The Australian-trained butler is in strong demand all over the world

The Australian-trained butler is in strong demand all over the world, and butlering is a great career move for people-oriented chefs.

Brittanica.com defines a butler as “a chief male servant of a household, who supervises other employees, receives guests, directs the serving of meals, and performs various personal services”.

One of the most famous fictional butlers, is Reginald Jeeves in the short stories and novels of P. G. Wodehouse.  Jeeves, as a “gentleman’s personal gentleman” or valet, is rather more than a mere butler. He is firmly in control of his rich and foppish young employer’s life. When his principal gets into an unwanted social obligation, legal trouble, or engagement to marry, Jeeves invariably comes up with a subtle plan to save him, often without his principal’s knowledge.

Jeeves frequently displays mastery over a vast range of subjects, from philosophy through an encyclopedic knowledge of poetry, science, history, psychology, geography, politics, and literature. He is also a ‘bit of a whiz’ in all matters pertaining to gambling, car maintenance, etiquette and women.

‘Jeeves’ is now a generic term for an indispensable person in references such as the Oxford English Dictionary, and became the name of a British search engine ‘Ask Jeeves’ (www.ask.com).

So should Australian butlers try to live up to Jeeves’ reputation? BISTRO spoke with Pamela Spruce, chief executive of Australian Butler Services and the principal of Australian Butler School (www.australianbutlers.com).

“The modern butler is far from being a quaint relic of the aristocratic England of a century ago,” Spruce says.  “The thoroughly modern breed of butlers – especially Australian butlers – is increasingly in demand.”

For a start, butlering is no longer an exclusively male profession but is open to both males and females. The butler is in charge of everything, from the household budget to the everyday running of the household. They prepare the guest rooms and arrange and plan special dinners and receptions given by their employers. Some even become the personal assistant to the people they work for, taking care of all  their secretarial needs.

“It is fairly common for individuals with a cheffing background or qualification to progress their career into butlering or household management,” she says.   “We’ve had many students over the years who have completed our butler-training course following a successful career as a chef.”

A strong factor in their favour is that chefs generally are well organised, have experience in budgeting, purchasing and inventories, are detail oriented and conscious of workplace safety.

BISTRO asked two chefs who have made the change to butler – Darryl Attiwell and Nathan Van de Belt – about life as a butler.

Darryl Attiwell

“I love my new career. This role is expanding all the time. With diversity come a lot of responsibilities. My days are never the same,” says Darryl.  “My role includes managing lifestyle aspects: clothing, personal needs, property etc.” He still does internal catering, and his cheffing skills let him get the best occasions, while he outsources catering for the bigger events.

What are the most important qualities for a butler?

Time management. Multiple professional skills  – Australian butlers are dynamic professionals who know a lot  and can do the lot: cooking; estate management; PA; management of boats/jets etc.

Most important: a butler has to know how to conduct himself in a professional manner. Being professional includes knowing how to maintain confidentiality. A butler cannot discuss any aspect of their job with their friends or other butlers. As the services they provide  relate to very personal aspects of their principal’s life, butlers must keep their lips tightly closed at all times.

Do you ever feel lonely sometimes?

“This job is not everyone’s cup of tea. But it’s given me  the ability to travel within Australia and overseas, and to meet very interesting people every day. The diversity of the role means I learn new things all the time.

“As you work with one principal and you’re good at what you’re doing, you gain more experience and more trust. With trust comes more and more responsibilities and different tasks… The sky’s the limit!”

How would a chef get a job as a butler?

“There is no shortage of jobs for the right individual in Australia or overseas. Talk to Australian Butler School – they have great jobs. Look at the jobs in the newsletters of International Guild of Professional Butlers. There are big opportunities for the right person. “If you work for a principal who has multiple estates in different countries, boats, jets etc (which is common) – this would be an interesting job.”

Nathan Van de Belt

Nathan started his chef’s career washing dishes in a very small restaurant in Queensland.  Very soon he became interested in cooking, so in 1988 he took an apprenticeship in the Hyatt Coolum kitchen.

When we asked Nathan does he still like to cook, his answer was: “I love it!”

Working as a chef at the British High Commission, Nathan was presenting fine dinners for groups from 20 to 2000 people, making everything from scratch. He says he ‘fell into’ butlering. When one of the butlers at the British High Commission left and another one did not work out, Nathan found himself taking all the responsibilities on his shoulders. He enjoyed the variety of the role, so he decided to polish up his skills at the Australian Butler School.

“Being able to cook professionally is a big advantage. I cook for all small functions and when I hire other chefs to cook for bigger events, I can make absolutely sure that the event runs smoothly and the food is up to the highest standard.

“I have been working for a few people as a butler. At first they ask me to cook specific meals etc, then when they realise I really know cooking, they leave everything in the kitchen up to me. Let’s say I’m asked to do a four-course dinner for six. I will go to the markets, look for the best and freshest produce on the day. No dinner is the same.”

There are unexpected benefits of not being in the commercial hospitality world, he says.

“Being a non-commercial fine dining chef has a lot of pluses. I have a lot of friends in hospitality; all of them have to deal with commercial realities of this world: profit margins, labour costs etc. The cost of my dishes often is 50% produce and 50% labour. I do have value factor in mind, but I am also able to cook very amazing dishes.”

What makes this job so attractive to you?

“I have variety everyday. There are a lot of different things to look after: the property, boat, car etc. My days are never same.”

Do you meet a lot of interesting and powerful people?

“Yes, of course. But honestly speaking, I like to take care of everyone. Big names do not faze me; I like to make sure everyone is properly looked after. It is different for different people. I moved back to Queensland, even the money here is lower than I can get elsewhere in Australia or overseas, but I really enjoy the balance I have now between my work and my lifestyle.  It’s a matter of personal choice and ambitions. Here in Queensland, for example, I know about a dozen big names who would employ  a chef/steward/butler – that sounds like a good job for me.”

What are the qualities a butler needs?

“You have to really love taking care of people. It brings me a great deal of satisfaction to provide this personalised service. I know how my employers like things to be done; I like to get all these little details right for them. You have to be a people person to be a good butler, and you have to be prepared to work very hard.”

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