Nicole and Katherine are both from the Washington DC area and met each other in 2002 while working the Old Ebbitt Grill, a famous downtown DC
restaurant. Nicole moved to Bocas del Toro in 2004 to run the Sunset Grill, an already established restaurant on Isla Carenero, doing both the
managing and cooking.
When her business partner left one year later Katherine moved to Bocas to help run the Sunset Grill. It soon became apparent that having their own restaurant would offer more creative license and independence than working for someone else and they left to find their own space.
They came across the Ultimo Refugio, a long existing Bocas restaurant/bar that had been abandoned by the previous tenants. After signing a lease, putting in a kitchen, and designing a menu they opened in March of 2006.
Both Katherine and Nicole have traveled extensively and worked in various restaurants which expanded their culinary horizons and exposed them to the different styles of cooking that are reflected in their ever-changing menu. The Ultimo Refugio has earned one of the best reputations in Bocas and offers constant surprises to both the chefs and their customers.
