Featured Story

The Work We Do: Edward Cassidy, A Lure Chowder House & Oysteria

Brought to you by:

My name’s Edward Cassidy. I’m a bartender at A Lure Chowder House & Oysteria in Southold at the Port of Egypt.

Been working two seasons here. Last year was my first year and this is my second season. Season goes from March to October.

I’m actually from the middle of Long Island and I’ve been out in Flanders for two years. I love it.

I roll in about an hour before we open. I get the ice, I get the fruit, I cut the fruit, I get the wine set up, I get the drinks set up, I get the juices made — everything, fruit — whatever it takes to prepare stuff for the job.

When I was going to school, somebody said you can make some good money quick. I became a bar-back. From bar-back, I became a bartender. It’s a great job on the weekends, and then I could go to school during the week and not have to worry about money.

It actually took me around the world. I bartended in Hawaii, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Orlando, South Beach, Atlanta. It took me around the country. It’s a nice job to be around, traveling all over the place. I’m a personable person. So I’m not a shy guy to sit back and sit at a desk all day and do nothing. I like to have a good time, I like to make people laugh, I like to converse with people from all over the place.

I started off in night clubs. Night clubs are late nights, you get home at 5 or 6 in the morning. Here at A Lure, it’s a nice restaurant. The owner is a really good guy, the management is really nice. I get out at 11 o’clock as opposed to late nights. The money is just as good. I like the people, the food, and it’s more of a fine-dining restaurant.

For me, if I got a full bar of customers, I work from one end right down the other. I get the whole drink order in my head, I come right to the station and I pull the drinks right out, and I get like eight or nine drinks lined up and I pour ’em right out.

We got a lot of customers that keep coming back every week. Some customers have been here last year and I’ve made a good rapport with a lot of people, so.

I’m actually also a professional musician in the city. I’m a pianist. It was always good when I couldn’t get music work, it was always a good job to fall back on bartending.

Look where I am. I’m on the water. It’s beautiful. The view is great all summer long. Who could beat it? Eastern Long Island, the North Fork? It’s beautiful.

Just come on down and see me. I’ll pour you a good drink.

“The Work We Do” is a Suffolk Times multimedia project profiling workers on the North Fork.