The Look Book

Irvin Andrew, Maître d’ and Personal Concierge

"I roll out of bed, I want to look good. I go to the deli, I want to look good."

By Emma Rosenblum
Published Jun 15, 2008

(Photo: Glenn Glasser)

What does a personal concierge do?
A lot of people have money, but they don’t have time to do anything for themselves. So I’m starting a small company to walk their dogs, pay their cable bills, go to the DMV to take care of parking tickets, pick up their dry cleaning, arrange restaurant reservations.

How did you get into the field?
I used to be the head maître d’ at Tabla, so I’ve been in hospitality for years.

What makes a good maître d’?
It helps that I speak a few different languages: French, German, Japanese, Latin. I just have one of those brains. I have an IQ of 146, and I memorize everything, literally.

Wow. Do you have a photographic memory?
Not just that. From distances, I can recognize voices, and I know people’s shapes—even if I don’t see someone’s face, I know exactly who they are. It’s kind of freaky.

That must be useful for your job.
I once memorized area codes of all the states and counties, so I could know where my guests were from: 602, Arizona; 214, Texas; 954, Fort Lauderdale; and so forth.

What’s with the blazer? It’s hot out!
I was brought up by my great-aunt, who was an old white Jewish woman. She stressed education, being well dressed, and respecting everyone. I want to look good no matter what. I roll out of bed, I want to look good. I go to the deli, I want to look good.