KNIFE-TO-KNIFE CHALLENGE
Two (or
more) corporate teams battle it out, Iron Chef style, using the
pre-chosen mystery ingredient, while a very opinionated panel of chefs judges
best-of-the-best based on taste, presentation and teamwork.
Even if
participants’ cooking skills are limited to nothing more than pushing a few
buttons on a microwave, they will find a Culinary Team Building event both fun
and educational. Our clients are continually amazed at the quality and
presentation of the gourmet meals they create without any previous cooking
experience!
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Timeframe: 3¼ hours
Agenda: 30 minutes Meet & Greet with Chef’s Choice Hors d’oeuvres & Drinks
15 minutes Welcome! Safety & Knife Skills Orientation
1½ Hours Hands-On Cooking
1 Hour Enjoy Dinner & Socializing
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Each pre-chosen group picks a name, and assigns a chef de cuisine and sous chef. Each group is given the same mystery ingredient. Their challenge is to conceive and create an appetizer, entrée and sides from its contents, having the mystery ingredient be prominent. For the Knife-to-Knife Challenge, we will provide the dessert.This activity is competitive, and teams are judged based on Best Tasting Food, Best Food Presentation, and Best Use of Resources (e.g., who creates the least amount of waste, who retains the most "Gourmet Bucks" – currency used to purchase food consultation and equipment), and most importantly, Best Teamwork.
The Knife-to-Knife
Challenge is best suited for :
• Company teams wanting to stimulate creativity and innovation
• Sales teams
• Executive teams executing strategic planning
Some past mystery ingredients have been:
PASSION PLATE
Passion Plate is an all-for-one & one-for-all effort where all team members work together to prepare a 4-course meal, comprised of an appetizer, salad or soup, an entrée with sides and dessert.
Even if participants’ previous cooking skills have been limited to using a microwave, they will find Culinary Team Building both fun and educational. We are dedicated to participants learning skills they can carry back to the workplace, as well as their own kitchen.
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Timeframe: 3 hours
Agenda: 30 minutes Meet & Greet with Chef’s Choice Hors d’oeuvres & Drinks
15 minutes Welcome! Safety & Knife Skills Orientation
1¼ Hours Hands-On Cooking
1 Hour Enjoy Dinner & Socializing
With the Passion Plate format, groups work collaboratively to create a gourmet menu that they’ll enjoy together. Once the cooking is complete… it’s time for your team to relax. Our chefs will plate and serve you the gourmet meal you’ve created while you enjoy the fruits of your labors.
It's during dinner when the real team building occurs. This is the
"magic time"—when everyone starts sharing about who they really are
when not a company employee. To reinforce this experience participants are
asked to discover the meaning of the exercise, what they’ve learned from it,
and how to apply it to their current working world.
Some Passion Plate menu choices are:
SMALL PLATES, BIG TASTES
Working in small groups of 4 or 5, team members will
be creating a selection of Spanish Tapas, Greek Mezethes, Italian Antipasti or an eclectic selection of small plates from Lebanon, Japan, Tunisia, Turkey, and around the world. No matter, all their senses, problem solving, timing and communication skills will be put to the test as they organize themselves and the timing of their dishes to assure that everything is ready to eat on-time, and in time for each course.
The food preparation for Small Plates, Big
Tastes lasts for approximately 75 minutes. And at last, it’s time to admire
the fruits of your labors ~ a meal worthy of a fine restaurant.
It's during dinner when the real team building occurs. Now the ice has broken
and a new paradigm of behavior has begun, people bond even further while dining
together. This is the "magic time"—when everyone starts sharing about
who they really are when not a company employee.
To reinforce this experience participants are asked to discover the meaning of the exercise, what they’ve learned from it, and how to apply it to their current working world.
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Timeframe: 3 hours
Agenda: 30 minutes Meet & Greet with Chef’s Choice Hors d’oeuvres & Drinks
15 minutes Welcome! Safety & Knife Skills Orientation
1¼ Hours Hands-On Cooking
1 Hour Enjoy Dinner & Socializing
For groups up to 20 guests, select 4 Small
Plates
For groups of 21-35 guests, select 6 Small Plates
For groups of 36+ guests, select 7 Small Plates
For larger groups, please contact us
Small Plates, Big Tastes is priced from $89 per
person.
All prices are inclusive of food, staff, site rental , 2 drinks per person and non-alcoholic beverages.
FARE TO SHARE
A delicious and philanthropic way to build strong teams while giving back to your local community, this team-building workshop includes donating to the charitable organization of your choice. Your teams create additional portions from any of our team-building workshops, package them up for travel, and deliver them to your charitable organization. You also share a few words about the benefiting families who you’re feeding in order to experience a deep and meaningful connection with powerful insights of gratitude and responsibility.
Fare to Share creates the opportunity to build your team from within, while feeding families in need from within the communities you serve.
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Timeframe: 3¼ - 3¾ hours
Agenda: 30 minutes Meet & Greet with Chef’s Choice Hors d’oeuvres & Drinks
15 minutes Welcome! Safety & Knife Skills Orientation
1½-2 Hours Hands-On Cooking
1 Hour Enjoy Dinner & Socializing
Outcomes:
CHILI COOK-OFF
Think you've got the best Chili recipe in the West?
Working in groups of 4-6 you'll want to put on your cowboy hats and boots and prove it! With a little friendly competition, and a lot of cumin, chili powder, beans (or not!), beef, elk, buffalo,chicken, a multitude of veggies, a whole bunch of secret ingredients we're going to battle it out for the Best Chili in the Foothills! While your chili's simmering, we'll give you a kickin' cornbread recipe to make as an accompaniment.
This is an ideal workshop for a group looking for camaraderie building and mild competition.
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Timeframe: 3¼ hours
Agenda: 30 minutes Meet & Greet with Chef’s Choice Hors d’oeuvres & Drinks
15 minutes Welcome! Safety & Knife Skills Orientation
1½ Hours Hands-On Cooking
1 Hour Enjoy Dinner & Socializing
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Timeframe: 3¼ hours
Agenda: 30 minutes Meet & Greet with Chef’s Choice Hors d’oeuvres & Drinks
15 minutes Welcome! Safety & Knife Skills Orientation
1½ Hours Hands-On Cooking
1 Hour Enjoy Dessert & Socializing
BASTA PASTA! CHALLENGE
Think you can make the best pasta sauce this side of Rome? Prove it!!
After a brief lesson in making fresh pasta you'll make your own fabulous batch of pasta and a winning sauce to go with it! Maybe gorgeous Egg Pasta with a Rich Meat Sauce, Spinach Pasta with a Butternut Squash sauce, or maybe stunning pink Beet Ravioli with Ricotta & Pine Nut Filling? The possibilities are endless...
Working in groups of 4-6 you'll want to put on your best Italian accents and with a little friendly competition (or not), some homemade Caesar Salad, the most garlicky Garlic Bread in Denver, some good red wine and a lot of fun you'll create what just might be the best pasta meal you've ever had!
We'll end our meal with some Chef-made biscotti and coffee.
This is an ideal workshop for a group looking for camaraderie building and mild competition.
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Timeframe: 3¼ hours
Agenda: 30 minutes Meet & Greet with Chef’s Choice Hors d’oeuvres & Drinks
15 minutes Welcome! Safety & Knife Skills Orientation
1½ Hours Hands-On Cooking
1 Hour Enjoy Dinner & Socializing
HAVE AN IDEA FOR YOUR OWN TEAM BUILDING?
Do you have an idea for a type of Team Building Workshop that you'd like to do with us? Please, call us and let us know. We'd be happy to but together a customized exercise for you!