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Confessions of a Parties That Cook Staff Member

0 comments By The Kitchen Whisperer Filed in News & Events Tagged with confessions, corporate event, corporate team building activities, corporate team building activity, event server, event staff, PTC staff, PTC team, reflections, server, teamwork December 20th, 2013 @ 11:02 am

For this round of Parties That Cook “Confessions” we bring you thoughts from one of our event servers. She reflects on the her first impression of PTC, as well as what she’s noticed since joining our team.

Proud Guests

When I first saw the posting that PTC was hiring event servers, I was intrigued. I immediately clicked through to the PTC website and found myself impressed by the concept. Guests work together, sharing ideas and contributing to one goal: making a fantastic meal.

It’s also impressive to see how a woman-owned business has grown into what it is today. PTC is now a private and corporate event powerhouse, well established in 4 major US cities. It’s easy to understand how this happened…
– PTC Founder and CEO, Bibby Gignilliat, is very involved in the company’s operations and direction.
– The hard work and dedication of each member in the PTC family is apparent in the office and at every event.
– Wonderful testimonials from the clients after events means we must be doing something right!

Corporate Team Bonding I have loved being a server for Parties That Cook since October, 2013. With my corporate background, I especially love the idea of bringing colleagues together. Our guests may hold positions at different levels within an organization, and they may or may not work together on a daily basis, but coming to a Parties That Cook event, they will bond. Hands-on cooking is an excellent corporate team building activity for any organization. Connections made, bonds strengthened, and communication improved at a Parties That Cook event will carry over into the office.

Corporate Event Recap: The Amazing Amazon Holiday Party

0 comments By The Kitchen Whisperer Filed in News & Events Tagged with cooking parties, corporate team building, hands-on cooking, holiday event, holiday party, team bonding, team building activities December 13th, 2013 @ 10:21 am

Amazon Holiday Party The holidays are meant for getting together with friends, family, and loved ones — usually over a delicious meal. We spend so much time with colleagues at work, why shouldn’t we take some time to celebrate with them? That’s exactly what Kristen Joy was thinking when she set out to plan a holiday party for her Customer Experience team at Amazon.

Kristen considered many team building activities her colleagues might enjoy: whirlyball, bowling, an in-home cocktail party, and even a fancy dinner out. She was less than impressed. Having experienced one of our events with Amazon in 2012, Kristen remembered how fun it was to cook and dine together. She soon reached out to Parties That Cook to plan a hands-on cooking event for her team.

Fun with Kitchen Utensils

PTC Event Planner, Kelle, helped Kristen hone in on our Chef’s Table Family Style. In this format, the group cooks a delicious meal of several dishes under the guidance of professional chefs. Then, guests sit down together and serve themselves from bountiful platters of delicious food. Team bonding can be found in every stage of the Chef’s Table Family Style, from the collaborative cooking to the helpful passing of platters from guest to guest. According to Kristen, “Planning was easy, and I appreciated Kelle’s patience in working with my schedule. The recipes were simple enough that the cooking was not stressful, but fun and achievable. The dinner was amazing!”

Kristen’s Amazon group brought a fun lightness as they joked about which team was going to make the best dish and got silly in front of the camera. FYI, cooking utensils make fantastic props! Oh, and we can’t forget the White Elephant gift exchange…

White Elephant Exchange
Kristen had organized a White Elephant gift exchange for after the meal. With relaxed guests and amusing gifts, this low-pressure gift exchange resulted in lots of laughter. What a great way to end a fun evening! Given that this was Amazon’s Customer Experience team, we were especially thrilled to learn that we had exceeded their expectations. Kristen noted having “liked the small group size, intimacy, and the ability to get great direction and attention from the chef.” She also “loved the Seattle Wine Outlet, and the family style sit down meal after cooking,” and has already recommended us to friends and family! Thank you, Kristen, for choosing Parties That Cook to help your group celebrate and bond this holiday season.