The Sit-Down      10/31/2008  

Behind the Scenes with Jamie Mulholland of Cain Luxe

Pictured above: Jamie Mulholland at Caine Luxe

Jamie Mulholland. Proprietor of Cain Leisure. Capetown native. Man about town. Husband, and father of two-year-old son, Ocean. Yesterday, Thursday, October 30th, I sat down with Jamie at his 27th Street office to discuss the reincarnation of Cain as Cain Luxe among other things, like his affection for the Montauk locals who at first spurned his boutique hotel/restaurant, The Surf Lodge. Read on to learn more about this nightlife impresario’s passion for his latest venture, and his upcoming projects.

You describe Cain Luxe as “Paris meets South Africa,” but the original Cain was safari-themed too. What exactly is the difference between them?

The original Cain was about South Africa. It was about transporting the guests to a different environment. And it was about the idea of being suspended in this, sort of, tree house. And it was beautiful for its time. But it needed a change and the inspiration for Cain Luxe wasn’t so much about Africa. It was about presenting something that was different, and working on the weaknesses in the old venue.

What were those weaknesses, exactly?

Even though we loved it, I think we went in there and spent a lot of money, but the sound system was mediocre. So we spent a fortune getting the guys who did Cielo, which has the best sound system in New York, in my opinion—well, besides ours, now—to work for us. The elements of Africa [at Cain Luxe] are very subtle, like the elephant tusks around the pillars and the zebra print wrapped around the DJ booth. All the elements have just come together. It’s really about the energy.

Are the tusks as real as the skulls at GoldBar?

[Laughs] The tusks aren’t real. I wouldn’t do that. That’s bloody awful.

Is the troupe of scantily-clad girls part of the energy? Will they be a fixture at the club every night?

Definitely. When Jayma [Cardosa] and I were talking together, we decided we wanted to have our own dance troupe, so we did a very extensive casting process over three months, and they’re incredible. Everyone’s talking about them.

For how much of the evening do they perform?

They do three sets, and when they’re not performing, they’re just hanging around the room.

I know it’s not quite burlesque, but the idea’s a bit The Box, no?

Yeah, it’s got that feel to it, but not quite as dark–definitely decadent, though.

Speaking of decadence, are you at all nervous about opening a new nightclub right now, given the state of the economy? I know they say booze is a recession proof industry, but you never know.

We’re the only ones really spending money to open a new venue right now. I think Jayma and I are comfortable in our product. Now more than ever, people want to escape from reality. Their lives are miserable. They’re stressed. And we just want to provide an escape route during this time.

Can I ask what makes you so certain that 27th St will be hot again?

We’ve had a lot of opportunities to do a lot of things. For Jayma and I, it’s always been a question of what makes us passionate. We did Montauk, which was way out there. Everybody thought we were bloody crazy, but we just felt it. We felt it was special. We looked at Cain and other venues–and, believe me, we thought long and hard about it, because 27th Street is such a shit show–but over the last year, it’s become less and less crowded. And it’s a beautiful venue, man. It’s 5,000 square feet. It’s the perfect size. The perfect shape.

In terms of The Surf Lodge, what was your feeling about the backlash from Montauk locals–particularly the ones reportedly riding around with bumper stickers like “Dodge the Lodge” and “Mistake by the Lake”?

It was awesome. It reminded me of home. I come from a big surfing community in Capetown, and locals-only is the whole thought process down there. So I can understand it. Montauk’s a protected village. It’s like its own little world.

So you didn’t feel bad about invading their territory?

No, we definitely went in there very humbly. We hired a lot of local people and we tried not to shake the roots too much, but, unfortunately when you’ve got 500 cars parked on the street, people are going to get pissed off. And I understand it. I think in the end all the locals started to come around because we added something a bit special.

There are rumors about Sam Talbot starting a new restaurant in Chelsea. Do you know anything about that?

I know a little bit about it. I don’t know about Chelsea, but there’s something in the works for sure that’s affiliated with our company.

Care to enlighten me any further?

No, but I’ll give you an A for trying.

So, what’s next for you?

We have a venue in New York we’re working on. Something that’s pretty firm. And we’ve signed a three venue deal in Dubai. One of them’s going to be Cain, and the other two are going to be brand new concepts. One on The World island. And one on The Palm island. It’s mad, man.

I hope they don’t run out of oil over there.

[Laughs] C’mon, let’s do a walk-through.

Sounds good.

-Melanie Berliet

Comments

4 Responses to “Behind the Scenes with Jamie Mulholland of Cain Luxe”

  1. Hector on February 14th, 2009 1:23 am

    Jamie is a scam. I heard from Ann, his new secretary that he transfer fund from Surf Lodge account to another. Even his partners don’t even trust him.

  2. Sarah on February 14th, 2009 5:29 pm

    Love the look of the new venue. The Cane guys really done well to keep the club strong on 27th street for so long and now to reinvent it during this economy. Always enjoyed the venue. Well done!

  3. slickrick44 on February 14th, 2009 5:37 pm

    I have been searching for this interview! So glad I found it
    First off let me say as a fixture in the NY nightlife scene for years I must say (especially in reponse to Hector) Jamie is definitly one of the best additions the NY scene has had in years and I am certain he will keep surprising us with new ideas .He retains the utmost respect from his employees as well as his business partners (every one of them) all along while treating them as if he has known them for years.
    So that being said now that the negativity is gone…Cain Luxe rocks and I can’t wait to visit The surf lodge again this summer!!!!!

  4. phillipinequeen on February 14th, 2009 6:17 pm

    Actually going over to Cain Luxe tonight!I always have fun there!!!!

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