How do cooking parties work?

Event length: 2 hours for Small Plates and 3 hours for Chef's Table or Kitchen Challenge and 4 hours for The Ultimate Kitchen Challenge
Guests are greeted with an hors d'oeuvre and a festive beverage, mix and mingle while listening to upbeat music.
 
Watch out Food Network! Your Parties That Cook Lead Chef gives a lively and interactive cooking demonstration and reviews some fun cooking tricks.  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 hour of cooking, our chefs are on hand to coach you.
 
Choose the party format that fits your occasion. From our cocktail-style appetizer party, to a sit-down dinner where we serve you, or our extremely popular Iron Chef-style Kitchen Challenge – Parties That Cook takes care of serving and cleaning up so you can enjoy the party!
 
After the party, we will send you the recipes from your party and a link to digital photos to all your guests.

What are the event costs?

Sumptuous Small Plates is $75 per person
Chef’s Table is $95 per person
Kitchen Challenge is $115 per person
Ultimate Kitchen Challenge is $185 per person

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.

Are there any minimums?

Yes. The price minimums are as follows for each event:

Sumptuous Small Plates $1200 (or 16 guests at $75 per person)
Chef’s Table   $1900 (or 20 guests at $95 per person)
Kitchen Challenge  $2300 (or 20 guests at $115 per person)
Ultimate Kitchen Challenge $3700 (or 20 guests at $185 per person)

We can accommodate groups of 1 to 100 as long as the price minimum is met.  

Where can we have our cooking party?

We can stage your cooking party in your home or in rented kitchens (venues) in the San Francisco Bay Area, The Greater Chicago Area, and Los Angeles.

Is the venue included in the event cost?

No. Each venue charges a fee for renting their space. Some venues charge a flat rate and others charge a per hour or a per guest rate.

Is wine provided?

No. We do not provide wine, as we do not have a liquor license, but we will be happy to put you in touch with our wine purveyors who can pair the wines to your menu and deliver the wine to your home or to a venue. You can also bring your own wine and there is no corkage fee.

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?

We do not embed a gratuity to our staff. Service gratuities for our staff are stated on our invoice and are left to your discretion.

Does Parties That Cook take care of party rentals?

For an additional fee, we are happy to order and arrange for delivery of party rental equipment for your event (plates, stemware, tables, chairs, linens, etc.).  We will provide you with an estimated cost for any additional rental items upon booking.

Can we purchase party favors for our guests?

We provide aprons for guests to use while cooking.  Parties That Cook aprons make great party favors for only $12 each, plus applicable sales tax.  These high-quality, durable cotton aprons will be a memento that your guests can use again and again. We also offer fun Parties That Cook Chef Toques.  And best of all, we have our own recipe deck which you can purchase for $17.95 plus tax to give as a fun party favor from your event.

Why should I choose Parties That Cook for our team building event or private party?

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 eight years of experience staging parties and team-building events, we have honed our secret recipe for deliciously fun events!  Our cooking parties and events have been featured in the New York Times, Gourmet Magazine, Daily Candy, 7x7 Magazine (voted Best Way to Party), the Chicago Tribune, Business 2.0 Magazine and on CNBC’s On The Money.  We have been featured on NBC’s Today Show, The Food Network, and in Better Homes and Gardens, Cooking Light and Bon Appetit magazines.
 
Our talented teams of professional chefs are charismatic leaders who present a dynamic interactive cooking experience that will inspire your group to cook up fun and camaraderie in the kitchen.  They are service-oriented leaders and excellent chefs who hail from some of the most respected culinary academies and top restaurants including Wolfgang Puck’s Postrio,  Bradley Ogden’s One Market Restaurant, and Heidi Krahling’s Insalata’s, and Kokkari – just to name a few!
 
We strive to provide excellent customer service, on the phones and at events.  Our No. 1 priority is to provide our clients with a first-class experience.  Just read some of the rave reviews we’ve received!

 
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