Professional Standards of Performance: Application #10
By Richard L. Ratliff
Today’s Issue: Aplomb (Poise Under Pressure)
Scenario: A butler was summoned by the lady of the household to her office. Voice trembling in frustration and anger, she said, “I can’t read these instructions. Even the pictures aren’t in English.”
The lady had just received a mechanical device with a lot of wires and random packages of parts and pieces. It came with instructions, including illustrations. The instructions were written in engineering jargon, an unfamiliar dialect for many of us. And the pictures were small close-ups, hardly recognizable. Although she had not lost her sense of humor, she was indeed troubled and emotionally upset. This situation called for a butler’s calming attitude and demeanor—aplomb.
The Standards: The Professional Standards of Performance state that the “critical attributes” of a butler include being “well composed.” Several other provisions apply in this case, but here I shall focus on the butler’s effort to calm the situation and solve the problem expeditiously with ease and confidence.
Comments and Recommendations: Butlers can take a leaf from Lao Tze, in Tao te Ching. He said that “The best of all [leaders] is but a shadowy presence to his [followers]…. When his task is accomplished and his work done, the people all say, ‘It happened to us naturally.’” Exuberant personality, dashing appearance and behavior, and dazzling performance, however competent or entertaining, attract attention and focus on the butler, when the attention must be on the household members, who are the real stars of this drama. The butler—quietly caring, efficient, effective, and well composed—directs the correct focus on this stage.
Different households can have very different personalities—energetic, active, quiet, orderly and organized, spontaneous, boisterous, diplomatic, confrontational, etc. It is not the butler’s responsibility to join in, as it were, but rather to create a stage and setting where the household can operate at its best, comfortably in character.
So, with appropriate caring and aplomb, the butler attended to the lady of the household, saying, “Sorry for your trouble, Madam. Perhaps I can help. May I also look at the instructions, from the beginning?” Then together, slowly, step by step, they were able to break the engineering code and solve the illustrative puzzles. The process took about 15 minutes. It seemed to happen naturally.
The butler could have taken over the project, too, without bothering the principal further, and should in some cases; but for the lady of the house to truly come out on top, rather than feeling bested by the poor instructions and therefore have less affinity or liking for the related equipment and so invite further trouble with it, allowing her to emerge on top, at cause, is the preferred option.
A complimentary booklet on the standards of service, upon which this column is based, and also written by Professor Ratliff, is available for download in electronic format.
Professor Ratliff is a retired butler who co-authored Volume 1 of Serving the Wealthy and has published three other books and over thirty articles. He can be reached via the Institute.
The Institute is dedicated to raising service standards by broadly disseminating the mindset and superior service expertise of that time-honored, quintessential service provider, the British Butler, updated with modern people skills, and adapted to the needs of modern employers and guests in staffed homes, luxury hotels, resorts, spas, retirement communities, jets, yachts & cruise ships around the world.
Professional Standards of Performance: Application #9
By Richard L. Ratliff
Today’s Issue: The Butler Book and a New Job
Scenario: A newly hired butler is assuming his responsibilities in the home of a well established family in New England, taking over from a butler who is retiring after some thirty years. There is a household staff of six (chef, housekeeper, gardener, chauffeur, lady’s maid, and the butler). On his first day, he is scheduled to take a detailed tour of the home, briefly greet members of the household, and hold a first staff meeting.
QUESTION: Where might the new butler gain the most important information about his new household, as he begins his duties?
Standards: The Professional Performance Standards state that the butler should “make a transition onto staff by first learning the household and job requirements.” The standards also state that the butler should maintain a Butler Book as a household database and reference notes, containing the variety of information required for the day-to-day operation of the household and personal care of household members.
Recommendations: The single most important treasure trove of information is the Butler Book, inherited from the previous butler. The Butler Book is the central data base of information required to operate the house. It will include personal information, idiosyncrasies, etc., on family members and important guests, as well as a detailed calendar, household traditions, special procedures, vendors and service providers, all household operations, a detailed record of important past events, everything that makes this family and household function.
In earlier times, the Butler Book was indeed kept in a large, or several large, notebooks. Today, it is more likely to be contained in a computer database. Regardless of physical form, it will be the small details in these records that will make a big difference in the new butler’s success. If, by chance, there is no such “book,” the new butler’s first major duty will be to create one. The Butler Book is the most important key to success, after his personal competence, integrity, and sense of responsibility.
Several other sources will help this new butler—the head of household and his spouse, the retiring butler—and he will want to meet privately with each staff member. He should take careful notes as he tours the household. But the Butler Book is the source that will make the most difference in his transition onto the job.
A complimentary booklet on the standards of service, upon which this column is based, and also written by Professor Ratliff, is available for download in electronic format.
Professor Ratliff is a retired butler who co-authored Volume 1 of Serving the Wealthy and has published three other books and over thirty articles. He can be reached via the Institute.
The Institute is dedicated to raising service standards by broadly disseminating the mindset and superior service expertise of that time-honored, quintessential service provider, the British Butler, updated with modern people skills, and adapted to the needs of modern employers and guests in staffed homes, luxury hotels, resorts, spas, retirement communities, jets, yachts & cruise ships around the world.
Professional Standards of Performance: Application #9
By Richard L. Ratliff
Today’s Issue: Driving Cars
Scenario: An employer gives an older car to his son, who is heading off to university, and buys a new car for himself—a $425,000 beauty with everything you might expect from such a vehicle. Features included the capability of 160 mph, 0-to-60 in the snap of your fingers and cornering comparable to a fine race car. The butler was instructed to travel to pick up the car from the dealer some 150 miles away and return it for his employer’s use. The butler, well-trained in high performance driving, loved to drive, and the road home was perfect for the temptations you can imagine!
The Standards:The butler has…[responsibility] for the employer’s motor pool. The…duties should be performed promptly and effectively, with meticulous care….
Recommendations: I am reminded of Billy Caraway and his classic 1955 yellow and white Chevrolet Bel Air with tan leather interior and the biggest V8 engine available, with high performance fuel injection. I was a freshman in high school when Billy was a senior, with his magnificent car. He took meticulous care of that fine machine—not a speck of dust ever, not one mile over 3,000 for every oil change, and mechanical perfection. Billy drove his car the slowest of anyone I have ever known. Limousine drivers could have taken lessons from him in smooth driving. He (and his car) received more attention from everyone, including the adults in our community, for his “regal” constraint than any of his friends racing around local roads spinning and gunning their engines. Billy’s car was fast and nimble—yes—but he made that statement at the local track. On the road, he was king, and everyone paid attention. Billy Caraway would have known how to drive home a $425,000 high performance luxury sedan.
Professor Ratliff is a retired butler who co-authored Volume 1 of Serving the Wealthy and has published three other books and over thirty articles. He can be reached via the Institute.
The Institute is dedicated to raising service standards by broadly disseminating the mindset and superior service expertise of that time-honored, quintessential service provider, the British Butler, updated with modern people skills, and adapted to the needs of modern employers and guests in staffed homes, luxury hotels, resorts, spas, retirement communities, jets, yachts & cruise ships around the world.
Professional Standards of Performance: Application #8
By Richard L. Ratliff
Moving House
Scenario: I recently visited a young executive, who had just moved with his family into a new home from a faraway place. Their story was not an entirely happy one. The shipment was delayed in transit. Valuable furniture was lost. The packing boxes had been left unopened by the moving company. Nothing was put away, and the family was fumbling to carry on even basic, normal activities. Plus, the family was understandably tired and stressed from the ordeal.
The Standards: The Butler’s Standards of Professional Practice state the full scope of responsibility for moving a household and suggest the detailed attention required for a successful, and happy, move.
“When managing a house move, the butler may facilitate the move and ease any associated stress for the employer and family…by assuring the following:
Proper administrative preparation
Preparation of the old house
Preparation of the new house
A competent and responsible moving company and security company
A secure and complete move of all household items and valuables, without mishap
Good public relations in the new community
Staff preparation, orientation, and training; and
A suitable welcome and orientation of the family”
Proposed Resolution: When comparing this move with the professional standards, the first, obvious issue is that there was no butler to orchestrate it!
Secondly, a more professional and responsible moving company should have been hired in the first place, for which, see #1 above.
A third improvement would have been to plan and execute the many projects relating to leaving the old estate, preparing the new estate ahead of the arrival of the furnishings and staff, supervising the loading, escorting the moving caravan, and supervising the unloading, to ensure the safety of the household goods.
Checklists help immensely in this regard, and both volumes of Serving the Wealthy contain the many aspects that need to be covered to ensure this evolution progresses smoothly and completely.
Certainly, the move is complete only when the new estate is ready for occupancy—in perfect repair and order, perfectly clean, and functional—and the employers simply walk in and continue their lives without disruption.
Which brings us back to #1: Have a butler on board to take care of the estate!
Professor Ratliff is a retired butler who co-authored Volume 1 of Serving the Wealthy and has published three other books and over thirty articles. He can be reached via the Institute.
The Institute is dedicated to raising service standards by broadly disseminating the mindset and superior service expertise of that time-honored, quintessential service provider, the British Butler, updated with modern people skills, and adapted to the needs of modern employers and guests in staffed homes, luxury hotels, resorts, spas, retirement communities, jets, yachts & cruise ships around the world.
Professional Standards of Performance: Application #6
By Richard L. Ratliff
SmartPhones and Social Media
Scenario: The world of technology, with smartphones in particular and social media shared across the planet in real-time, has impacted our profession greatly. I have been told, “It is easier to text than talk. You can be more honest. Plus, bystanders can’t hear what we are saying.” These points may or may not be true, but social media’s downside is that it can be addictive—interfering with other responsibilities and relationships. On the plus side, personal assistance applications (from instant communications, calendars, scheduling capabilities and note-taking features to directories, Internet access, emergency contacts, etc.), all in remarkably compact form, have been a boon to the modern butler.
The Standards: The Professional Standards of Performance specify that a butler’s first concern is for the members of the household and their guests—their comfort, pleasure, welfare, and security. A butler may have the responsibility for overseeing all household operations. The Standards also state that a butler “should possess and employ all of the office tools, equipment, and hand tools required for his various duties and chores.”
Recommendations: Use the tools as tools: do no let them supplant the real world. The problem of social media addiction is easy to avoid with proper discipline and frankly, a busy-enough schedule. Social media and smartphones offer the butler the opportunity to communicate with, and be reached by, members of the household, staff, vendors, and household guests. But like a chef with his razor-sharp knife, the modern butler must be disciplined in the use of this tool. He must:
Master the personal assistance features;
Master smartphone and social media etiquette;
Leave the phone in his pocket when not in active use toward a productive end.
While butlers were probably fascinated by the prospect of taking calls on the new-fangled telephones a century ago, instead of greeting real bodies at the door—one of their time-honored and accepted roles—they have obviously and similarly embraced the modern telephone in their pocket or wrist. But butlers have performed well for generations without these virtual social media and technologies, relying on face-to-face interactions and slower print media, which are still appropriate and much appreciated today. As we operate in the real world, it would behoove us to stay connected with it by practicing these skills and communication channels, and not disappearing into a virtual world, because one still has to deal with real people, when all is said and done.
Professor Ratliff is a retired butler who co-authored Volume 1 of Serving the Wealthy and has published three other books and over thirty articles. He can be reached via the Institute.
The Institute is dedicated to raising service standards by broadly disseminating the mindset and superior service expertise of that time-honored, quintessential service provider, the British Butler, updated with modern people skills, and adapted to the needs of modern employers and guests in staffed homes, luxury hotels, resorts, spas, retirement communities, jets, yachts & cruise ships around the world.
Professional Standards of Performance: Applications #5
By Richard L. Ratliff
“Butlers and Kitchens and Chefs, Oh My!”
Scenario: Cookery has become something of a glamorous profession in recent years. A growing affluence has promoted a more informed palate for gourmet foods in general and cheffing more specifically, making fine dining more accessible in a growing number of gourmet restaurants and at estates in extraordinary modern kitchens. Well-trained chefs are in high demand and often enjoy celebrity profiles and high pay. Chefs and even the more lowly “cooks” of yesteryear have for generations demanded, and often received, almost carte blanche autocratic control over their domain in the kitchen and pantries. The recent rush of the luxury cuisine industry has only fed the fire, so to speak.
While chefs have become more visible, butlers remain appropriately in the background, but still are ultimately responsible for operations throughout the home, including the kitchen and pantries. Prima donna chefs often resent “interference” in their operations, sometimes waxing temperamental, occasionally even childish.
Most chefs, especially most very good ones, are conscientious, reasonable, and considerate. But some, unfortunately, are not. So, what is a good butler to do when not?
The Standards: The IIMB’s Professional Standards specify that “the chef/cook runs the kitchen while the butler supervises the chef/cook.” The Standards further state that “the chef…is to be treated with the appropriate respect but cannot be allowed to indulge in tyrannical nor abusive behavior.”
Recommendations: The problem is easier to avoid than to fix. If a household is seeking a new chef, the butler may recruit a suitable candidate, being careful from the beginning to search out a well-trained person with people skills and relationship-based management skills, as well as food-preparation skills. The butler may also set forth staff behavior standards, in writing, as well as food related standards and guidelines. The butler might even conduct a brief training session, if necessary, to clarify misconceptions and uncertainties. Performance reviews and staff training would stress food preparation and service, as well as behavior.
When a butler is faced with a situation where a chef who was hired before the butler arrived is misbehaving, it may resolve surprisingly easily by training the chef and other staff in the establishment of a relationship-based operating culture. In more difficult situations, specific and intensive training may be required for the chef alone—in a private, friendly environment. If the chef is incorrigible, it may be necessary to replace him with someone else, but only after consultation with the employer. And the relationship between employer and chef may be so strong that the butler will be rebuffed. In which the case the only tool available is public relations and the use of proper emotional engagement—which would require a training visit from the Institute, as the only providers of such training.
Professor Ratliff is a retired butler who co-authored Volume 1 of Serving the Wealthy and has published three other books and over thirty articles.
The Institute is dedicated to raising service standards by broadly disseminating the mindset and superior service expertise of that time-honored, quintessential service provider, the British Butler, updated with modern people skills, and adapted to the needs of modern employers and guests in staffed homes, luxury hotels, resorts, spas, retirement communities, jets, yachts & cruise ships around the world.
Professional Standards of Performance: Applications #4
by Richard Ratliff
There Is a Limit
Scenario: While seeing to an overnight guest at bedtime, the butler outlined the following day’s buffet breakfast menu for a member of a party visiting for a weekend. The breakfast menu would include a selection of hardboiled eggs, hot cereal (oatmeal or wheat cereal), a selection of cold cereals, toast, whole fruit, and a tropical fruit salad. It was to be served at 7:30 a.m. in the family dining room.
Guest in question: “Those are fine, but I hope it will not be a problem if I might have two eggs Florentine with a light curry sauce and a strawberry smoothie. I so enjoyed that menu when I visited here last spring. Oh, and Michael [the butler], I may have trouble sleeping tonight. Would you please arrange some help—you know, something friendlier, cuddlier, and more entertaining than a pharmaceutical sleep aid?”
The Standards: The Standards state plainly that, “Any guest is a very important person (VIP) and should be treated as such. The household staff [including the butler] should cater to guests’ tastes, preferences, and comfort, consistent with house rules and standards….” The IIMB’s Professional Code of Ethics states that a butler is to “serve…guests as they choose to be served, in keeping with [the butler’s] own moral code and the law [and house rules].” The Code also instructs that a butler must “work toward achieving a strong foundation of mutual respect in [his/her] relationships with…guests…[and] strive for a high standard of…moral integrity…in these relationships…[and] behave respectfully toward…all…guests.”
What to do? As inconvenient as it might be, and as rude as the guest’s untimely request for a significant change in a planned menu, a service-minded butler, in an effort to honor his employer’s friend and guest, might well have eggs Florentine and smoothies added to the breakfast menu—even if it meant a midnight run to an all-night grocery for the makings. The butler would also note in his Butler Book the particular guest’s breakfast preference, a reference for future visits.
On the other hand, there is no requirement (professional or legal) for the butler to arrange a bedding companion for the presumptuous visitor. The butler’s polite, principled, and respectful responses might be something like the following:
As to the eggs and smoothie: “Of course, sir, I do recall how much you liked the eggs Florentine and strawberry smoothie last year.”
As to the bed companion: “I am sorry, sir. As much as I understand your other request, I am unable to provide such service. I do hope you’ll sleep well with the bedding we do provide. Good night.”
If the morally awkward request comes from a permanent member of the household, the butler need not feel obligated to procure such services or do anything else that is illegal or clearly immoral: “I am sorry, much as I would like to oblige you, I am unable to. Unless there is something else you may need now, I shall bid you goodnight, as I have some more things to attend to tonight. Good night, Sir/Madam.”
As a note, some butlers in city hotels, such as Las Vegas, do service such requests in the hope of a sizable show of appreciation; but it is uncertain that any of them make tips quite as large as one of their colleagues, who has been covered in the MBJ previously, who smoothly deflects such requests in the guest’s best interests.
Professor Ratliff is a retired butler who co-authored Volume 1 of Serving the Wealthy and has published three other books and over thirty articles.
The Institute is dedicated to raising service standards by broadly disseminating the mindset and superior service expertise of that time-honored, quintessential service provider, the British Butler, updated with modern people skills, and adapted to the needs of modern employers and guests in staffed homes, luxury hotels, resorts, spas, retirement communities, jets, yachts & cruise ships around the world.
Professional Standards of Performance: Applications #4
Bodily Essence
by Richard Ratliff
Scenario: We need not look far to find a butler neglecting his physical condition—perhaps a little slow of step, taking sick days more often than otherwise needed, not quite up to par many days. Nothing too serious, perhaps, but noticeable. On the other hand, the problem may be more serious, even jeopardizing the butler’s overall performance and the welfare of the household, when the solution may be little more than paying greater attention to good health.
The Professional Standards of Performance: Section II.c of the Standards state that one of the critical attributes of a butler include good levels of “health and energy.” Certainly, butling generally requires long days of mental concentration and physically hard work. It is virtually impossible to sustain the rigors of the profession without excellent bodily and mental health.
Poor health compromises the operation of an employer’s household as well as the butler’s well-being. Good health and energy constitute a professional responsibility.
Health Maintenance Plan: Good health maintenance comprises several components:
A healthy diet. Consume plenty of fruits and vegetables, ample clean water, whole grains, and healthy protein. Avoid excess calories, all harmful chemical additives and drugs, dangerous drugs (from any source), tobacco, and excessive alcohol.
Diligent weight control.
Consistent adequate rest.
Consistent moderate-to-vigorous exercise for at least 30 minutes, three to five days per week. Interval work that alternates longer moderate and shorter vigorous bursts of exercise during a work-out have been found to work well.
An orderly and clean living environment.
Good personal hygiene.
Good personal, family, and professional relationships. Poor relationships have been shown to harm one’s physical and mental health. Healthy relationships have been correlated with a healthier body, longer life, and happiness.
A good health care team.
Good posture (more important than one might think for mental attitude, physical health, as well as professional appearance).
Benefits from a good health maintenance system increase one’s career span, improve job performance, lower medical costs, greatly increase quality of life, and improve mental as well as physical health. There does not appear to be a down side to this aspect of professionalism!
Professor Ratliff is a retired butler who co-authored Volume 1 of Serving the Wealthy and has published three other books and over thirty articles.
The Institute is dedicated to raising service standards by broadly disseminating the mindset and superior service expertise of that time-honored, quintessential service provider, the British Butler, updated with modern people skills, and adapted to the needs of modern employers and guests in staffed homes, luxury hotels, resorts, spas, retirement communities, jets, yachts & cruise ships around the world.”
Professional Standards of Performance: Applications #4
by Professor Richard Ratliff
A Butler’s Wardrobe, Part 2 of 2
Informal/business wear: For most business occasions, a butler would require a conservatively cut, dark, solid-color business suit; an all-white or light blue long-sleeve dress shirt; a dark, solid-color tie (usually black for most suit colors, and dark brown for brown-toned suits); solid-color socks to match the tie, and black or brown Oxfords; and a black or brown belt to match the shoes.
For business occasions, a female butler should wear a tailored dark business suit (with skirt or slacks), a modest white or pastel-color blouse, with conservative necklace and small earrings or studs (no dangling jewelry). Pockets or a small, plain, preferably leather, over-the-shoulder purse may be used to carry the tools necessary for her duties. She should wear black or brown pumps (no more than 2-inch heels) with plain hose.
Day clothes: Today’s male butler has traded in his tails and stripes for modern business attire for his everyday butling duties. The typical modern day clothes include a simple, but well-tailored navy blazer and gray wool slacks with black or brown belt; a white or pastel blue, long-sleeve business shirt; a solid black long tie; black socks and black or dark-brown Oxfords.
Lady butlers may choose either a gray skirt or gray wool slacks. They may wear a white or blue blouse with a conservative necklace and single petite earrings or studs. They should choose plain hose with modest pumps or oxfords. Since purses are awkward for butling, the female butler may wear a dark-color light-weight blazer or jacket, or a dark-color vest with ample pockets.
Leisure wear: For leisure wear, male butlers may typically wear khaki trousers with a belt, dark socks, and Oxfords, sneakers, deck shoes, or hiking boots (depending upon the season and activity). In summer they typically wear polo shirts and in winter long-sleeved flannel shirts and sweaters. Women butlers may substitute a khaki skirt for trousers, and footlets for socks, if preferred.
Sporting attire: The butler should have appropriate sporting attire for those occasions when his or her duties require it. Of course, each specific activity determines what is needed. Choose more conservative styles and colors.
Other attire: Butlers also will require an array of aprons; sleeve covers; several sets of white cotton gloves; and outer wear, consisting of warm leisure gloves, dressy leather gloves, work gloves, a couple of umbrellas, a light windbreaker jacket, a warm leisure winter coat (such as a pea coat or parka), a trench coat for cool and rainy conditions; a dark gray, woolen overcoat for dressy occasions, a warm “barn” coat with large pockets for chores, a wide-brimmed straw hat, a baseball cap, a warm winter hat with ear flaps, ear muffs, a couple of winter scarves, and a pair of rubber overshoes.
Grooming: Of course, impeccable grooming is required for all butlers. Good clothes cannot overcome the negative effects of poor grooming.
General Note: The above suggestions are most applicable to temperate weather zones with four seasons. Adjustments must be made in other climates. The governing principles are to be practical and conservative, and remain in the background.
Professor Ratliff is a retired butler who co-authored Volume 1 of Serving the Wealthy and has published three other books and over thirty articles.
The Institute is dedicated to raising service standards by broadly disseminating the mindset and superior service expertise of that time-honored, quintessential service provider, the British Butler, updated with modern people skills, and adapted to the needs of modern employers and guests in staffed homes, luxury hotels, resorts, spas, retirement communities, jets, yachts & cruise ships around the world.”
The gap between what is promised and what is delivered is not always so visible
You may have noticed the MBJ has a new look—fewer photographs. This is the result of a rather heavy handed enforcement of copyrights by lawyers trolling the Web for improper usage. We had inadvertently used one image that we had thought had been in the public domain. We have no issue with enforcement of copyright—we have, after all, seen such copying of our own material as the entire web site, down to font, color, and commas, by some outfit out of China. It took persistence to have it removed.
More common is the usage of our concepts and text by others in our industry. The most recent example was brought to our attention a couple of days ago, when an affiliate in the Far East asked us to confirm that a training outline from a web site was correct. In checking, we found that this site had copied verbatim from another site, which, in turn, had copied verbatim from our site.
I have brought this up in an earlier Journal: if an individual is so short of ideas and original thought that he or she has to copy the work of others and hide their source, they could at least put some effort into it and use their own words. Simply cutting and pasting betrays a lack of effort and understanding that would neither serve nor impress potential buyers of their services. Those clients won’t know until the copycat arrives on their doorstep and fails to deliver the expected level of service. Then, over time, word spreads and the individual goes out of business. Maybe these people should quit while they are ahead, instead of leaving upset clients in their wake and muddying up the industry.
Along the same line, I need to beat another drum about a similar “quicky impulse” that is degrading our profession. As we have just posted on our home page, our consulting and training rates are the highest in the industry for the simple reason that we believe five-star standards are best served by five-star training. This does not mean exorbitant rates, but it does mean that when we write proposals, they are designed to bring about well-trained butlers who are a credit to their employers. We are happy to bid on, and participate in, projects where this is the understanding and the goal. However, we cannot endorse training of butlers in a day or two just so a certificate can be issued—the butlers know when they have been trained properly, as do their employers and guests. The simple truth is, it is well-trained butlers, not certificates, that provide superior service.
To the majority who understand that the butler profession is principally about quality, not superficial appearances, thank you!
Letters to the Editor
Photo by Janos Feher
I have some reservations about the article in The Guardian that was mentioned in the last MBJ and signed by an unknown ‘Stevens’—a reason to suspect that the article may not be genuine. What is more suspicious is that this reported colleague confuses the duties of a butler with those of a valet and personal assistant. It is true that sometime the three roles can be combined into a wider butler role, but the butler is inevitably attached to an employer’s property, today as in the past, and yet Stevens travels around the whole time with his employer. Stevens concludes that his job ‘hasn’t changed much since the 19th-century, other than the fact I carry two Blackberrys instead of tails.’ The reality is indeed that the job has not changed at all if we talk about the mindset and the tradition: The key difference is probably in the complexity and size of the properties and the number of members of staff we are today called to manage, which has decreased over the last century.” G.L.
Editor Note: Thank you for your observations and thoughts. We are happy to take Stevens at face value—his misnomer could perhaps be ascribed to his lack of formal training, having switched to the profession (obviously quite successfully) from acting.
Butlers in the Media
The White House Butler
Eugene Allen, the butler who worked at the White House in Washington DC under eight presidents from 1952 to 1986, will have his life immortalized in a planned film aptly called The Butler by director Lee Daniels. Oprah Winfrey is in talks about playing the role of Mrs. Allen. The source for the film appears to be Wil Haygood’s A Butler Well Servedby This Election, a story published in a Washington Post edition during 2008. Hopefully, the source will be augmented by enough material for an accurate portrayal. Lee Daniels seems to specialize in macabre movies (The Paperboy and The Precious), so hopefully this one will be a break from his norm.
The Secret Appeal of Downton Abbey
In an article entitled The Secret Appeal of Downton Abbey, the Wall Street Journal explains the popularity of Downton Abbey in the United States as being based on a voyeurism or “pornography of class and hierarchy.” Points good and bad are made, the worst assumption being that happiness depends upon wealth; the worst assertion being that we are all snobs; and the best insight (wonderfully phrased) being, “Downton Abbey portrays a fairy-tale way of life in which butlers and footmen appear far better dressed than today’s billionaires—many of whom, after making their fortune, seem to want to be sartorially indistinguishable from the most sloppily dressed adolescent rebel. The series thus satisfies a secret or vicarious longing for elegance without imposing the hard work that’s necessary to achieve it in reality.”
Placement
Upbeat Household Manager required for family in large estate in Miami. Must speak Spanish to manage the large number of staff.
A PA/Valet for high-profile individual traveling extensively between London, New York, Kuwait, and his yacht.
Email us if you are interested and feel you might qualify.
Cigars, Part II
by Frank Mitchell
Growing Tobacco
It is believed that tobacco may have been cultivated in the Americas as far back as 6,000BC. These days Brazil, China, USA, Turkey and India produce about 2/3rds of the world’s tobacco. Our focus for this instalment will be Cuba, as we are interested in tobacco grown for use in premium cigars, rather than the mass agriculture of cigarette tobacco.
At one point, Greece was the only country in the world dedicating more land to tobacco cultivation than Cuba. This is extraordinary if one considers that Cuba is about the size of Pennsylvania. While Cuba is not ranked in the top ten producers by yield, it certainly is considered one of the best in terms of quality. Both the lower production figures and the high quality of Cuban tobacco may be attributed partly to their use of traditional labour-intensive farming methods. In addition, the climate and soil in certain parts of this country seem almost uniquely suited to growing this crop.
85% of tobacco grown in Cuba is produced by small-scale farmers belonging to the National Association of Small Farmers. Such farmers are historically more productive than the state-owned cooperatives, producing a leaf yield of up to 80% per plant while some state-owned farms manage only 10-20%. For some years now, the Cuban government has been returning land to small farmers in the interests of both higher yields and quality.
The premier tobacco growing regions in Cuba are; Oriente, Remedios, Partidos, Semi-Vuelta, and Vuelta Abajo, with the Vuelta Abajo region generally being regarded as the finest.
Tobacco is part of the nightshade family of plants (Solanaceae), of the genus Nicotiana. There are many types of tobacco, but Cuba mostly grows varieties of Criollo and Corojo. Criollo is considered one of the original Cuban
An old tobacco press in a Connecticut plantation, photo by Words & Images
tobaccos and can be traced back to the time of Columbus. Corojo on the other hand dates back to the 1930’s and was originally used as wrapper leaf, relegating the Criollo leaves to the inside of the cigar. Subsequently, it was found that if Criollo is given the proper care and grown in the shade, it too can make a good wrapper leaf. In the 1990’s Corojo was replaced with a less delicate hybrid, Habana 2000. These days Cuba mostly plants two hybrid strains, Criollo ‘98 which is Blue Mould resistant and Corojo ’99.
The seeds are as fine as ground pepper and are sowed on top of the soil as they need sunlight to germinate. In some countries the seedlings must to be protected from frost by germinating them under glass in the early spring. In warmer climates it is only necessary to cover them with thin cloth to protect them from beetles. Once the seedling is around 8 inches tall, it will be planted out in the fields and may still be grown under muslin tents if shade-grown wrapper leaves are required.
Tobacco is an annual crop and if the planting is done by hand, it will be done after the rain so that the seedlings can be planted in moist soil. This is not necessary when using an automated planting machine, as it waters the hole it makes before planting the seedling.
The plants remain susceptible to water stress and need to be kept in well-drained, moist soil. Tobacco fields are also usually well tended as the plants do not like competing with weeds for water.
Tobacco growers traditionally spoke of the magic sixes – six weeks to germinate, six weeks to grow, six weeks to harvest, six weeks to cure and six weeks to ferment. Obviously the actual timing can be affected by many factors, but the ‘magic sixes’ remain a valid, if somewhat coarse guideline. Unless a farmer wants to collect seed, the plants will be topped as soon as they start forming flowers. This allows the upper leaves to grow larger and thicker than they would otherwise. Soon after topping, axillary buds will begin forming and these buds, called suckers, must also be removed otherwise they will reduce the quality of the tobacco leaf.
Next month we will discuss the harvest, as this is done in stages, different leaves being put to different use.
After the must has undergone the desired fermentation and/or maceration, the drink is ready for the next step, called stabilization, in which the tank is emptied through a large strainer into a container so as to separate the liquid
from the skins and pips. This wine is then transferred into iron or concrete tanks, or wooden barrels where it becomes the best quality wine (compared to lesser-quality wine obtained by pressing the skins and pips again).
At this stage, the wine is allowed to go through malolactic fermentation (as explained in last article) if desired, to have lighter and fresher wines, reducing its acidity and giving more complexity.
From cloudy alcoholic juice to pre-wine
At this stage, the wine is a dark and cloudy drink and the next steps is designed to improve the appearance and taste: this is where the so famous “aging” starts that can last from several months to many years!
Aging begins with racking the wine, which involves naturally clarifying it: low temperatures prompt the sediments to fall to the bottom of the containers, so leaving a clearer drink that is then transferred to a clean receptacle. This, done several times during the aging period, will change the liquid into a more palatable and visually appealing drink.
Red wine can also be filtered through soils, as mentioned in the earlier article on white wine production, so that the resulting drink is an almost completely bright and clear beverage.
The real wine: blending
After the wine is clean and has aged as long as the vintner determines to be necessary, it is ready for blending. What is blending? It’s when different wines (from different varietals and/or after undergoing different fermentations or macerations) are mixed according to a determined percentage of each, to create a unique libation.
This is where oenologists (wine experts) move into action: each year the grapes are different because of different climate conditions, yet all brands like to keep the same taste under the same label year after year. The oenologist takes samples of the wines so that, after tasting, he or she can decide what wines and in what percentage to blend to achieve the desired final red.
Once the percentages are established, they are blended in big tanks and the resulting brew is ready to go through different filters to remove smaller particles, and then through a filtering device after which the wine is ready to be bottled.
Bottling wine, photo by BillBl
With the wine in the bottle, the last step involves inserting an appropriate cork and removing the oxygen from inside to avoid the development of microorganisms and any uncontrolled
Aging wine in bottles, photo by Guttorm Flatab
evolution.
Some wines are, at this point, ready for sale; others will spend a few or many years in the bottle in cellars, far from strong lighting and maintained at constant temperatures. The wine will increase in complexity as it ages, requiring only good care and time.
In the next article, we will toast with a glass of the most famous wine the world over—Champagne.
The Institute is dedicated to raising service standards by broadly disseminating the mindset and skills of that time-honored, quintessential service provider, the British Butler, adapted to the needs of modern employers and guests in staffed homes, luxury hotels, resort, spas, retirement communities, jets, yachts, & cruise ships around the world.
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Professional Standards of Performance: Application #10
Message from the Chairman
by Amer Vargas 
