Message from the Chairman
by Steven Ferry
This month’s issue has many interesting pieces in it as well as one unpleasant piece of news regarding a joint action being taken by dissatisfied students and graduates from the South African Butler Academy. While the defendants are innocent until proven guilty, for it to reach the point where graduates rise up in numbers to complain through the legal system, there must have been some problem with the services being offered or the advertising of the same. The owner of SABA is trying through various legal shifts to prevent the case from moving forward, as well as setting up a blank web page that promises to detail how bad the…
Butlers in the Media
by Steven Ferry
Home builders providing more services for condominium owners in China is a good idea: They dress like butlers and are called butlers, but the idea goes off the rails when we learn that “Each chief butler leads a team whose duties span everything from security and cleaning to repair, maintenance and other services to take care of up to 50 families.” As a profession we risk the concept of the butler being diluted and losing all meaning as the word is redefined into something else, the sheer volume of its use with the new meaning and reality becoming the norm. It reminds me of a time I was lecturing at a university in….
Letters to the Editor
“Thank you for another entertaining and informative newsletter and website. I enjoy many aspects of the site and Creative Corner [in the newsletter] is especially a treat!” CRS”
Thank you for taking the time to let us know. Your message was very kind and uplifting and is appreciated.” KG, author of Creative Corner…
The Wisdom of Butlers Past, Part 43: Dinner Service
by Steven Ferry
When it looked like everyone had finished, the butler kept an eye on the host/hostess for the signal to clear that course. When the timing was close, he alerted the cook by ringing the bell (if not by verbal message relayed by a footman).First to be removed were any carving knives and forks. Then, funnily enough, removing the knives and forks from the individual settings, and next their plates.Unlike today, the butlers two centuries ago did not lay all the silverware before the meal, but course by course, like in a restaurant, which is harder for the butlers and distracting for the guests. Obviously, the modern refinement occurred sometime after the 1820’s…
Let’s Talk Mixology, Part 62: Tom & Jerry
by Amer A. Vargas
With Christmas just around the corner, it is time for a Christmassy brew again! Perhaps you remember that this time last year, we tried out a variation of the traditional Eggnog punch, the White Chocolate Eggnog Punch. This year, we will be having seconds! However this time, we have a proper name for it: the Tom & Jerry. And this delectable hot cocktail celebrates its Second Century Anniversary!The name probably rings a bell. The famous cat and mouse TV characters got their name from a book by Pierce Egan named Life in London, or The Day and Night Scenes of Jerry Hawthorn Esq. and his Elegant Friend Corinthian Tom and the subsequent theater play Tom and Jerry…
My Butler Julius
by My Butler Julius
In today’s socially distanced world, the shaking of hands has now become taboo and temporary made redundant. To find an elegant alternative to make a greeting, I believe we should follow HRH The Prince of Wales and do what is called a “namaste,” a popular custom in India and Asia. To perform this welcome, place your hands together fingers upwards and thumbs resting close to the middle of your chest. This is ideal for butlers, as the gesture includes a slight bow of the head, something we as butlers are well used to executing. Hand gestures can also make up for the lack of facial expressions when wearing a mask…
Paying Attention to Details
by Steven Ferry
Because one image can speak a thousand words, click on “read more” to find out how good (or not so good) can attention to detail be, and be left speechless…
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Consulting the Silver Expert: Mustard Pots
by Jeff Herman
Originally, mustard was used dry, and casters were used for serving it. When, in the 18th century, vinegar or wine was added to make a paste, sterling mustard pots were used, virtually all of them having cut-outs in the cover to accommodate a small spoon or ladle. The first mustard pots had internal gilding to prevent etching from the acidic ingredients. Pierced or solid bodies with glass liners followed. Most antique pots have hinged covers, but many later designs have less expensive hinge-free covers. Some were made as parts of condiment sets which included salts and peppers. Mustard spoons…
Creative Corner
featuring Kobi Gutman
Turndown or special occasions are good opportunities to make personalized cards for principals, family, and guests. In hospitality, one can have multiple cards printed professionally for a variety of likely occasions, with the company logo added; or in hospitality or private service, one can purchase quality off-the-shelf cards the image and text of which suit the recipient as much as possible and then hand-write a special message. The advantage of making your own from scratch is that all elements are customized for the recipient. The process is simple….
Care of Leather Goods, Part 2: Types of Leather
by Steven Ferry
“Full grain” is the full thickness of the animal hide and so is the most durable and able to develop patina as it ages, rather than wearing out over time. It is also the most breathable when in contact with the human body. Needless to say, it is the most expensive, but not if you average the price of the multiple lesser-quality belts one has to buy that will last the lifetime of a full-grain belt. Might be better to enjoy the quality all the time, no? The next level down is “top grain,” which is thinner, less breathable, and will not develop a patina because it has a coat applied (which on the plus side means it will not stain) and so…
Scholarship Opportunity
Mr. Jim Grise has created a scholarship for those in the domestic service industry in the US and abroad, including yachting crew, who might be interested in attending Cornell University and earning the Executive Certificate, Leading a Culture of Service Excellence. Other industry luminaries who have contributed generously to the scholarship fund are Ms. Denise Collins of Aunt Ann’s In House Staffing and Ms. Susan Feigon of Feigon Hamilton…….
Special Notice
On September 14, 2020, a group of ten adult students instituted a Joint Class Action in the South Africa National Consumer Commission against the South African Butler Academy Close Corporation (SABA), Butler Holdings Pty Ltd (BH), Butler Training Pty Ltd (BT), Guild Recruitment Close Corporation (GR), Mr. Newton Hilton Cross and his husband, Mr. William Adriaan Coetzer. This is the second legal action against the defendants this year following Ms. Lin Yang’s combined summons, filed in the Cape Town High Court on August 4, 2020. The ten students in the Joint Class Action come from six countries…….
Recent Hospitality Graduates
To end the year on an optimistic note, we welcome on this occasion a group of butlers from Hulhule Holiday Island in Maldives, trained by the Insitute’s Vice President for Asia, Mr. Budi Prihardjanto.
To all of you, our best wishes for a life full with success and impressed guests!…
In Their Words: How Those Trained by the Institute’s Trainers Feel about Their Experience
We say goodbye to 2020 with feedback from the butlers at Hulhule Holiday Island in Maldives.
“I was about to say goodbye to my hospitality career until management provided training on “modern butlers” that I was made to attend even though I was not at all interested—apart from deciding to leave the industry, I had attended butler training a couple of years ago with a famous butler trainer [SABA]. Surprisingly, Mr. Prihardjanto’s training transformed my personality as I was introduced by…….
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.
