PORTRAIT( FAR LEFT): COURTESY OF COURTLAND CLUB / NADIA EISA.
GIRL POWER
Laura Ganci and Kayla Campbell shake up the cocktail experience at Courtland Club.
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HERE’ S SO MUCH GIRL POWER happening at Courtland Club in Providence, Laura Ganci and Kayla Campbell could be the Spice Girls. The pair of bartenders create the drink menu at the intimate cocktail bar, restaurant and part-time jazz club. Ganci, the beverage director, handles the day-to-day vision, recipe development and ordering, while head bartender Campbell manages the nightly drink service and guest experience.
Campbell started her career at Courtland Club as a guest. She was a regular and when she overheard Ganci say they were looking for help, she seized the opportunity. At the time, she was working in a cubicle and had weekends available.
Ganci hired her as a host, but she quickly rose to server, and then trained to become a bartender. She was able to leave her day job, working her way up to head bartender.
“ I really adore the people aspect of it,” Campbell says.“ I think that was what drew me to taking this on as a second job in the first place. I was missing the human interaction that I wasn’ t finding sitting at a desk sending emails all day long.”
Ganci is a mentor to Campbell and many of the other team members who want to learn about spirits.“ I jokingly call her my protege. It’ s never an issue for me to start someone from green and teach them whatever it is that I know,” Ganci says.“ And with Kayla, it was so fun to be reminded of what it was like in the beginning.”
70 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY I APRIL 2026