In December 2017, Cote Korean Steakhouse in New York City began offering wine classes to employees. The pupils for the course, overseen by director of beverage Victoria James, ran the gamut from dishwashers to managers. Soon it became evident that the classes had become a catalyst for career advancement within the restaurant.
A year later, James, along with Cote wine team members Amy Zhou and Cynthia Cheng, formed the nonprofit Wine Empowered to offer tuition-free education to BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color) students and women. The inaugural semester started in early 2020, but the pandemic abruptly halted the program.
