Tag corporate team building events

Parties That Cook’s 2011 Corporate Holiday Events Wrap-Up: Part II

0 comments By The Kitchen Whisperer Filed in Entertaining, News & Events Tagged with , , , , , , January 30th, 2012 @ 7:25 pm

We’ve finally reached the home stretch. This blog features some of the final corporate team building events and private cooking parties of 2011! There’s still a bit to cover, so hold tight and power through these fun event recaps with us. Oh, the memories…

Kicking off this corporate event recap is a Chicago event for Sedona. We know it’s going to be a fun group when employees are willing to come cook with us on a Saturday! They even used our favorite Chicago venue for public cooking classes: Charlie Baggs. Sedona host, Guy N., selected the perfect type of event for his group that “loves to compete in unique areas.” After this Kitchen Challenge, Guy raved, “The chef’s were terrific – they were the highlight of the event. Even with this lively of a group, they handled things warmly and encouraged trying new things. They were fun, helpful and kept things on track while teaching and encouraging the interaction. The event offered a wonderful interaction and experience, and the knowledge gains were terrific.” Nicely done, Chicago team!

Skip forward about a week, and we’ll hit Encore Consumer Capital‘s Chef’s Table with a competitive twist. Host Shanna B. is no stranger to Parties That Cook, having used us twice before. “The customer service was amazing! A hands-on cooking party is a really great idea for team bonding and bringing everyone together. We are all very competitive people and the competition factor helped make it a memorable and successful night for everyone.”

Menu items included Soft Pretzel Bites with Spicy Mustard Dipping Sauce, Broccoli Chive Soup with Lemon Cream, and Carved New York Strip Steaks – YUM! Shanna added, “This event was also successful because we all thoroughly enjoyed our meal! The chefs were extremely helpful and were always there to lend a hand when needed. Everyone was able to join in and cook a little bit of each dish, and we were all able to sit together and enjoy dinner as a team.” Shanna mentioned that she thought an all appetizer or all dessert party would be fun to try. You’re in luck, Shanna! Check out our Sumptuous Small Plates event (available with a competitive add-on) and our newer event: Cupcake Wars!

That very same day, our crew brought the Parties That Cook mobile kitchen to a private home in Los Gatos, CA. XL Construction Group hosted a Chef’s Table event with a mouthwatering menu featuring Canapes of Camembert Olive Tapenade, Crab and Red Pepper Beignets, and Parmesan and Herb-Crusted Filet Mignon.

Repeat host, Kate P., came to us after having seen us in action with her previous company! About her experience this time around, she said, “As usual, the event was great! Everyone loved both the cooking experience and the eating. The staff was excellent. Our chefs – Heather and Amy – were terrific, as was our server Elizabeth and our dishwasher, Dana. It was a great menu — fun to cook but not too challenging (just right!) — and the food was delicious. Love you guys! Easy, good, entertaining! We’ll definitely do it again.” Wow. We just love when repeat clients…continue to repeat!

After a week of twenty events, the week of SDG‘s 55-person Chef’s Table was like a walk in the park (13 events). Still, we had to bring our A-game. It was great to hear that the SDG host, Sharon S., thought we hit it out of the park!

“Great event! We knew they did a great job at our partner event so no need to look for another company. Everyone had a good time and it was a wonderful way for people to mingle.” Their crave-inducing menu included Puree of Pear and Champagne Soup, Steamed Salmon Papillotes, and Warm Chocolate Soufflé Cake. I’m getting jealous just typing this! Sharon didn’t need to say anything other than, “We didn’t leave much on our plates…” Still she sums up her experience very nicely with, “Very organized, fun staff, and a good team building event.”

Big thanks to all our corporate event hosts who allowed us to use their comments and wanted to be featured in one of our blogs! We’ve received a lot of feedback over the years, including recipe notes, venue comments and ideas for new events (barbeque, sushi, and pasta from scratch, just to name a few)! You never know, your next suggestion could end up being our next hit event (Ahem, Cupcake Wars..), so keep ’em coming!

Next up: 2012 Corporate Team Building Events and Private Cooking Parties!

Parties That Cook’s Corporate Holiday Party Round Up: Early November

0 comments By The Kitchen Whisperer Filed in Entertaining, News & Events Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , December 6th, 2011 @ 10:33 am

I know it’s been a while since we’ve taken a peek at our corporate events. Time to get back to the grind, and have some fun reminiscing about holiday cooking parties! We’re going to pick up right about where we left off: Early November. We had quite the start, with 26 corporate team building events in the first couple of weeks. Seems like Christmas came early this year!

On November 2nd, Indiana University‘s Kelley School of Business opted to host a Small Plates event in the San Francisco venue, Cookhouse. Indiana University host, Christine Z., is no stranger to Parties That Cook events – she’s hosted three over the past three years! Why does Christine keep coming back? “Great customer service and they’re easy to work with.” Sounds good to me! She noted that she thought this event was successful because of the laid back atmosphere (no wonder they keep picking Sumptuous Small Plates events!).

A couple of days later, on November 4th, Broadcom host Melissa D. wanted to push her team out of their comfort zone, and give them something they wouldn’t be used to. With a Cupcake Wars baking competition, boy did she accomplish her goals! Lead Chef Carolyn reported that though the 32 men in this group were a little hesitant at first, it didn’t take long for them to get into it. She added that they had a lot of fun and got very creative. And from the photos (some pictured here), you would think these were professional bakers! It can’t get any better than a perfect score on our post-event survey!

That same day, a group from the Hewlett Foundation participated in a Chef’s Table group cooking event. Host Christine T. explains, “I had never done a cooking class with a group before this, so I was a little nervous about how it would work – turned out great! It was lots of fun, food was great. I’d say it was definitely a success!” She knew she wanted to host a hands-on cooking event, and went with Parties That Cook after seeing our reviews. She added that “The food was so good! Maybe too good… We were completely stuffed by the end!” Still, I must say thanks for taking that leap of faith, Christine! I’m glad we delivered “A positive experience, from beginning to end.”

The third and final event of the day was held in a gorgeous private home with Align Technology, Inc. Host Tina B. opted for a Chef’s Table after deciding that Parties That Cook had the “best of what [she] saw both in terms of referrals and online menus.” After the event, she commented that the event “was very successful. We had a lot of fun and the team was great. The chef was perfect.” Nicely done, Scott! It’s great to hear that we live up to expectations!

Rounding out this blog post, we have a Chicago Kitchen Challenge event for Pepsi Co. Host Linda B. actually found us by searching the internet for “team building events“! LOVE IT. According to all-star Lead Chef Heidi, “Clients loved it! The host, Linda, must’ve said a dozen times, ‘this is awesome’. She was happy with the party from the moment that they arrived, and all the guests were thrilled at the end of the night.” Linda herself echoed the report, saying, “The night was great everything exceeded our expectations. Heidi and the team were awesome leaders. The event was successful because of their leadership but also because we all came to have fun.” Fantastic!

If you would like to see your event featured in a Parties That Cook blog, let us know! We’d be delighted to whip up something about your event for your company newsletter or team email!

Happy Holidays!

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