She's the high-fiving barista diva that makes you smile every morning.  She may seem like she's all sunshine and sweetness.  But, this actress is on a mission to perfect her craft and make it to the top.  She has promised to let us ride on her coattails when she gets there so it's all good.

Chief Coffee Officer

Chris Schooley, Metropolisís Chief Coffee Officer, comes from a long and proud line of operatic tenors, can labelers, and toothpick manufacturers.  Raised on a farm in Manhattan, Chris discovered coffee at a very young age.  Farm hands wake up with the sun, and Chris knows this probably better than anyone as he is now nocturnal.

Everyone knows when Chris comes into work as he lets out a tremendous Yawp before settling into the day's roasts. Come hear some clatter and chatter and a big boom boom kazoom chez Chris in the roaster's realm.

Scooty-Boots

Khale is Metropolis' first employee and probably the most loved by customers.  This southern gentleman is charming, funny, warm, and quite frankly, handsome to a degree that is nearly overwhelming.  So, stop swooning, pull yourself together, and order already! 

Shana is awake when you are asleep. She usually wakes up at around 1am, pets her 13 lucky cats, then heads over to Metropolis to brew some coffee for your lazy butt. She grew up in a cabin in West Virginia with no running water or electricity, which explains her bizarre fascination with flipping light switches and the Metropolis Property Slip n Slide that we keep out back. She is really, as Emma put it, “an awesome chick”, and we’re damn lucky to have someone like Shana on the crew and not just because she’s awake neither. Shana hates that you are reading this.

Carlos is the Metropolis Productionist. He can usually be found running bean orders in the back of the house, rather than up front like the other baristas. Carlos is an outgoing sort, joking with the staff and customers and basically bringing a little light into everyone’s day.

What Carlos wants you to know about Carlos:
Carlos enjoys fishing, biking, and generally being outdoors. He also wants you to know that after the 911 tragedy, Carlos lost his job at the Art Institute, and had been unemployed for 2 years. Working at Metropolis ended the drought, and now, in Carlos’s words, he is part of what is “just like a hard working family”.

Emma hails from the back country roads of Illinois where, after mastering the simple game of chess, she moved onto the All State Dungeons and Dragons League of Illinois. Clearly, she learned her superior work ethic while milking chickens and feeding cows on her farm.

She’s quiet, but boy can she dance! And, if you ask her nicely, she’ll pull you a tasty shot of espresso. You can now find her behind the counter at our very own Metropolis, drinking chai with a shot of vanilla.

She also wears a great coat. You should really ask to see it sometime.

Jeff is a polyglot and motorcycle enthusiast who has lived on 4 continents. Jeff lived some of his previous lives as the owner of an ESL school, an Indonesian Professor, a Janitor who wore white linen suits, a Peace Corps volunteer, and a scratch golfer. Our master roaster is eccentric, but beautiful coffee is rooted in imbalance, in our opinion.

Tony was a French (Parisian) and Philosophy intern for a year often joining Algerians to ingest foul things and indulge in political and ethical debates about anything. A skateboarder, a southpaw, and a romantic, Tony’s charm stems from having learned to deal with parents with personality twitches. His genuine affection for and curiosity about people from all over the map gives him industrial-strength energy and insight into each and every person’s soul, so watch out, or tell him your problems and conquests. Tony’s drinks are unsurpassed- latte art with many extra touches. His favorite drink is an iced Americano, and a second one to dump over his father’s head. Tony didn’t write this – can you guess who did?

There is a little bit of Bill in every bag of beans at Metropolis. Bill is a rock and rollin' roaster. In addition to his serious coffee skills, Bill is a composer and musician, a DJ, and a big fan of Japanese Animation. He is considerably taller than Lita, though he would never brag about it.

Arlette screams class (with just the right amount of sass). Born under the astrological sign of Juan Valdez, Arlette appreciates all the finer qualities of the ambrosia we call coffee. In her spare time, Arlette ("don't call me Letti!") enjoys fine wine, fine books, fine men, and the color orange. When she isn't at Metropolis, Arlette can be found at Jin Ju snacking on Kim Chee and sipping a Treavortinis. Arlette is more woman than you will ever be.

Eric has a poet’s sensitive soul, and a pirate’s malaise and lust for high-seas adventure. His spirit is contradictory only if you do not know him – to others, he is more of a paradox, where his opposition lives on multiple levels at different times.

This is a gentleman of the pen, and of the sword. Eric’s words can be read on Operation Boldface.

John is the leader of the dojo that chased Kristin from her first latte art competition. He has the iron claw shaped like a portafilter, and will jiggle the table as you are pouring your final rosetta. He maims and murders, and pillages, and scowls all the way to the bank (that he just robbed). You would not like to run into John in a brightly lit espresso bar, and he would not like to run into you.

That’s why we keep him chained up in the back of the store in the production area where he cannot hurt anyone. Anyone except for Carlos. Sorry, Carlos.