Being a maitre d' is all about attitude, attitude, attitude. "If you can't
get along with people -- all kinds of people all the time -- you should find
another line of work," says Stephen Gentili, a maitre d' in San Francisco.
"There's no other one ingredient that you need."
Randall Hodgson agrees. "I like to be around people and that's why I got
into this field. I started in high school as a busboy one day a week on the
weekends. And as I got the experience, I decided that this is all I ever want
to do.
"I enjoy the grandeur and style of hotels. It has 35-foot-high vaulted
ceilings and brass chandeliers -- very elegant. And at a very formal dinner,
I got to serve the stepdaughter of Winston Churchill. I enjoyed -- and our
guests loved -- the white-glove service."
Catering banquets and designing buffets are Gentili's favorite aspects
of the job.
Practical experience on a ferry and a food and beverage management program
at a college has taken Richard Nottingham around the world. Maitre d' stops
include the Cayman Islands, the Greek island of Corfu, and Toronto.
"It all started with my love of people and my love of food," says Nottingham.
"Plus, this has always been the number-one industry as far as growth."
Nottingham started as a busboy and progressed to head steward on one run
of a major ferry company. He made sure that meals were served on time, and
supervised the catering and galley staff. "The working conditions were good.
You worked five days on day shift and then got five days off. How I wish I
could get even two days off in a row now!"