STATE OF MIND : The Art of the Meal

Fed up with the idea that you may have blown a mega-deal because you ordered the wrong food at an important business lunch? Think you could have landed The Big Job if only you hadn’t cleaned your plate at the dinner interview with the CEO?

Yvonne White can change your nasty habits. She specializes in sitting down to dine with executives, entrepreneurs, agents, virtually anyone--and pointing out ways to meal and deal more effectively.

The 30-year-old, L.A.-based lifestyle consultant and caterer branched out into the meal-coaching business after several catering clients asked her to work with some of their staff. Since she started two years ago, dozens of people have forked over $500 to $700 for a meeting and written evaluation.

I broke bread with White at Maple Drive Restaurant in Beverly Hills. As I nervously munched on a Caesar salad and grilled chicken with French fries (“Don’t order tough-to-eat or sexy food” like oysters or strawberries, she says), I mustered every bit of decorum I had learned from parents, great-aunts and advice columnists. Was I being attentive enough? Using the fork to eat fries in a socially acceptable manner? Dealing skillfully with the waiter? At the end, I received my report card. Overall, a passing grade. But I did put pepper on my poultry without first tasting it (an indication of a programmed approach to doing things) and polished off the entire meal (a sign that I could lack control).

Not bad when you consider some of the faux pas White has seen. Quizzing waiters over every detail on the menu (too technically minded); eating too fast (not good at pacing oneself); sopping up soup with bread or making slurping sounds with a straw (no explanation needed). “How you present yourself over a business meal can greatly affect the outcome,” she says. “How you approach handling a bill, what you order, what you drink all says a great deal about you. Like it or not, people make judgments.”