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An inviting, comfortable nook in the heart of the Seven Mile strip, Edoardo’s definitely needs to feature on your list of places to go. When you stop by, be sure to order a drink from Nelson Garcia, a Panamanian native with a lot of service experience and a smile that most dentists would envy.
 
Nelson grew up in Panama City and developed a love of languages from an early age. He became fluent in Portuguese, Spanish and English and then diverted his attentions to wine. He took an 18-month Sommelier course, which led to a job in the French restaurant 1985 hailed as the “best of France in Panama” and winner of awards from Wine Spectator Magazine and Britain’s PrivatAir. Nelson worked there for four years before deciding to make a move to the Cayman Islands where his mother’s family lived.
 
He arrived in Grand Cayman in 2000, and was only going to stay for a year. That plan fell by the wayside with his first employment – helping out with the family construction business. Despite enjoying working with the crew there, he still felt the pull of the hospitality industry, and so in 2001 he jumped back in as a barista at a popular coffee shop in George Town.
 
After two years in coffee and gourmet sandwiches, Nelson was ready to go elsewhere. Castaways in Grand Harbour (now The Brickhouse) offered him a position as a server and then bartender. This restaurant was one of the lucky few establishments not to be badly hit by Hurricane Ivan, and so the staff was back at work soon after the storm, serving an eager public desperate for hot food and some sense of normalcy.
 
In 2006 he found himself able to combine work with travel – he trained to become a flight attendant for Cayman Airways, and took to it like a bird to the sky. It allowed him a lot of free time, and so he opened his own art gallery in Treasure Island Resort – the Nelson Gallery. All was going well, but when business slowed down in 2009 he sold the gallery.
 
He began working as a bartender at Edoardo’s in September 2009 and in the past year has found a real second home amongst the managers and staff there. He has built up a regular clientele, but also meets tourists from all countries who stop by for cocktails when the sun goes down. Edoardo’s Lounge has become a popular hotspot for those in the know, and is an excellent venue for booking private functions.
 
For Nelson Garcia, Edoardo’s Lounge offers the perfect combination of wonderful clients and the best group of people with whom he’s ever worked.
 
Stop by Edoardo’s Lounge tonight and step up to the bar. Nelson will be happy to take care of you with a beer, mixed drink and of course, the perfect wine.   WH