When one is confronted by other people, such as employers, colleagues, family members, or even an entire environment, that are hostile to one’s general welfare and success, the feeling of helplessness and despondency can be overwhelming. This is certainly something one can experience as a butler in the workplace and, these days, even in life in general. It helps to know that there is something one can do about it. Simply find one little thing one can do toward that hostile person or environment to push back…

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A welcome change for the butler profession to be in the background again in the media—just one mention of butlers this past month, and this applying to bathroom accessories that some bright spark decided to call a Bathroom Butler...

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Several subjects were brought up this month:

“It is always so exciting to see the monthly newsletter in my inbox. First, I wanted to congratulate you and your colleagues on the fantastic news regarding the Alliance of Professional Butler Trainers. By adding merit to the continuous efforts to advance the skillset of the Modern Butler, it ensures great service to the Principals—I applaud all of the parties involved. “Some of your personal attributes…

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When food was plated by the chef, the person bringing the food had to know who the dish was for, place the cloche or cover over the food, place these on his tray, and then take them to the dining room, where he made sure the right person received the food intended for him or her, and without lifting the cloches. The butler and assistant removed the cloches and gave them to the junior staff to take back down to the kitchen. A typical meal was a choice of two soups, at which time, beer, water, and bread were also served; followed by a choice…

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Already we’re well into summer and with many flowers in full bloom, it’s time for another delicious cocktail! On this occasion, we present the Pink Squirrel,  a cocktail that used to be very popular in the 50’s and 60’s. It works very well both as a dessert (for adults only, of course, since it contains alcohol; although a mocktail version is also very easy to produce, as you are about to see), as well as a worthy accompaniment to sweets or as a stand-alone. These are the ingredients you will need to make the Pink Squirrel, for 2 servings…

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Many of us who have been in service for a number of years will have received gestures of thanks ranging from cash to even cars and property. It has to be said, the larger tokens of thanks only happen in very rare circumstances. To the outside world, the perception is that the staff of the ultra-wealthy are showered with gifts, but this is far from the reality, as the very wealthy often can be very careful with their money. Those entering domestic service hoping to enjoy such spoils are quickly disappointed. In my experience, anyone providings…

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Because one image can say more than a thousand words, click on “read more” to find out how good (or not so good) someone’s attention to detail can be, and be left speechless…

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Leather is alive and needs to breathe, meaning it should not be stored in bags or containers that do not allow access to air. Cloth bags for shoes or handbags work fine. When leather is exposed to the human body, particularly with shoes, the heat and moisture transfer from the person to the leather. This moisture should be allowed to evaporate before placing in any enclosed space to avoid mold or mildew from developing. As soon as a shoe is removed, a shoe tree (cedar is best) should be inserted so that the leather can be straightened…

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Being a butler is not just a profession. Some say it’s almost an art; it’s definitely a philosophy and a way of life.

Whether your company be a hotel, a resort, a cruise ship, rental villas or time-share properties, if you require training of your butlers, the new IIMB Online Hospitality Butler Course could help improve your butler team’s skills. The course provides a deeper look into the butler’s soft skills, including how to manage themselves as a true butler would. It teaches butlers new and old such skills as the right demeanor, the proper communication, the way to approach service, the butler’s Etiquette & Protocols and even how excellent butlers expertly handle very difficult situations with their guests…

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We are expanding this monthly column to include other butlers who, not surprisingly, given the level of creativity the position requires, enjoy skills in the fine arts. If you, or any butler you know, are a creative artist in no matter what genre, please feel free to submit your/their works to the editor of the Modern Butlers’ Journal. Next month, we hope to include “The Butler who Paints,” and for this month, we have a wonderful surprise: a copy of the well-known painting, The Dancing Class, by Edgar Degas…….

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In this issue we congratulate the butlers from the newly opened Ritz-Carlton Maldives Fari Island, trained by the Insitute’s Vice President for Asia, Mr. Budi Prihardjanto.

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Feedback from the Food & Beverage Supervisor at the Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Island, one of the team members of the pre-opening team, about Mr. Prihardjanto’s recent training.

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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. Contact us for all your training needs via email at enquiries@modernbutlers.com or via telephone: USA 1-813- 354-2734. We invite you to also visit our website www.modernbutlers.com for more information.

Please email the editor of The Modern Butler’s Journal at newsletter@modernbutlers.com with any article ideas, concerns, comments, or suggestions.

We are happy to announce that the International Butlers Day launched three days ago on the 28th of May, turned out to be a great success. (More data can be found on the International Butlers Day page elsewhere in this issue.)

Equally momentous is the launch of the Alliance of Professional Butler Trainers with a core of a dozen schools and trainers and more requesting to join. This really is a new beginning of stability and professionalism for our profession…

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Apart from the usual ex-butler dispensing his opinions publicly about the private affairs of the British royal family, there was really just one butler mention of note in the media—an examination of why New Yorkers, at least, are paying a lot more for their domestic staff—figures like $150,000 for nannies, not including bonuses are mentioned, and $200,000 for chefs.

It appears it is an employee’s market currently, given the shortage of qualified staff created in part by employers becoming increasingly picky about who they want to…

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Regarding the South African Butler Academy court case:

“So, so very sad that so many students were blindly caught in this HOT MESS… and SABA is still tricking people. What a disgrace these people are.” C

Ed: You are quite right, it is a very sad state of affairs. Hopefully, the court will decide in a way that will put an end to this travesty. In the meantime, the Alliance…

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Continuing the recommended procedures for a formal dinner, by 6 pm, everything should be ready and it was time to warm the plates, heat the irons in the fire to keep the food warm; heat the water for the hot plates, fill bottles and cut-glass jugs with spring water (no running water from the municipality was used), prepare the drinks on the side table, as well as the bread, salad, cucumber, and cold meats—which were not pre-sliced, but required carving on request by the butler.

At 6:30 pm, the lamps and candles were lit in the dining room and…

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This month we will discover a Mojito variation that is both eye-catching and amazingly flavorful.

Created by Johnny Swet, bartender and co-owner of Jimmy at the James in the Soho neighborhood of New York, this cocktail adds the kick and aromas of grilled pineapple to a quality mojito, and brings about an extended cocktail experience for any mojito lover, as presented in liquors.com.

In Johnny’s own words, “Not only does grilled pineapple add a great visual element…

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I have been asked whilst serving afternoon tea, if there is any difference between using a porcelain tea pot and a silver one. The obvious answer is price; however, the complete answer is a little more complicated than that: Traditionally, tea was sourced from two countries—China and India.

Tea from China is more delicate and so is better suited to porcelain pots, as these are flavor-neutral and do not alter the taste, colour, or bouquet of the tea…

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Because one image can say more than a thousand words, click on “read more” to find out how good (or not so good) someone’s attention to detail can be, and be left speechless…

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Waterproofing over and above the use of wax polishes is generally not needed, as most leathers are already waterproofed. However, where the leather is often exposed to significant levels of moisture—rain, bodies of water, snow—then waterproofing can be applied to prevent the leather from becoming saturated.

This Mink oil shown is a good waterproofing agent; so is beeswax. Best to test the product in a less-visible area to see if it darkens the leather appreciably. It is quite likely to do so and this cannot be avoided except by testing another product that may darken less…

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Being a butler is not just a profession. Some say it’s almost an art; it’s definitely a philosophy and a way of life.

Whether your company be a hotel, a resort, a cruise ship, rental villas or time-share properties, if you require training of your butlers, the new IIMB Online Hospitality Butler Course could help improve your butler team’s skills. The course provides a deeper look into the butler’s soft skills, including how to manage themselves as a true butler would. It teaches butlers new and old such skills as the right demeanor, the proper communication, the way to approach service, the butler’s Etiquette & Protocols and even how excellent butlers expertly handle very difficult situations with their guests…

Read more »

The first ever celebration of International Butlers’ Day was a great success, as butlers around the world made gestures, big and small, to acknowledge and celebrate the day set aside to recognize their unique profession.

It is heartening to see so many butlers applying their skills and caring for their employers and guests the world over. Even the Fiji Times ran an article on a local butler in honour of International Butler’s Day, creating the perception in the minds of our clients…….

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We are expanding this monthly column to include other butlers who, not surprisingly, given the level of creativity the position requires, enjoy skills in the fine arts. If you, or any butler you know, are a creative artist in no matter what genre, please feel free to submit your/their works to the editor of the Modern Butlers’ Journal.

Next month, we hope to include “The Butler who Paints,” and for this month, we have a wonderful surprise…….

Read more »

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. Contact us for all your training needs via email at enquiries@modernbutlers.com or via telephone: USA 1-813- 354-2734. We invite you to also visit our website www.modernbutlers.com for more information.

Please email the editor of The Modern Butler’s Journal at newsletter@modernbutlers.com with any article ideas, concerns, comments, or suggestions.

We are happy to announce International Butlers Day for the 28th of May. The date was set and the day conceived by Ms. Josephine Ive of Magnums in Australia, to commemorate her father’s birthday—who was born on the 28th May, 1921 and worked all his life as a butler, starting as a footman, and then a valet before being promoted to butler. Ms. Ive is spearheading the organizing of the celebrations for the day and has put out an infographic toolkit to help you organize celebrating the day wherever you are around the world. There is even a nicely produced International Butler Times for your enjoyment and edification…

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The term Business Butler is the latest use of our profession to denote something of superior quality.

A very good article by Mr. Jim Grise looks at the relationship between a lack of a recognized educational path for our profession, and the need during job interviews felt by some in the profession to name-drop who they have worked for in order to assert their qualifications.

A positive article about the profession from one ex-royal butler…

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Read letters from readers regarding, “That video shot in the Maldives”, as well as about a previous article, “Of rice and forks”, and then “SABA again”.

“Great memories. I have since learned how to hold a camera still! I learned so much that day, not least of which; how to tie a proper bow tie. You can’t spend a day with Steven Ferry and not come away wiser and more knowledgeable.” Frank Mitchell…

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What follows is a sort of checklist of things to do to prepare for a formal dinner of 14. Such as: place 8 salt cellars (no mention of pepper pots) and 6 water bottles on the table. On larger tables, placing a silver “epergne,” a centerpiece with a central bowl and between 2 and 8 smaller bowls and candleholders extending out from there. In these bowls were placed extra food, so guests could help themselves rather than having to pass the items to one another. They were also used to place side dishes, fruit, sweetmeats (i.e. sweets and chocolates), chips, dips, and other finger foods. Today, centerpieces are usually floral…

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We are now well into Spring, and life around us is blossoming with fragrances and colors… Why not match this with a colorful cocktail for-all-ages?

Cocktails don’t necessarily have to be overworked or complicated, nor contain alcohol if you are not in the mood for it.

So, on this occasion we will be brewing a very simple aromatized water…

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While watching the incredibly moving funeral of HRH The Duke of Edinburgh at St. George’s Chapel, I recalled the time I had the honour of Serving His Royal Highness at a private function. One particular memory of that day was when he was standing next to his son, HRH the Prince of Wales: both gentlemen looked absolutely immaculate in their Saville Row suits. However, when it came to the pocket square fold, they took a very different direction: the Duke with his customary presidential fold and the Prince with the traditional puff. As to which one has the most merit, a tailor once told me the secret is: the less contrived it looks, the better it is…

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Because one image can say more than a thousand words, click on “read more” to find out how good (or not so good) someone’s attention to detail can be, and be left speechless…

..

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Leather should be conditioned occasionally (depending on how dry the climate is) to maintain its suppleness; or as a remedial action when the leather starts to dry and crack; and certainly when the item has been neglected. This is a two-step process that involves dusting the item first and then cleaning it with a gentle and natural cleaner without harsh chemicals. Then applying a conditioner made of natural oils (to soften, moisturize, and shine), butters (to condition), and waxes (to protect). Use a cloth or soft sponge to apply and a dry cloth to remove any excess. The oils will soak into the leather fibers, enhance…

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1. On 4 Aug 2020, student Ms. Lin Yang instituted a Combined Summons at the Cape Town High Court against South African Butler Academy Close Corporation, Butler Holdings (Pty) Ltd, Butler Training (Pty) Ltd, Guild Recruitment Close Corporation, Mr. Newton Hilton Cross, Mr. Willem Adriaan Coetzer.
2. Instead of entering a plea, the defendants launched an interlocutory application requesting Ms. Lin Yang to put down half a million Rand as security deposit, arguing that she is not a South African citizen, she does not live in Cape Town…….

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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. Contact us for all your training needs via email at enquiries@modernbutlers.com or via telephone: USA 1-813- 354-2734. We invite you to also visit our website www.modernbutlers.com for more information.

Please email the editor of The Modern Butler’s Journal at newsletter@modernbutlers.com with any article ideas, concerns, comments, or suggestions.

A number of media outlets had a few words to say about an ex-butler for the British royal family who recently claimed: “Ladies and gentlemen, remember we always use a knife and fork or chopsticks to eat rice! We do not use our hands or fingers.”

The lesser problem here being the definition of “we,” for certainly truer words were never spoken about the modern British royal family or those of occidental cultures, but what about earlier times, and what about the rest of the world?…

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Other than the “rice and fork versus fingers” fracas (see Message from the Chairman), it has been a quiet month for butlers in the media.

So this might be a good time to report on an interesting interchange amongst butlers concerning a short video I shot in 2007, and which the Director of Training at The American Butler School unearthed and put on LinkedIn recently…

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“”Regarding the South African school and how displeased the students are with the behaviour there, it is a sad, sad thing when students spend their own money and someone just robs them of it. I myself am unhappy to see that such trainers can start training when basically they are unfit to take on such a task. Standards are so important and need to be kept up all the time. I’m just so disappointed with the standards and it is good that you have spent a lot of time and energy in trying to see that these so-called trainers know about it. Thank you for what you are doing…

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It seems that no checklists were in use, so things were often not done on time; nobody was drilled on their station/where to stand, or who would bring the sauce, etc., so again, things were not done or were done clumsily, the whole event being like some slapstick comedy as the wait staff fell over each other to see to requests by guests that should not have had to be made in the first place.

One word of advice was to lay only the silverware for that course, which is not what was done a century later, or indeed today, for formal dinners…

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With Easter round the corner, why not have fun with some chocolaty concoction? On this occasion we take a look at, and a sip of, the Creme Egg Cocktail.

The recipe of this month is based on the suggestions of cocktail expert Simon Difford from the famous Difford’s Guide. And as I mentioned above, chocolate will be present in this cocktail, together with other ingredients that will delight the palates of those who enjoy sweet and sugary drinks…

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For those of us living in the Northern hemisphere, it is the start of Spring, and for those of us in household service, this means one key thing: Deep cleaning and readying our principals’ property for the Summer, generally known as “spring cleaning.”

You may not be aware that this age-old tradition began in Persia (now Iran), signaling the beginning of the Persian New Year and is a custom still followed today. It is referred to as “shaking the house,’’ wherein everything in the dwelling is cleaned, from curtains to carpet…

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Because one image can say more than a thousand words, click on “read more” to find out how good (or not so good) someone’s attention to detail can be, and be left speechless…

..

Read more »

Avoid leather-care products made in China as they generally use inferior ingredients and harsh chemicals or smelly animal fats as opposed to natural butters or oils.

Avoid spray products, such as waterproofing sprays, which likewise use ingredients that are not necessarily good for leathers and which are too imprecise in application, hitting other areas than the intended leather. Suede spray products are an exception but must be used in very well-ventilated areas as they are toxic…

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In the continued quest to perfect his offerings to guests, Mr. Gutman presents a cheetah this month. This is what he says regarding this figure: “It is a single gift, as casting for multiple guests would be quite complex: The mold would need to be created in three sections and the resin then poured into the mold under the paw that is touching the ground—which is a very small hole for pouring a viscous liquid…

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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. Contact us for all your training needs via email at enquiries@modernbutlers.com or via telephone: USA 1-813- 354-2734. We invite you to also visit our website www.modernbutlers.com for more information.

Please email the editor of The Modern Butler’s Journal at newsletter@modernbutlers.com with any article ideas, concerns, comments, or suggestions.