Berlin, Germany With Greg Casella

Where Do Gays Retire Podcast

Greg Casella grew up in Chicago and moved to San Jose, CA (Silicon Valley) when he was 25 years old. Working in the Tech industry for a few years his dream was always to open a restaurant, having worked in restaurants growing up from the age of 13!

In 1992 he started an Off-Premise Catering business in Silicon Valley, the next best thing to having a restaurant. He was actually on unemployment when he started the business with no capital, but built it into one of the largest LGBTQ Businesses in the San Francisco Bay Area by the time he sold it in 2019.

His business catered about 80% Corporate events and the rest weddings and social events. By the time he left the business, he had 70 full-time staff, 3 cafes, and a regular client that he catered for 20,000 guests at one time multiple years in a row!

In 2016 he had a therapist, doctor, and mentor all say to him “It sounds like you need a vacation.” Having been intrigued with the city of Berlin for many years he first visited the city in 2007 and kept visiting every couple of years running the Berlin Marathon three times. So he decided that vacation would be a 3-month sabbatical from work and he would go to Berlin to experience more of the city and culture and travel around Europe.

Once in Berlin he connected with a community there and fell more in love with the city and the people. After the sabbatical, for the next couple of years, he started stepping back from his business a bit and would travel to Berlin for a month at a time and work remotely, letting some of his managers handle the day-to-day operations.

At the same time in 2016, he celebrated being with his husband for 30 years, but at the same time, the relationship was changing. He was actively looking for an apartment in Silicon Valley to be on his own and soon realized that he could rent an apartment in Berlin and fly back and forth every couple of months for less than renting an apartment in the Valley, so that is how he ended up in Berlin.

In 2018 on one trip back to California and work his General Manager said “When you are ready to sell the business I want to buy it”, his immediate answer was YES. Although he loved working and building the business, mentoring staff, and thought he would be working till he was 100, it seemed like the right thing to do at the time.

So at the end of 2018, he sold the business, bought an apartment in Berlin, and now resides there about 80% of the year.
· Berlin is the capital and largest city in Germany, with a population of over 3.7 million people. It has a rich history, and vibrant culture, and is known for its progressive attitudes toward LGBTQ+ rights.

· Here are some of the highlights of why Berlin could be a great place for LGBTQ+ retirees:

· LGBTQ+ Scene: Berlin is famous for its diverse and inclusive LGBTQ+ scene, which includes everything from bars and clubs to community centers and events. The city has a long history of LGBTQ+ activism and is home to one of the world's largest pride parades, Christopher Street Day, which takes place every June.

· Cultural Offe

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