden Acupuncture, or presenting diners with a perfectly plated, locally sourced meal at Trixie’s. Photo submitted.

Acupuncturist by day, server by evening, Mackenzie Schneider takes pride in knowing that her day revolves around helping others have their best day possible. Between shifts, she shared a little about keeping pace with one of the busiest seasons the restaurant industry has seen, her passion for sustainable and local food, and what she enjoys doing when she isn’t serving up the perfect wine and food pairings. 

Sara Rae Lancaster (SRL): How long have you been working at Trixie’s?

Mackenzie Scheider (MS): This is my second year at Trixie’s, but I worked two additional years before that at the Wickman House. I’m actually working at both places this year – primarily at Trixie’s, but also once a week at Wickman.

SRL: What do you like most about your job?

MS: At Trixie’s, we’re serving tables, but we’re also doing wine pairings. It’s really fun to help craft a meal for someone that includes wonderful wine with beautiful food options that feature a lot of locally sourced options.
For me, that’s also something that is really important to me. At Trixie’s, we source a huge amount of produce from surrounding farms. And on the wine side of things, they use the same philosophy. It’s really important to be serving items that are thoughtfully and sustainably produced. It’s great to be serving wine and food that are selected and prepared with so much thought and love, and that is really what attracted me to the job.

SRL: Many restaurants have said this has been one of their busiest seasons. What was it like for the team at Trixie’s?

MS: This season has been crazy. [The staff] was joking the other day that everything felt a month ahead this year: May felt like June, June felt like July, and July and August felt like super July. Thankfully, the majority of our guests have been really understanding that we’re a smaller restaurant with a smaller staff and can accommodate only a certain amount of guests at a time.  

SRL: Speaking of the staff, what do you enjoy most about the team?

MS: Well, like I said, it’s a small team. We always have three servers and a manager on, two chefs, and then usually one person dishwashing and helping in the back. We all work really hard. But it’s also a really close-knit team, which makes it fun.  

And with working at Wickman House, too, there is definitely a cool big brother/little sister vibe between the restaurants. There is also a lot of creativity, which is really energizing to work around.

SRL: So you’re working for two different restaurants in the evenings. What do your days look like? 

MS:  I’m actually an acupuncturist as well. I work at my business, Golden Acupuncture, which is with Door County Massage in Egg Harbor, two days a week. And then, in addition to that, I’m a classically trained pianist, so I play for weddings and different events.
I’m really busy, but I also really enjoy what I do. They’re all different, but all centered around people. From acupuncture to serving, I am able to help others, whether that’s helping them feel better physically or just experiencing a really special night out.