Had Chris Cairns followed his originally chosen path, it is doubtful that he would have graced the shores of the Cayman Islands unless it was with a travelling theatre group.
Chris grew up in Victoria, Canada on Shawnigan Lake. Chris was a country boy at heart, but ended up attending University of Victoria to study and gain his Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts and Theatre. He joined the service industry to pay the bills whilst pursuing his dream. He started working at Ferris’ Oyster Bar and really enjoyed it, which is probably why he stuck around for about three years before realising that pickings were slim for thespians in Victoria. With stage experience under his belt (and a song in his heart) he moved to Vancouver and officially became a professional actor. For over a year he had no need to supplement his acting income. He played every villain in Shakespearean works he could get his hands on – he preferring these roles, to the leading man romantic stuff.
After this rush of jobs things started to get a little quiet so Chris resumed bartending at Steamworks Brew Pub in Vancouver.
The years passed and he began to realise that acting was holding him back from being able to travel as he wished. When audition season came around, no one dared be out of contact or not in town, just in case the phone rang. On one particular day he was filming a commercial for a restaurant chain, was miscast for the part and required to wear barbecue sauce all over his face. Something in him snapped and he walked away from the industry, onto a plane and spent glorious months visiting Southeast Asia and Europe.
When he finally returned to Vancouver his boss mentioned that he knew some people in the Cayman Islands and now Chris had the travelling bug, perhaps he might want to give somewhere new a try? Chris took up the offer and in 2003 he arrived in Grand Cayman. He had a great job at a local restaurant and all was good until he went on a one-month vacation to France on 1 September, 2004. Nine days later Hurricane Ivan hit the Island, severely damaging his place of work and the apartment where he lived. Chris returned to Canada for a while until he could figure out what to do.
One-and-a-half years later Chris returned to Cayman, and he is now working at Bamboo – a top local sushi restaurant with a cosy bar that draws many regulars.
When Chris isn’t serving up delicious cocktails at Bamboo, he is studying at the Cayman Islands Law School. Already in his second year, he hasn’t got much longer to go before he’s a fully-fledged lawyer, ready to perform in a different kind of theatre.
For the time being though, Chris loves his job at Bamboo. He has a great time with all his customers and is given a lot of free reign when it comes to creating marvellous martinis. The sushi is divine, the staff members are fabulous and fun, and he is in one of the most social jobs around.
Stop by, meet this future lawyer and be ‘court-ed’ by his charm. WH