Patrice Wilson-McHugh has big dreams and even bigger ideas about how to accomplish those dreams. The 30-year-old entrepreneur is Managing Director of Bars to Go Group, a portable bar services company, operating since 2004.
For Wilson-McHugh, who started the company after working at Kingston Hub as a party services manager, dreams really do come true. She fell in love with the intricacies of mixology after a chance encounter with her now mentor, Dale DeGro and the rest, as they say, is history.
Having obtained a Masters in mixology, she is currently an expert mixologist who understands the science behind combining unique ingredients to create the perfect drink. This has undoubtedly propelled her into the big leagues. She’s right up there with some of the best mixologists in the world. “I visited Las Vegas a year after starting Bars to Go and there I met my mentor. It started with me just wanting to know about it. I did a spirits course after leaving Las Vegas and that course gave me a good appreciation for the profession,” she said.
Focused, driven and ambitious, Wilson-McHugh is the quintessential businesswoman who strikes a balance between work and family time. Family, to her, is the most important part of who she is. “I am inspired by my daughter Makayla, my husband, Robert, and his mom, Mazie Henry-Mahubu. They are my biggest cheerleaders,” she said. Having not had a stable home environment while growing up, Wilson-McHugh says she is motivated by her daughter and the desire to give her all that she lacked as a child. “I don’t know what a childhood is about. It was just from one resting spot to another,” she said. “I want to ensure that she enjoys what it’s like to be a child, what it’s like to be a teenager.”
The self-described workaholic has a passion for life. “I love to travel, love to hang out with my girlfriends. My life revolves around my spoilt six year old daughter and my husband,” she said with a laugh. “When I’m not working, I like to travel, see new things. If I’m not travelling, then it’s all about my family.” A Rotarian and the current first Vice President of the Young Entrepreneurs Association of Jamaica (YEA), Wilson-McHugh works along with her husband, who operates Gourmet to Go, the food side of the company. Her mission in life is to revolutionize the bartending/mixology arena in Jamaica. “I want Jamaicans to look at it as a profession. I don’t want people to think of it as just something to do to pay the bills, because it is a career,” she said.
Her advice for young entrepreneurs is simple: “The sky is the limit. If you have a dream, believe in your dream and pursue your dream. I’m living my dream; my job has taken me places, made me seen things I know I wouldn’t see otherwise,” she said. Today, the Bars to Go group includes other companies such as Gourmet to Go, B2G Premium Beverage & Catering Solutions, Bars to Go Training Institute, Bars to Go Supplies and an After Party Cleaning Services company.
Patrice at a glance: “A defi nite “fashionista”, with a style that’s both sassy and trendy. Currently engrossed by Malcolm Gladwell while her IPod fi lls her ears with Alicia Keys, Beyonce and new sensation Lady Gaga. Stilettos are as much a part of her daily routine as her new lifeline, her Blackberry.
Patrice Wilson-McHugh has big dreams and even bigger ideas about how to accomplish those dreams. The 30-year-old entrepreneur is Managing Director 
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