 Forever the professional butler
BY SUCHITRA STEVEN SAMUEL (Food talk)
18 May 2007
JOSEPHINE Ive trained as a chef and was running her own catering business in England when she was asked to work as a butler. This came as a real surprise. “I asked my father what was to be done and he gave me the right guidance. I enjoyed it so much that I started working full time as a butler,” she says, in an interview with Weekend.
There are many aspects of the job that she liked. “Firstly, the attention to detail. Secondly, I enjoyed working at a more formal level, which was what this job involved. I was always interested in the legal profession and decided I liked the formal style of living and working. There was the job satisfaction of catering to very high standards and not being worried about the cost.”
However, the long hours and tremendous amount of hard work did not put her off. Serving at the Lord Chancellor’s Department, she enjoyed working with high-profile judges. Since they kept changing, work posed a constant challenge. Josephine fondly recalls her high moments in her professional life when she has cooked on several occasions for the British Royal family, including the Queen and the Queen Mother.
“I had lots of lovely times. It was fantastic working with the Royal family as they really appreciate what you do,” was all she was willing to disclose.
“My job is very interesting, yet taxing. You don’t have to physically do the work but you have to make sure it is all done,” she explains.
Josephine was in Dubai to start a Hotel Butler’s Training Programme, the first to run in this part of the world in co-operation with Dubai-based Source Capital. She has trained a number of butlers over the last 20 years. “We’ve got butlers working for Will Smith and a number of top names. They are all out there, a number of wealthy and famous people,” she refuses to elaborate.
Today, Josephine is keen to pass on her wealth of knowledge to people working in the industry. The programmes that she runs are mainly based on the style of service that most hotels aspire to, but find hard to reach without the benefit of specialised training.
Her own particular brand of teaching is very refreshing. She lends a blend of humour, depth of knowledge and some amusing anecdotes. She teaches a wide range of subjects such as etiquette and manners, body language, guest services, valet services including suitcase packing, personalised guest services, in-room dining, food and beverage service, customer relations, and much, much more.
“Our programmes are carefully designed to encourage students to work professionally, efficiently, sensitively and invisibly. We aim to achieve the highest standards and outcomes that have become benchmarks in the industry. Each of our programme curriculums is intensive, relevant and immensely rewarding,” she notes.
Magnum Butlers along with Source Capital have launched this type of training in Dubai. The first batch consisted of 20 trainees from Burj Al Arab and Le Meridien. It was a five-day intensive training programme for those who are interested in enhancing their interpersonal skills in their individual occupation.
There should be a remarkable rapport between the butler and the guest as butlers work at a closer proximity with the guest than normal. They have to develop the desire to anticipate what the guest feels, rather than keep going and asking them. As compared to food and beverage service, butler style is a lot more formal, looking after the guest in terms of packing and unpacking their suitcases, looking after their clothes and making sure that the guest’s stay is nothing short of perfect.
For this type of service what are the skills a butler should have? Says Josephine, “A butler should offer a high level of service in a quietly confident manner. He/she should be very well informed and trained in guest expectations. Many people would say you just have to learn how to carry a tray which is the normal perception of a butler, more of wearing a suit and looking terribly formal. “A butler should have the right attitude, one step ahead of the guests all the time, anticipating all their needs. For those who are in room service, housekeeping or food and beverage, this would be the next level of service.”
On the other hand, the guest should also know what to expect from a butler. In such cases guest education programmes help. When this service is offered, it is the lower ratio of guest as compared to a mass of people. You need to get to know the guest, anticipate needs and provide the seamless service that butlers are known for.
As a butler, there are plenty of embarrassing moments that Josephine recalls. But butlers have a knack to keep up the mysterious aspect. “I train people to cope with embarrassing moments. Part of my training is prevention rather than cure. The secret is to already anticipate and prevent embarrassing moments.”
This English-born resident of Australia wears several hats. She is an internationally-recognised expert on the elegant art of table napkin folding, is a professional cookery instructor, a trainer and judge in the hospitality industry, a food writer for Australian and international magazines and a successful author as well.
Her book An Elegant Art was published in 1983 and has achieved amazing sales. Now, in its tenth edition, it has sold well over 35,000 copies. By Jeeves! an essential guide to clothing care, valeting and packing your suitcase is also very popular. In 2000, Josephine authored Achieving Excellence In Guest Service, now recognised as a vital support to the hospitality industry and her own teaching, demonstrations and public speaking engagements.
Josephine has a very hectic schedule. If she is not guest lecturing at The International Butler Academy in The Netherlands, she speaks to ladies groups, demonstrating table napkin folding, promoting Australian produce, and generally updating her skills and knowledge within the industry. She is also in demand, internationally, as a judge, and has on several occasions acted as one of the invited judges for the Salon Culinaires and Master Bartenders Championships in South East Asia.
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