Why This Civil Engineer Left Her Hometown of Harlem to Pursue a Career as a Sommelier in Portugal

In episode of 10 of Black Broads Abroad, I interview Cha MacCoy. Cha is the Founder of Cha Squared LLC, a consulting company with a focus on tourism, gastronomy, and hospitality experiences, education and training.  In 2012, she achieved her MBA in Italy; an opportunity which led her to drink and eat in close to 20 countries. As an expat, she has fostered wine relations and created experiences in the following wine countries: Italy, Spain, France, USA (California and NY), Chile, Argentina, South Africa, Hungary and now Portugal. Her admiration for wine lead her to study as a wine professional, achieving Certified Sommelier Level with the Court of The Master Sommeliers  and WSET  Level 2 Wine & Spirits Award. McCoy’s recent recognition as the Top 40 Under 40 Tastemakers by Wine Enthusiast and Cherry Bombe 100 Ones to Watch is an honor that she takes very seriously for shinning light on democratizing the wine industry. She is a public speaker, curator and host for intimate wine experiences with a stellar track record of supporting and building with Small Business Owners in gastronomy which ignited her event  THE COMMUNION.  A pop up wine tasting and food pairing experience that led the invitation to prepare the wine menu for the James Beard's House, Thanksgiving Dinner of 2017 and named one of the “NYC’s Vibiest Wine Tastings” by Grubstreet. As a trained engineer, with 10 years plus of Project Manager experience.  Her goal is to bridge her careers to develop better organizational and business performances within wine tourism, hospitality events, restaurant operations, and winery management. She currently divides her time between Lisbon and New York, creating a connection of best practices between the Old and New World of wine for her clients and hospitality communities. To follow Cha's journey, follow her on IG: https://www.instagram.com/cha_squared/ FB:https://www.facebook.com/ChaSquaredLLC/ or visit her website: https://www.chamccoy.com/ For more information about Black Broads Abroad follow https://www.instagram.com/blackbroadsabroad/ or visit the website: https://www.blackbroadsabroad.com/ To support the podcast, become a member @https://www.patreon.com/BLACKBROADSABROAD