Photo: courtesy of Candlewick Press

As the longtime co-owner of the famous Four Seasons, Alex von Bidder has seen his fair share of good, and bad, behavior at the dining table. So who better to write a book for children about how to behave in a restaurant? Von Bidder teamed up with his friend Leslie McGurk, author and illustrator of the Tucker books, on Wiggens Learns His Manners at the Four Seasons Restaurant, which tracks the adventures of an adorable chocolate Labrador when he visits the landmark restaurant. The Buzz caught up with the duo to discuss the book, as well as to hear von Bidder’s thoughts on his restaurant’s new chef, Fabio Trabocchi.

Zagat Buzz: What inspired this collaboration?

Alex von Bidder: Leslie and I met in a creative class that she teaches at Rancho La Puerta, our favorite spa, and we just clicked. She showed me her children’s books about Tucker, and I told her about my manners classes for adults. Later on she said, “Why don’t we do a children’s book on manners?”

ZB: Leslie, did you get a chance to sit in on any of Alex’s manners classes?

Leslie McGurk: No, but I saw him many times in New York and at the spa in Mexico, and I liked how he treated people. You could tell that this is a man who has exquisite manners. I could just see that he lives it, and that is a rare thing to find in this world.

AvB: I want to give my mother credit for that. She says, “No matter what your education is, no matter where you come from, if you can learn to blend in in a good way you can learn to function anywhere from a hunt in Africa to the White House.”

ZB: What were some of the rudest experiences you have witnessed at the Four Seasons?

AvB: I try to forget those. Mostly what happens nowadays in restaurants is just plain intrusion, like with cell phones, and not dressing appropriately. Another trend is that everyone is allergic to things. Instead of saying something like, “I don’t like liver,” they say they are allergic. There’s nothing wrong with not liking something, and kids are very honest about things like that. For kids, running around is the worst for me.

ZB: What is the most important restaurant manner for children to learn?

AvB: The parents need to decide if the child is old enough to come to a fancy restaurant because children are impatient and they need to be old enough to entertain themselves until the food comes and to get enjoyment from surroundings and the conversation. For my own daughter that was age 10. Many children are perfectly fine at five or six – it just depends on their energy level. So rather than give kids Ritalin before they dine at a nice restaurant, just gauge whether they are ready for it. Once they come, I like to treat children like adults. Children respond to being asked to step up and enjoy the experience as it is offered. They absolutely will rise to the occasion.

LM: I think the most important manner is shaking a hand, looking a person in the eye, saying their name and acknowledging them. I think that too often people are not present with each other. I know it sounds like a simple thing, but that is huge for kids and especially adults.

ZB: Leslie, the illustrations of the interior were done so well and so accurately. Did you work from photos or did you visit the restaurant?

LM: Both. I visited the restaurant and sketched and I worked with photos. It was not the easiest thing in the world to draw for me, but I was happy with the way that it turned out. I’m used to drawing puppies and dogs, not structural buildings and interiors. It was a very hard process.

AvB: A lot of people say you got the energy and the character of the place, and that is a very hard thing to do. Even photographers have a hard time with it.

ZB: Alex, you’ve just hired a new chef, Fabio Trabocchi. What motivated your decision to bring him on?

AvB: After months of carefully considering what our guests want, it was obvious that Fabio is the ideal chef to guide the Four Seasons kitchen. He has the precise ingredients we need. He's very smart and sophisticated. He understands that the Four Seasons is many places to many different people – from regulars who dine here daily and want simple, light dishes to those looking to celebrate who crave the truly spectacular.

ZB: In light of some of the recent closings like Café des Artistes, what do you think is the key to the Four Seasons' longevity, especially after such a hard economic year?

AvB: It’s staying power – we’ve never been in it for the short haul. My partner, Julian [Niccolini], and I have been here for over 30 years, and we are really only the second team in the history of the restaurant. It’s hard to lose money and worry about the future, but we have trust that our customers will support us when they have money again. What we did this year was maybe counterintuitive, but we’ve supported many charities and gave lots of dinners for various causes to keep this place alive in a giving way. I’m counting on it that everything we put out there comes back at some point.

– Kathleen Squires