Epic Team Building Events Like No Other
Food Sorcery hosted Texere Publishing Ltd for a bespoke Team Building event like no other, with an outdoor cookery challenge, DJ, bar, evening feast, and a whole load of fun. So how exactly does something like this come together, and how did the day unfold?
Bespoke Event
Seeing what we do at Food Sorcery, HR Manger Tara came to us with their vision for an event that would bring together their workforce and serve as a celebration for their ten year anniversary.
From the first contact the event was built around the needs of the client with a focus on keeping absolutely everybody engaged and entertained throughout the day.
Initially the request was for an event to be held indoors at Booths Hall, this came with challenges so the idea of a team building festival in the stunning grounds of the Hall came together.
Team Name
Almost fifty team members from Texere attended the event, they were divided into five teams, assigned a highly talented and friendly chef from Food Sorcery Cookery School and set their street-food challenge.
Each team would need to prepare and cook a dish under the guidance of their assigned expert chef, decorate their stall, design and produce a menu board, and compete against the other teams to be voted the best street food stall of the day.
The teams approached the challenge in different ways, but the first thing they all had to do was come up with a punchy team name. We had;
Tas ty Thai, Los Ojos, The Kofta Scientists, The Maki Makers, The Paellagists.
Allergies & Preferences
Another issue that needed to be resolved before any cooking could be done, was the need to cater for any dietary requirements. The teams all embraced this test creatively, and came up with delicious alternative dishes to suite everybody’s taste. Once the menus and team names were decided, there were quick discussions about potential allergens and how to negate any risks involved for themselves and their colleagues, before tasks could be assigned by the chefs and team leaders.
Let’s Get Cooking
My particular team, Los Ojos, decided that the best course of action was to have all hands on deck with the food preparation, and then tackle the design and aesthetics aspects later. This involved a quick health and safety briefing regarding the barbecue, a demo on barbecue lighting and some top tips on grilling, before tasks were assigned and the cooking commenced. All the while, we were enjoying the fantastic weather, some ice-cold drinks and a great atmosphere.
The Competition
Not to be out-done by the authentic Sushi, Paella, Koftas or Thai delights on offer, we set about making our soft tacos from scratch, something that surprised and delighted everybody. Los Ojos divided the work between themselves and set about making the dough, chopping salsa, marinating chicken and tofu, and preparing the guacamole. Next came the rolling of the tacos, and cooking them on the blazing hot barbecue. The risk of burning the tacos was overcome with a little guidance from me, and some great grill skills from one of Texere Publishing’s American team members, all whilst the competitiveness was rising alongside some fantastic aromas from the other tents.
Once the prep was done, most of the team shifted focus to designing an appealing and informative menu board, decorating our stall and enticing their colleagues to enjoy some of our fiery tacos.
Two budding chefs stayed behind to man the barbecue and grill the chicken, using temperature probes to ensure that the meat was cooked thoroughly, and I went off to sample some of the competition’s awesome food.
Ready to Eat
The final hurdle was to get fifty portions of food dished up, all at the same time, ready for the feast to begin, and without anything getting cold. Not such an issue for The Maki Makers, but for us it meant coming together in a way that reminded me of a professional kitchen. The team dished up each element in order, finished the food with flair and worked together expertly.
Fantastic Foodie Fun
Everybody really embraced the challenge, and I think it’s fair to say that they all enjoyed cooking, ate amazing food, and learned a thing or two along the way, but that was only half the day done. In the evening they got to enjoy a fabulous curry cooked up by chef Jan, an amazing selection of cocktails made by mixologist Johnny…. And live music from DJ…. all in the stunning grounds of Booths Hall, Knutsford.
To Discuss Ideas call 0161 706 0505 or email mark@foodsorcery.co.uk
