Tag Archives: Business

Celebrating Teacher Appreciation Week

The last year of lockdowns have been turbulent to say the least but they’ve also resulted in an outpouring of praise from those having to homeschool their kids – celebrities included!

Teachers have never been shown as much gratitude and acclaim as they have recently due to parents everywhere realising the magnitude of round the clock education and keeping their youngsters occupied, focused, and on schedule with their learning.

It’s not as easy as we all assumed!

Jimmy Fallon declared “Teachers should make a billion dollars and get more vacation time,” while strumming his guitar on The Tonight Show.

As we celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week, we join you all in the gratitude to those who have been teaching from home in isolation, creating lessons remotely and patiently persevering throughout the pandemic to ensure students still receive sessions to maintain their grades and learning momentum.

View the full post on British American Household Staffing’s blog. 

From Lockdown to Getaway

Let’s dream of our post-Covid travel bucket list!

As we enter the New Year with high hopes of a happier and healthier summer awaiting us, we couldn’t wait any longer to daydream and discuss our next vacation for once the pandemic is eventually under control.

So until we can feel the sand between our toes again, dust off our passports and squeeze ourselves into the swimsuits that still have the tags on from last year’s shopping spree, we decided on practicing a little preparation meets opportunity! We want to talk places, prices, and portions!

We caught up with our jet-setting Wonder Woman, British American Household Staffing CEO/Founder Anita Rogers, who was more than happy to share her travel tips and wish list resorts for 2021.

Anita, where will be the first place you will be flying off to when it’s safe to travel again?

To Greece! There is no country like it, the Aegean glitters like diamonds on a deep azure water, like the quote from Homer’s Odyssey: “There is a land called Crete, in the midst of the wine-dark sea, a fair, rich land, begirt with water, and therein are many men, past counting, and ninety cities.”

The Aman resort in Porto Heli, very close to Spetses, which is the island I go to often, is absolutely exquisite.

Which resort do you visit again and again ~ and why?

Il Sereno Lago di Como – Torno, Italy. It is pure luxury and tradition right on Lake Como. I got most of my operatic vocal training in Italy and performed there for many years so I adore Il Sereno Lago di Como. As a business owner I often fly to Lago di Como for a break to recharge my batteries and sometimes I join clients, either art collectors or those who want their villas staffed. I love Italy and Italian traditions so it’s a favourite of mine.

What travel tips do you swear by that might surprise people?

Our BAHS resident estate management consultant Kristen Reyes shared a piece of business advice and she’s never wrong! She said to only ever charter yachts and to only ever purchase a jet! Apparently, yachts depreciate in value but private jets are safer if you are in control of their maintenance.

I’ve also held on to the advice from a fashion designer friend of mine who said, roll, do not fold your clothes when packing. And he was right! It frees up so much space in your bag and it also minimises wrinkling! I was also advised once when travelling by yacht to push the furniture against my wardrobe in my suite. When you travel overnight, the waves and wind can suddenly become very high and all the wardrobe doors start swinging open which doesn’t make for a peaceful night’s sleep!

As a gallery owner (Anita Rogers Gallery is based in Soho NY and represents both primary and secondary artists), I know from personal experience that it’s always best to visit historical sites and museums etc, very early, very late, or when people eat! I always go to attractions at lunchtime as there’s less people since most tourists on city break trips head to lunch. So this way you get the most popular places all to yourself!

Another one of our wonderful clients told me that she Googles ‘where do chefs eat in…’ whatever place she is in. It’s such a great idea and the restaurants that you find are amazing because they’re the chosen ones by those Michelin star culinary chefs! That’s how I discovered Bob Bob Ricard in London and Providence in LA.

View the full interview on BAHS.com 

Nurture Creativity: At-Home Activities for Children

As families settle into the new year, with the holidays behind us and summer still months away, it is a great time to encourage children to explore their creativity at home. Sit down with your child and ask them if there are any new skills they’d like to try or ideas they’d like to pursue; with plenty of time at home and more virtual options than ever, it could be the time to learn an instrument, pick up a second language, or add more creative play to each day.

View our recommendations, from story time to outdoor play to digital museums, on the BAHS blog. 

Luxury Lifestyle Magazine Features Anita Rogers

The Luxury Lifestyle List: Anita Rogers, Founder And CEO Of Luxury Estate Staffing Company British American Household Staffing (BAHS)

BY LLM REPORTERS ON 4TH JANUARY 2021

Anita Rogers was recently featured in the UK’s Luxury Lifestyle Magazine. Full article below or view on LuxuryLifestyleMag.co.uk.

We caught up with Anita Rogers, founder and CEO of luxury estate staffing company British American Household Staffing (BAHS), which provides nannies, governesses, chefs, butlers, housekeepers, yachts and private aviation for high-net-worth clients across London, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Miami.

My car of choice

Porsche. Being a gallery owner in New York [Anita Rogers Gallery], I’m a very visual person and Porsches are like works of art in my eyes. I actually don’t drive, I never learned! I lived in cities like Athens, Rome, Dublin, London and New York where driving wasn’t needed. When I moved to LA in 2018 all my friends had Porsches, they drive so smoothly and look so artistic.

My favourite holiday destination

Spetses, Greece. My father, Jack Martin Rogers, was an artist who moved to Greece in the 1960s, so I was raised there. We would always live in large, traditional mansions as the architecture was beautiful and the light was perfect for my father’s painting. As an adult I still visit Spetses for the summers and I consider it to be my homeland.

My gadget I can’t live without

The Tunable app for my harp. I was a professional opera singer for many years and my classical harp was my ‘second’ instrument. It has 47 strings so it’s impossible to tune by ear. When I finally get some well earned down time from BAHS, I spend it in my New York apartment playing my harp whilst looking out at the Empire State Building.

My go to fashion brand

Maje. Their pieces are romantic and feminine and, being an opera singer, I’m drawn to clothes that nod to traditional dresses. When I host my BAHS team for daily briefings on our household and hospitality service, I feel comfortable in Maje dresses, plus they are perfect for my gallery evenings that cater to serious art collectors so I feel their timeless style also works perfectly with my clientele.

My airline of choice

Wheels Up. They have been aviation saviours during the pandemic and their service is impeccable. I’m constantly flying from New York to LA and to London for my company’s estate assessments. Wheels Up have become our first choice when booking private jets and our most preferred when recommending to our high-net-worth clients who desire to travel in style with privacy to and from their estates that we look after.

My favourite watch brand

Cartier. My signature perfume is Cartier and so is my jewellery. Their watches are timeless, classic and elegant. I’m forever on the clock because of back to back meetings so I treasure my yellow gold Panthère De Cartier watch and it complements every outfit.

My favourite restaurant

Eleven Madison Park. I love their menu and the fact that it sits at the base of a historic Art Deco building near the Flatiron Building. It offers exquisite service and also private dining, so I often choose to meet some of my high profile BAHS clientele who come to us wanting their estates fully staffed. It’s also the perfect setting for drinks with art collectors following one of my gallery events.

My guilty pleasure

Desserts! Hot chocolate pudding with double cream and sticky toffee pudding and custard. My mum is a patisserie chef so I was raised on French and British desserts. Scott’s of London is a favourite of mine to indulge my sweet tooth when I fly back to take business meetings with my BAHS clients and staff in the UK.

My favourite way to give back

Through Restore, a non-profit to help victims of human trafficking in the US. I’ve spent time in countries like El Salvador and I can see how easily people can become vulnerable and trafficked. It’s a campaign very close to my heart.

Photo credit: Hunter Canning

Hiring Household Staff During the Pandemic

Written by Roxanne Carrion

I think we can all agree that 2020 will be well and truly the year that we all take a well earned deep breath! It will also be the year that forced us to reassess our lives amidst the chaos of what we could and could not control. It broke work commitments, projects, deadlines and family get-togethers. However, perhaps once the dust has settled, this year may be actually remembered as the making of us rather than the breaking of us. The year that took away our comfort, our freedom, our variety, but in return, gave us back the seclusion and space to explore new directions.

When our GPS discovers a problem up ahead, it simply re-routes to get us to where we are going. At British American Household Staffing we pride ourselves on being a navigation that can re-route you when lost or struggling to get to where you need to be.

At British American Household Staffing we make it our priority to find the silver lining in the cloud that has disrupted so many lives this year. Being one step ahead of the unpredictable nature of life, we have developed an impressive roster of reliable, responsible, and recommended staff to service your household at this crucial time more than ever.

View full post on www.bahs.com

UK’s The Daily Telegraph Features Anita Rogers and British American Household Staffing

The return of the governess… the lady’s maid… and the butler
by Celia Walden
The Daily Telegraph Saturday 28 November 2020
Anita Rogers, BAHS agency founder and CEO, invites you to take a glimpse into the strategies and success behind her premier agency and why the recent pandemic has given clients a new perspective and a desirable domain for a more manageable and comfortable life at home.

Of all the curious comebacks prompted by Covid – sourdough bread baking, pan banging (for the NHS), staycations and the expandable waistband – the return of the governess might be one of the most surprising, at least for the average Brit.

Yet according to Anita Rogers, founder and CEO of domestic staffing agency British American Household Staffing (BAHS), all any ultra-high net-worth family wants for Christmas this year is their very own stern-faced piece of Victoriana.

“We’ve always had a few governesses on our books,” says Rogers, whose 4,000-strong client base spans the globe (the majority of are in the United States, with around a fifth in Europe, mainly the the UK, Switzerland and Monaco).

“But then Covid happened, and suddenly everybody wants a governess! Which makes sense, when you think about the gaps in schooling and structure so many kids have faced over the past few months.”

If you’re conjuring up images of mature matrons in bustles, however, think again. The idea may come straight from the pages of Mary Poppins, “but 99 per cent of the time what we’re being asked for is not so much a traditional governess as a combined teacher and nanny, only with that old-school formality and maturity, and the accolades: the schooling in Switzerland or England, the previous employment in formal homes, and the emphasis on manners and etiquette.”

These days, there’s far more to being a governess than even that. “Many have either a degree in education or multiple teaching certificates in specific subjects, such as music, a language, and teaching English,” says Rogers. “Some families who hire governesses are not first-language English speakers. A governess must be able to teach written and spoken English at a high level, both for the native English speaking children under their care as well as non-native speakers.”

She continues: “Governesses typically look after school-age, preteen and teenage ranges. A governess is occasionally hired for an infant so the infant can get a head start, especially with a second language – this is not typical, though.”

So how on earth does one distinguish between nanny-teachers and the genuine article? “Let’s just say that governesses have an air about them.”

“We’ve seen an increased demand for nannies and governesses with a background in child psychology,” says Rogers. “That’s very, very popular now. It’s about checking a child’s development every step of the way and making sure that they’re hitting all the milestones.”

After more than a decade’s experience in pairing families with household staff, Rogers’s exclusive agency has earned a reputation for being able to meet every need and handle any situation.

Despite the closer bonds between key staff members and what Rogers calls “the host family”, any blurring of the lines is cautioned against. “The best nannies, housekeepers and butlers will know how important it is to become invisible. That doesn’t mean that you’re subservient, just that there are boundaries.”

A respect for those boundaries is one of the things BAHS is on the lookout for in the extensive interview and screening process their 6,000 jobseekers are forced to undergo, when everything from background to credit checks are conducted.

Oh, and should you wish to hire a light aircraft or a yacht – “hugely in demand right now because people can escape the pandemic that way” – BAHS can organise that, too.

Insider: Nannies who have coronavirus antibodies are in high demand

Anita Rogers quoted in Insider article:

As more parents return to work, families have to make touch choices about childcare. 

After months of balancing jobs and childcare — without school, daycare or private caregivers — parents across the US are now making tough childcare choices as cities reopen. Employed parents need childcare in order to work, but bringing a nanny into the home also means bringing in additional exposure to the coronavirus.

That’s why some parents are taking extra precautionary measures, which may mean paying a premium rate. Some families are looking to hire nannies who have already had the disease, but it’s not a guarantee of higher pay, said Anita Rogers, CEO and founder of British American Household Staffing, an agency that places caregivers in both the UK and the US. Hiring someone who tests positive is by no means a foolproof plan either, since it’s still unknown whether people who have recovered from COVID- 19 can get reinfected.

Other families are having nannies who test negative move in with them and aren’t allowing them to leave until there is a vaccine, Rogers said. For that, nannies may be able to command higher salaries.

“This kind of intense time away from home has sparked requests for a higher compensation from the nannies,” Rogers said.

Some families are requiring frequent testing to ensure that the caregiver is and remains healthy, an extra measure some caregivers can charge more for, said Katie Provinziano, managing director of Westside Nannies — a Los Angeles childcare agency. Provinziano said that nannies who are willing to get tested frequently can get about 10% more than the average rate. On average, nannies in Los Angeles make between $25 and $35 an hour, she said.

 

View full article on Insider.com

Gordon Moore Featured in Hyperallergic

Artists Quarantine With Their Art Collections

Gordon Moore in Lauren Henkin’s Collection

BY STEPHEN MAINE

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Continuing my inquiry into the ways that artists look at the work they live with, I’ve been asking the following questions: In the context of rampant disease, do you look at your personal collection differently now, and which works in particular? Is there one that especially resonates with you at this weird, frightening moment? And does it take on new meaning?

Lauren Henkin (Rockland, Maine): I first saw Gordon Moore’s work in an exhibition at Betty Cuningham Gallery in 2014. The show included paintings and photo emulsion drawings. Both were compelling, but the drawings struck a chord. There is a lushness to the grounds — beautifully printed photographs toned in warm yellows and grays — which, combined with marks of ink and gouache, suggest a velvet canvas scorched by electricity. It was as if the artist had formed a wire sculpture and then tracked its slow progress of shadow-making across a concrete surface, his hand creating furcated markings of time passing.

Quarantine has forced on me a strange relationship to time. One moment is filled with reflection and pause; the next, a casual glint of thought tossed into the wind. Mon-day, Tues-day, Wednes-day are no more. All that remain are day and night.

One of Gordon’s drawings hangs on the wall beside my desk. I see it whenever l look up from my computer. Throughout the day, I can see how light engages the work. In the morning, the sun buoys the light areas of the drawing. At night, the dark tones recede deeper into space.

The drawing has replaced my clock. It’s a beautiful and needed reminder that time can be measured not by seconds, hours, or days but by marks, tone, and depth.

To view the full article, visit anitarogersgallery.com or Hyperallergic.

Stay Healthy with Meal Deliveries from Top Chefs

Find_a_Personal_Chef.jpg

Staying healthy and taking care of ourselves has become more important than ever. As we shelter in place, it can be difficult to maintain an active and healthy lifestyle. It’s good to stay mobile and eat right, not just for your physical health, but for you and your family’s emotional health as well.

Generic Meal Delivery versus a Dedicated Private Chef

As well as keeping us healthy, food can be a great comfort during uncertain times. With more delivery options now than ever, it can be easy to access unhealthy diets or feel overwhelmed by the number of choices. Meal planning day to day can be exhausting and monotonous.

Many great meal delivery services exist, but none provide the ease and customization of employing a private chef. Whatever your family’s varied and unique needs are, a qualified chef can cook with all of this in mind from their own kitchen and deliver fresh, healthy meals to your home.

Your private chef will take the stress out of meal planning and finding new recipes. Once your chef gets to know your family’s tastes, they can ensure your favorite comfort food is always in stock, and introduce new flavors and dishes. They will work so that the pickiest of eaters will have balanced meals and healthy diets.

Normal private chef duties that can be done remotely are:

  • Keeping informed of all food and sanitation rules
  • Menu planning based on dietary needs and preferences
  • Preparing meals to be reheated by the family later
  • Preparing healthy snacks that are easily accessible to the family between meal times

See more information on what a personal or private chef can do for you.

How Private Chefs are Cooking for Families and Staying Safe

Once we are able to move about, your chef can come to your home, prepare all meals on site, and keep your pantry stocked. Until then, however, most private chefs are preparing meals at their own homes and delivering directly to clients either with their personal vehicle or through ride sharing services.

Your chef will understand best practices from the CDC for delivering food safely. There is currently no evidence to support the transmission of COVID-19 associated with food, but it is important to keep counters and utensils clean and sterile to stop the spread from surfaces. Knowing exactly who prepared and handled your food and limiting the number of hands that transport it, can reduce risks of contamination and give you peace of mind about the food your family is enjoying.

If you’d like the dedicated service of a private chef to provide meals for your family during this time, contact our office today to connect with a recruitment specialist and begin your search.

For more information, please visit bahs.com

Travel the World from Home

As the world is home now more than ever, the travel industry has swiftly adapted and is bringing the world’s best destinations to the computer screen. The team at British American Household Staffing put together a list of recommendations for when a change of scenery is much needed. Whether you’re picking a location for a future trip, educating your little one on other cultures or just daydreaming, these virtual adventures make wonderful afternoon getaways.

 

Invite an Italian Chef into your Kitchen 

There are now plenty of ways to bring a taste of Italy into your kitchen any night of the week. We love Pasta and Live Opera in the Kitchen, one of AirBnB’s most popular online experiences; the package offers a live private pasta making class (no special tools required!) via Zoom with a chef in Florence. As a bonus, she sings opera too! Nonna Live is another excellent resource; the site offers 2-3 hour online cooking intensives led by an Italian grandmother in Rome.

If you can’t commit to a scheduled time, try Massimo Bottura’s on-demand Masterclass in Italian cooking; the owner of Osteria Francescana, the three-Michelin-star restaurant based in Modena, covers everything from basic doughs to broths, fish dishes and desserts. For a free option, NYC’s Eataly offers an online course in pasta making with Nicoletta Grippo, the chef at La Scuola di Eataly.

Take a Trip Through the Swiss Countryside

The internet offers a huge variety of virtual train trips, from the mountains of Japan to a trip on Peru’s Ferrocarril Central Andino! from Matucana to San Mateo. However, our favorite is the journey from St. Moritz, Switzerland to Tirano, Italy. Expect a huge variety of stunning sites, from small villages to dazzling blue water and gorgeous mountain views. The virtual trips are great educational tools for curious children or for adults looking to unwind.
Visit the Beaches of Bermuda 

Google Earth’s Discover feature makes it easy to virtually explore a destination while learning about the culture, local customs and more. We love the tours of Bermuda, which allow virtual visitors to discover the pink sand beaches, crystal caves and historic villages.

Wildlife Encounters

Explore.org has the largest selection of wildlife live cameras on the internet. With options ranging from the Tau Waterhole in South Africa to a penguin beach to puppy playtime, there is sure to be something for every child missing the outdoors.

 

Meditate with a Buddhist Monk
A Japanese Buddhist monk from Osaka’s Shitennoji Temple is now offering an online meditation class via Zoom set among the lush forests of Japan. Prices start at $10 per session with no minimum number of sessions.

 

Family Crafts in Barcelona

Transport your family to a small village with few more than 200 inhabitants in in the middle of Spain’s Montseny Natural Park with this AirBnB experience. There you’ll be told ancient legends and led in a simple family-friendly craft project using common household supplies.

Visit Hogwarts
For Harry Potter fans of all ages, Google Earth offers tours of the real life locations used in the Harry Potter films. For young wizards in training, we recommend this Harry Potter Digital Escape Room created by Pennsylvania’s Peters Township Public Library. Finally, J.K. Rowling herself has helped launch Wizarding World, a “Harry Potter at Home Hub,” featuring free puzzles, quizzes, activities and more related to the series.
As always, we’re here to assist with all your household staffing needs during this challenging time. Both childcare and cleaning professionals are considered essential workers and we have implemented strict protocols to make sure your family is as safe as possible. Contact us today to learn more.