The Surf Lodge, celebrating its 15th anniversary this summer, is a testament to the "if you build it, they will come" mindset that guided Brazilian-born Jayma Cardoso throughout much of her career in hospitality—starting at the coat check. After getting a foot in the door at the coatroom at a buzzy Manhattan restaurant, Cardoso began to rise the ranks through the front of the house, clocking hours as a hostess and bartender. She quickly fell in love with the dynamic world of hospitality, learning everything she could about the restaurant business.
"I've worked every position [in restaurants and bars] except for the kitchen and the DJ booth," Cardoso laughs. With a hunger for more, and a side of some healthy naïveté, Cardoso and her co-bartender Jamie took an entrepreneurial leap of faith by opening up their own bar in the dog-eat-dog world of New York City hospitality. They rented a small garage in the Chelsea neighborhood that would serve as the home for CAIN, their safari-themed club on 27th Street. Following that success, the eager restauranteur went on to open another New York City hotspot, Gold Bar on Broome Street.
