corporate event and cooking party FAQs

Thanks very much for the opportunity to answer your questions about how cooking parties and corporate cooking events work. Please contact us personally at 888.907.2665 with any additional questions.

Why should I choose Parties That Cook for our corporate team building event, employee training or private cooking party?

No-Sweat Fun: We are the original cooking party company. Our founder and executive chef, Bibby Gignilliat, created the in-home and rented kitchen cooking party concept in 1999. With our nine years of experience staging private parties and corporate team building events, you can expect a seamless, memorable occasion that your guests will continue to talk about long after the last bite!
 
Expert Instruction: Our talented chefs are charismatic, service-oriented professionals who hail from top restaurants such as Wolfgang Puck’s Postrio, Jardiniere, One Market, and Kokkari. Guests receive expert culinary instruction and answers to cooking questions throughout the event from their professionally trained chefs. They are certain to come away with fabulous tips and tricks that can be used in the kitchen at home.
 
Responsive Service: We strive to provide attentive and prompt customer service, on the phones, via live chat service and at events. We are happy to respond to your recipe and cooking questions. Our No. 1 priority is to provide you and your guests with a first-class experience. Just read some of the rave reviews we’ve received from our clients!

Innovative Menus: Our menus are designed with taste, culinary techniques and accessibility in mind. We combine the freshest seasonal ingredients with gourmet recipes that are simply prepared, so our guests can recreate them in their own homes.

Festive Atmosphere: From music soundtrack to table settings, we take the greatest care in creating a fun, festive party atmosphere for your cooking event. When it comes to selecting a location for your event, Parties That Cook's standards are highly discriminating. We recommend only the most polished professional kitchens, restaurants and wineries, to assure your event is a culinary success.

A High Profile: Our cooking parties and events have been featured in The New York Times, Gourmet, Bon Appetit, Daily Candy, 7x7 magazine (voted Best Way to Party), the Chicago Tribune, Business 2.0 and on CNBC’s On The Money. You can see more of the notices we have received in the press on our media and video page.

Hassle-free Party Planning: Our streamline event planning process means you can plan a party in just 1 hour or less!

We greet guests with hors d'oeuvres and beverages, then welcome everyone to mix and mingle while listening to music tailored to your group.
 
Your Parties That Cook lead chef then presents a lively and interactive cooking demonstration chock full of kitchen tricks and techniques. We take time to respond to your cooking questions. Afterward, guests are divided into teams to create their mouthwatering dishes at fully equipped cooking stations.
 
Each recipe and cooking station has detailed instructions and all of the necessary ingredients and cooking tools. Throughout the cooking, our chefs are on hand to coach you. Parties That Cook takes care of serving and cleaning up so you can enjoy the party!
 
Choose the party format that fits your occasion: Small Plates is a cocktail-style appetizer party (two hours). The Chef’s Table offers a four-course sit-down meal (three hours). The Kitchen Challenge is an Iron Chef-style competition, an extremely popular corporate team building event (three hours). We also offer a Feast of Chocolate and Cheese, dedicated to those two sinfully delicious foods, and an Ultimate Kitchen Challenge, featuring business coach and facilitator Starla Sireno. Chef Demo is an abbreviated cooking demonstration with pre-made food (1 hour). 
 
After the party, we will send all guests all of the recipes you followed, along with a link to digital snapshots of the fun. 

How much does it cost?

Event prices start at $45 per person for cooking demonstrations and $75 per person for hands-on cooking classes. Pricing minimums may apply. Please contact us for more information.

The cost includes our professional culinary instruction, service, menu, recipes, ingredients, music, kitchen equipment, setup, and cleanup. Please note that this does not include the venue rental fee, party rentals, or optional services. Ultimate Kitchen Challenge pricing does include a professional kitchen rental fee.  

Where can we have our cooking party?

We can stage your cooking party in your home or in our cooking event venues and professional scale kitchens in the San Francisco Bay area, the greater Chicago area, and Los Angeles.

Is the venue included in the event cost?

Venue rental is an additional cost and varies depending on the location. 

Is wine permitted?

We welcome you to enjoy wine at your event and are happy to put you in touch with our preferred wine purveyors, who can pair wine selections to your menu and deliver the wine to your location. You can also bring your own wine and there is no corkage fee. Some venues do have restrictions regarding wine and spirits, and we will advise you of the guidelines for your chosen location.

What if someone has dietary restrictions or food allergies?

We understand some of your guests may have food allergies or sensitivities. We are happy to propose menus and/or modify certain recipes to accommodate dietary restrictions with advance notice.

Can we mix and match menus?

We are happy to create a customized menu that draws from our extensive recipe library.  We will do our best to accommodate your requests; however we cannot guarantee availability of all ingredients due to seasonality.

Is gratuity included?

Service gratuities for our staff are stated in our proposals, and are left to your discretion.

Does Parties That Cook take care of party rentals?

We routinely order and arrange for delivery of party rental equipment for your event (plates, stemware, tables, chairs, linens, etc.) as needed. The rentals are a separate charge on your invoice, and we cite this cost ahead of time.

Can we purchase party favors for our guests?