[Step-By-Step] Hosting Effective Team Building Cooking Classes

Team building exercises are effective for keeping employees engaged professionally. According to research, companies that employ a fully-engaged workforce have the potential to generate twice the revenue.

Team building activities are essential for improving employee communication, motivation, and collaboration. As the Methodist minister Halford E. Luccock once said, “No one can whistle a symphony. It takes a whole orchestra to play it”.

When we talk about team building, many businesses often consider outdoor games like scavenger hunts and trust exercises. But a cooking class team building session offers a more creative route for your clients to try and engage their employees. 

How to Plan and Organize a Successful Team-Building Cooking Class

Everyone has a different and very personal relationship with food. Team-building cooking classes allow your clients’ employees to take creative charge and express what food means to them. People from different cultures can take this opportunity to share the food of their heritage while learning something new about cooking. In addition, it helps improve collaborative skills between colleagues. 

Preparing food together can foster interpersonal relationships among employees, widen their palates, and bring a culturally-diverse workforce closer together. So, how do you organize a cooking class that can help your customers achieve these goals? Here are a few tips to help you out:

• Define the Objectives and Goals

What is the goal of the corporate team-building event? Is it to celebrate an employee’s promotion or retirement, for employees to catch up outside of work hours, or to get a newly-hired workforce comfortable with each other? The desired outcomes will help you provide the perfect corporate event that can help the team meet their objectives.

Whatever the motivations are, it’s best to note them down so you can maintain your focus on the mission and plan the event accordingly for the client. Keep the team aligned to that goal and take note of any constraints as well. For example, have you been asked to follow a set budget and timeframe for the activity?

• Choose the Right Venue and Menu

It’s important to choose a location that everyone can reach easily. Once you have decided what type of cooking class you want to arrange, you can narrow down your list of possible venues accordingly. 

Think about whether it is better to arrange it in a proper cooking studio or a restaurant? If you’re dealing with a large team, choose a culinary school or a studio as they are likely to be better able to cater to the group. These venues have the proper tools and resources to help you run a successful team-building cooking class.

It's also important to make everyone feel included, so make sure that you pick a menu that works for all. Take note of everyone’s health issues, food allergies, dietary preferences, and religious principles. Ask the necessary questions to learn about everyone’s requirements beforehand and ask for special requests.

• Hire Experienced Instructors and Assistants

A lot can go wrong when people don’t know their way around a kitchen. To ensure that things run smoothly, make sure to have a team of experienced food instructors and assistants to guide the team through the process.

They will help them use the correct techniques, avoid food hygiene issues and help everyone use potentially dangerous implements safely. 

• Create Engaging and Interactive Activities

Your client will not derive the best outcomes from a simple cooking class; you need to add an element of challenge to make it interesting and worthwhile. Hold little competitions and keep the team entertained with some light-hearted humor. 

You can also consult with the customer to add incentives for the winners ranging from additional annual leave to company swag. This will encourage everyone to participate and make it more memorable for the team.

• Provide the Necessary Equipment and Supplies

Ensure that everything needed to pull off a good, orderly cooking class is provided to the team. Include all the necessary kitchen tools and ingredients. Finalize the menu early so there’s ample time to get everything in order.

Why Should Your Customers Attend Team Building Cooking Classes?

Cooking classes tend to bring out something primal in everyone. As a cooking business owner, you can invite your clients and their guests to experience the art of cooking in a fun, competitive environment conducive to learning and collaboration. Here are the benefits of attending team-building cooking classes:

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Enhancing Communication and Collaboration

In the kitchen, everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. The team is given a meal that they have to prepare by working together. They delegate the tasks needed to get the job done by playing to everyone’s strengths. This enhances interpersonal communication among participants and promotes effective teamwork.

Boosting Morale and Camaraderie

When facing a challenge as part of a team, attendees have a united focus to get the job done. This brings them together in a collaborative manner, each working for the good of the whole group. Make it into a fun competition and commend every success to really boost the morale of the team.

Encouraging Creativity and Innovation

The kitchen is a great place to showcase your creative side; an opportunity many employees don’t often get in their workplace. Participants get to experiment with different cooking styles and ingredients to create what they love.

Developing Social Skills

A hands-on cooking class can be a great way for employees to connect outside of the workplace. This team-building activity can encourage them to communicate openly, improve their listening skills, and learn more about their colleagues as people.

Tips for Making the Most of a Team-Building Cooking Class

A team-building cooking class isn’t just about getting employees to create a delicious meal. Your clients want their workers to gain the benefits from this collaborative task and take their enhanced skills back into the working environment. Here are important tips to keep your team-building cooking class on track:

• Encourage Teamwork and Cooperation

Turn it into a team activity by dividing everyone into groups. This will encourage them to delegate tasks, exhibit leadership, and work together to achieve one goal. Everyone will have a special role depending on their strengths. This fosters an aura of camaraderie and enables effective communication and problem-solving skills to prevail.

• Allow for Flexibility and Adaptability

Don’t make these classes a burden on any of the participants. It should be a leisure activity that everyone would love to attend of their own volition. Recommend holding the class during work hours to ensure everyone can join in. People have commitments after work, including spending time with their families. So, if this activity puts anyone out, it won’t make for a happy environment.

• Foster a Positive and Supportive Environment

Food is a great way to bring everyone together. Make sure everyone feels included and their respective cultures/religious beliefs are respected. 

Create interesting cooking games like providing attendees with a mystery box, where the ingredients are revealed to everyone at the start and they have to make something from them in a limited amount of time, to make the experience fun and exciting. Make sure the chefs and assistants are there to guide everyone and offer support throughout the class.

Give everyone a chance to contribute and put their culinary skills to the test. Use positive reinforcement and words of affirmation to nurture a more positive and safe environment.    

• Celebrate the Success and Achievements of the Team

The key to an effective team-building cooking class is to improve everyone’s self-esteem. For some people, cooking can be an entirely new experience and they might feel intimidated.

Establish milestones throughout the process and commend the participants when they achieve them. This can improve morale significantly and make people feel comfortable.

FAQs

How long does a team-building cooking class typically last?

Team-building cooking classes typically last 2-3 hours. The first half of the class is spent cooking the meal and engaging in fun corporate team-building activities. The second half is spent enjoying the meals each of the teams made and sharing your experience.

What activities can you add to a team-building cooking class?

To keep the spirits high, team-building cooking classes typically include activities like pairing off the members and having the teams compete against one another. You can make it into a fun mystery box challenge. To achieve success, the employees will have to use key leadership, communication, and time management skills, creating an environment of camaraderie and teamwork.

Can you hold a virtual team-building cooking class?

Cooking business owners offer virtual team-building cooking classes on class-scheduling software platforms like Zoom. The participants are typically sent all the necessary ingredients and tools, including custom company items like branded utensils and aprons. They prepare the dishes from their homes following the chef’s instructions. However, not everyone will have a smooth streaming experience and there can be a lot of miscommunication.

Conclusion

Team-building cooking classes and similar creative activities have been shown to increase employee engagement, promote diversity, and build a stronger workplace culture. Using our handy tips, you can plan and host effective cooking class team-building sessions to bring the best out of your customers.

In order to make the process of providing these classes to clients more simple and effective, check out GetOccasion. It is an online platform that automates the booking and ticket selling process for classes. 

References and Further Reading

• Team Building Statistics: Effectiveness and Engagement in 2023
• How Much To Charge For An Art Workshop? – Definitive Guide
• Our Top 11 Creative Workshop Ideas For Adults
• [Full Guide] What Is The Best Class Scheduling Software?
• 79 Insanely Fun Team Building Activities, Games, & Exercises For Work In 2023 (Not “Trust Falls”)