Barrel Thief was founded by two life-long best friends Ross and Ned (see Our Story). But a staff of two is just not enough. So, they went out and found some great people to help out. And here they are....

Emily Palley is a native of Denver, Colorado, but has lived in Richmond's Historic Church Hill for four years. After studying biochemistry at Virginia Commonwealth University, Emily started her cooking career as a student at J. Sargeant Reynolds School of Culinary Arts. She continues to study culinary arts with the University of Richmond. Emily has cooked with several Richmond landmark restaurants before joining the staff of Barrel Thief. Her food is influenced by Tapas style cuisines of the Mediterranean, more specifically Spain and Morocco, and fuses Asian flavors into many of her dishes. Emily believes strongly in supporting the local food economy, and takes pride in utilizing the wonderful products that Virginia farmers have to offer. Using innovative approaches to mixing simple and intriguing flavors, she creates weekly specials to pair with Barrel Thief's amazing wine selections.

After spending two years in the wine business in northern California, Booth has made his way back east to join the team here at Barrel Thief. When not drinking Muscadet, you can find Booth playing the drums for The Vinyl Skyway. The band's site is www.vinylskyway.com.

A gyspy at heart, the ever changing world of wine is a suitable travel companion for me and not one I expected to find. Three years in the service industry have blessed me with a passion for food and an increasing wanderlust to explore wine. I find leaving to be easy. But Barrel Thief, with all the world's wines flowing through it, is a wonderful place to stand still for a bit. Think I'll stay awhile...