Striving to Build Communities Through Cooking

At Parties That Cook, we strive to build communities in the kitchen and actively participate in our community. We partner with various local food and small business organizations. We are committed and proud to donate annually to over 50 non-profit and charitable organizations.

Women's Initiative for Self Employment

Parties That Cook hosted the Third Annual Cooking Up Success for Women’s Initiative, a cooking party fundraiser, on Wednesday, April 18, 2012 at The Ferry Building in San Francisco. Like the previous Cooking Up Success for Women's Initiative events on February 2, 2011, and March 26, 2010, all event proceeds go to Women’s Initiative for Self-Employment, a non-profit organization that provides education and microloans to more than 22,000 low-income women in the Bay Area to enable them to become entrepreneurs. After a short cooking demonstration by Parties That Cook founder and Women's Initiative Board Member, Bibby Gignilliat, the group was divided into teams to prepare the evening's menu of international tapas. Guests mingled with program graduates at a "marketplace" featuring their products, and listened to an inspiring speech by Azalina Eusope on her journey through the program and success after graduating. Women's Initiative Board Chair, Nancy Sheppard, presented their “Recipe for Success,” sharing heartwarming stories of how they’ve revitalized the Bay Area community for 24 years. The proceeds from the event came to over $17,500, enough to put 18 women through the program.

Fundraising Spotlight - Room to Read

Parties That Cook made its largest charitable contribution to date by donating a hands-on cooking event - Cooking for a Cause benefiting Room to Read. Parties That Cook teamed up with Crushpad Winery and invited 170 guests to tour the winery, sample original Crushpad wines and experience a lively interactive cooking event led by Parties That Cook professional chefs. After a short cooking demonstration by Bibby Gignilliat, featuring fun kitchen tips and tricks, the group was divided into teams to prepare the evening's menu inspired by the flavors of Southeast Asia, India and Africa, countries that Room to Read serves. Room to Read CEO, John Wood, was present throughout the event and shared the organization's compelling story.

All ticket purchases and proceeds went directly to Room to Read. In total, we raised $25,813 to support girls' education in the developing world, providing scholorships for 103 girls to attend school for an entire year.

Special thanks to Crushpad Winery, Whole Foods, Abbey Party Rentals, JAZ Equipment Rentals, Coast Rent-A-Truck, Soulflower Floral Design and Equator Coffee for their support.

Charitable Giving

We are proud to donate to the following organizations.

Adopt A Family Marin - www.adoptafamily.org
Amercan Cancer Society Relay for Life - http://www.relayforlife.org
American Red Cross - http://www.redcross.org
The American Red Cross of Greater Chicago - www.chicagoredcross.org
Argonne Elementary School - http://www.argonnesf.org
Asylum Access - www.asylumaccess.org
Aurora Theatre Company - www.auroratheatre.org
Bay Area Make-A-Wish Foundation - www.makewish.org
BALRA, Bay Area Legal Recruiters Association - www.balra.org
Big Brothers, Big Sisters of the Bay Area - www.bbbsba.org
Blind Babies Foundation - www.blindbabies.org
blueEnergy - www.blueenergygroup.org
Cathedral School for Boys - www.cathedralschool.net
Center for Early Intervention on Deafness - www.ceid.org
The Chicago Chamber Musicians - www.chicagochambermusic.org
Chicago Lights - www.chicagolights.org
City of Dreams - www.city-of-dreams.org
City of Hope - www.cityofhope.org
Clayton Valley Music Boosters - www.claytonbands.org/music-boosters
Creative Play Center - www.creativeplaycenter.org/
CUESA - www.cuesa.org
Dianne Feinstein Elementary School
Dolores Community Youth Alliance - www.sfdcya.org
Dress for Success - www.dressforsuccess.org
Flowers Heritage Foundation - www.flowersheritagefoundation.org
Freedom House - http://www.freedom-house.us.com
The Friends of Alamo Foundation - www.friendsofalamo.org
Girls on th Run - www.girlsontherun.org
Great Oakland Public Schools - www.gopublicschools.org
Hedge Frunds Care - www.hedgefundscare.org
Hillsides - www.hillsides.org
Hometown America Foundation - www.hometownamericafoundation.org
The Imagine Bus Project - http://www.imaginebusproject.org
International Association of Culinary Professionals - www.iacp.com
Italian American Chamber of Commerce - www.iacc-chicago.com
Japanese Bilingual Bicultural Program - www.clarendonjbbp.org
Junior League of San Francisco - http://www.jlsf.org
Lance Armstrong Foundation - www.livestrong.org
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Foundation - www.leukemia-lymphoma.org
Lincoln Park Young Professionals - www.lp-yp.com
Macy's Passport Ebay Auction (HIV/AIDS)
Make-A-Wish Foundation of Illinois - http://www.wishes.org
Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Bay Area - http://www.sfwish.org
March of Dimes - http://marchofdimes.com
Marin Primary and Middle School - www.mpms.org
MCSD, Marin Country Day School - www.mcds.org
Mission Graduates - www.missiongraduates.org
Mills College Children's School - www.mills.edu/campus_life/childrens_school
Montclair Elementary - www.montclairelementaryschool.org
Nest Seattle - www.nestseattle.org
New Leaders Initiative - http://www.broweryouthawards.org
Northwest Children's Fund - www.nwcf.org
Our Lady of Loretto School - www.ollnovato.org
Pathways for Kids - www.pathwaysforkids.org
PCMA - Pacific Northwest Chapter - www.pcma.org/Chapters/Pacific-Northwest
PCV, Pacific Community Ventures - www.pacificcommunityventures.org
Pennsylvannia St. Garden - www.pennsylvaniagarden.blogspot.com
Pleasanton Mothers Club - http://www.pleasantonmothersclub.org
Project by Project - www.projectbyproject.org
Raphael House Shelter - www.raphaelhouse.org
Redwood High School Baseball
The Redwoods - www.theredwoods.org
Refugee Transitions - www.reftrans.org
Reutlinger Community for Jewish Living - www.rcjl.org
Room to Read - www.roomtoread.org
The San Francisco Court Appointed Special Advocates Program - http://www.sfcasa.org
Seattle Children's Home -  www.seattlechildrenshome.org
Sequoia Parents' Nursery School - www.SPNS.us
SF Aids Foundation - www.sfaf.org
SF CASA, Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children - www.sfcasa.org
SFCVB, San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau - www.sfcvb.org
SF Women Against Rape - www.sfwar.org
Skate or Die Documentary
Slow Food San Francisco - www.slowfoodsanfrancisco.com
Special Olympics Northern California - www.sonc.org
Spinsters of San Francisco - www.sfspinsters.com
Starlight Children's Foundation Midwest - www.starlight-midwest.org
St. Rose Hospital Foundation - www.strosehospital.org
St. Theresa School of Oakland Hills - www.sttheresaschool.org
UC Berkeley Recreational Sports - www.recsports.berkeley.edu
United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Chicago - www.ucpnet.org
Variety Children's Charity - http://www.varietync.org
The Village Well - www.tvwsf.org
Wardrobe for Opportunity - www.wardrobe.org
WCR, Women Chefs & Restaurateurs - www.womenchefs.org
Women's Initiative for Self Employment - www.womensinitiative.org
Youth Leadership Institute - www.yli.org