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New association of head waiters aims to attract young talent and grab some of the limelight enjoyed by celebrity chefs
A flourish of a snow-white napkin, a tweak of an errant piece of cutlery and the occasional imperious glance – little can intimidate the gastronomic diner like a maître d'hôtel in full flow.
But who would have guessed that beneath that starched exterior, the maître d' is feeling unappreciated, and overshadowed by celebrity chefs with their Michelin stars, bestselling recipe books and TV shows?
A new association set up to encourage young people to get into the profession wants us all to know that the Gallic serveur is not just serving, but practising a noble art.
"We need some role models, like Bocuse, Robuchon and Ducasse," said Denis Courtiade, president of the new association, entitled Ô Service – Talents of Tomorrow, citing three of the most revered chefs of French haute cuisine: Paul Bocuse, Joel Robuchon and Alain Ducasse.
"We need some famous faces in the profession, to remind people of the value of what we do, and say to them that it is a fine career in which they can go far."
Fifty years ago, the chef, known in French by the more humble title cuisinier (cook), would remain behind the scenes slaving over hot stoves, while the French maître d'hôtel (master waiter) – would, as the name suggests, lord it over the restaurant.
Since the 1980s, however, those who bring the plate to your table have felt pushed aside in the public eye by those making what is on it.
Courtiade, employed by the celebrated French chef Alain Ducasse as director of the restaurant in the luxury Hôtel Plaza Athénée in Paris, says it is not a question of telling famous cooks to get back in the kitchen, but of making waiters feel more valued.
Courtiade, 46, who says he has "climbed the ladder" after starting as an apprentice at the age of 16, believes waiters need to stand up and be counted. "Service is an art, and not servitude. We have to explain to youngsters that to serve can be a noble act," he said.
"We are the ambassadors of the chef's cooking because we are his first clients; we're the ones who have to be first convinced, so that we can then recommend the dishes to the customers."
Since the arrival of popular television programmes from across the Channel, including a French version of MasterChef, the majority of youngsters – around 75% – hoping to make a career in the restaurant business prefer to be cooking. Only one quarter are signing up to serve.
Twenty years ago, the ratio was half and half, according to ANPCR, the French association of kitchen and restaurant professors at apprentice schools.
Eric Rousseau, who works in the three-star Relais Bernard Loiseau, in the Morvan, west of Dijon, told le Parisien that his profession was suffering a serious recruitment problem.
"Laying out a knife and fork or a plate on the table is only 10% of our job," he said, adding that the maître d'hôtel's role should not be reduced to that of "simple plate carriers".
He said they needed a range of talents including a certain "culture", what Courtiade describes as "savoir-dire" as opposed to "savoir-faire".
"I tell my team to read the newspaper every morning so they know what is going on everywhere and are up on all the subjects," said Rousseau.