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Culinary Team Building with Cuisine Karen
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Gourmet French Cuisine in a social and fun atmosphere
You will be welcomed to La Lavande, the Provençal-style home of Patrice & Karen Gros in Eureka Springs, Arkansas to experience Culinary Team Building, a management optimization tool that enhances teamwork, builds morale, and reinforces cooperation.
French Culinary Instructor, Karen Gros of Cuisine Karen, will guide and assist your group with the preparation of a multi-course seasonal menu.
Groups of 6 to 12 participants may be accommodated for a Culinary Team Building event.
Everyone will play an active role
You will divide into teams ahead of time, and Cuisine Karen will assign tasks in order to ensure that everyone will have ample opportunity for “hands on” cooking, as well as to experience the detail of each dish, and understand how the entire meal is prepped, cooked, presented and served.
When all is ready, relax together and enjoy the wonderful meal
with a glass of well-matched wine
Together, you prepare the meal from start to finish, set the table, present & serve the meal. You may then enjoy and contemplate your creations during a sit-down luncheon complete with a glass of wine. The wine is chosen to specifically complement the meal. The meal concludes in the French style with a cup of coffee and square of dark chocolate served after dessert. Everyone then pitches in for a quick clean-up.
Event duration is 5 hours, 9:30am – 2:30pm
What to Expect ~ Menus ~ Price Chart ~ Terms & Conditions ~ Photo Gallery
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What to Expect
The Day of Your Culinary Team-Building Event
The Cuisine Karen Culinary Team-Building Experience begins with your participants arriving at 9:30am at La Lavande, the private residence of Patrice & Karen Gros in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. If it is gardening season, the participants are welcomed with a brief tour of the surrounding Patou's Gardens with special emphasis on the culinary herbs. The group then settles into the kitchen for a cup of freshly brewed coffee and to begin cooking.
The group will have been formed into teams by your staff before the start of the event, and your group organizer will have chosen a team leader or “chef de cuisine.” Your culinary instructor, Karen Gros, will assign the tasks to each group.
• Everyone is presented with an apron and dishtowel to use during the class.
• Participants are asked to wash their hands before starting. The program begins with a brief, but important orientation, including safety lessons, use of equipment, and basic knife skills. The menu, as well as the sequence of events and timing of each dish, will be discussed.
• The teams will begin preparation of the meal, employing their assigned tasks. Chef Karen will lead the teams through the process; and instruct, support and guide them to produce an excellent gourmet meal. Team members will find themselves chopping, sautéing, mincing, whipping, measuring, folding, preparing the table, and/or washing the dishes.
• Sometimes problems arise in cooking, no matter how efficient the team. Cooking is a chemistry which is often unforgiving. Food can burn or curdle, but these breakdowns can be opportunities for learning, for innovating and redesigning. Often, many dishes can be saved or turned into a new, equally delicious recipe. Two famous recipes, Fudge and French Apple Tart, were created by “mistakes.” Chef Karen will assist you in rescuing or transforming your dish, if some such incident occurs.
• Your outcome has been achieved!! You have worked together to create a delicious and beautiful 4-course gourmet meal. You may now savor your very successful group effort. You will present each dish by course, as in the French tradition, in order to indulge each creation with the proper attention and appreciation. You will be served a glass of wine specifically chosen to complement this meal.
• It's during the mealtime when bonding occurs. Now that the ice has been broken and a new paradigm of behavior has begun, people begin the bonding period while breaking bread together. This is the “magic time” ~ when everyone starts sharing about who they are, when they are just people and not a company employee.
• Conclude the meal in the French style with a cup of coffee or tea. Everyone then pitches in for a quick clean-up. |
What to Expect ~ Menus ~ Price Chart ~ Terms & Conditions ~ Photo Gallery
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Menus
The proposed French menus focus on local fresh seasonal food, whenever possible, with menus designed to teach and inspire each participant, as well as provide delicious enjoyment.
Currently in season and available locally: spinach, winter greens, collards, beets, turnips, cilantro, lettuce, lamb, chicken, rabbit. The menus below include some of these locally produced items, as well as traditional late winter-early spring recipes.
Menu 1
Blue cheese tartlets & slow roasted tomatoes
Mediterranean baked chicken, arugula & olives
served with white wine sauce & roasted potatoes
Salad & cheese course
Vacherin ~ French meringue with fresh berries,
red raspberry sauce & whipped cream
Menu 2
Savory greens & gruyère tart
Braised rabbit with Dijon mustard sauce, carrots & olives
served with asparagus & egg noodles
Salad & cheese course
Floating Islands in vanilla crème anglaise Menu 3
Spring greens soup w/homemade crème fraîche
Beef tenderloin w/spinach-Dijon filling wrapped in pastry
served with sautéed asparagus, peppers & shaved parmesan
Salad & cheese course
Flan au caramel
Menu 4
Celery root rémoulade
Provençal lamb roast with port wine sauce
served with carrots, zucchini & miniature potatoes
Salad & cheese course
Lavender tarte au chocolat
Menu 5
Mushroom & celery salad w/Dijon vinaigrette
Daube Provençal ~ slowly braised beef in red wine
with vegetables & miniature potatoes
Salad & cheese course
Spinach & pine nut torte à la Niçoise
Price Chart
The prices are based in US dollars starting in July, 2006. Groups smaller than six may participate; however, the minimum charge is $1,050.
The price is all inclusive, and covers shopping, ingredients, instruction, supervision and assistance, task list, recipes and instructions, as well as use of the facility La Lavande. The price is based on a 4-course Gourmet French menu, including 1 glass of wine per person, as well as freshly baked bread from Little Bread Company to accompany the meal.
What to Expect ~ Menus ~ Price Chart ~ Terms & Conditions ~ Photo Gallery
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Terms & Conditions
- Prices: The prices are based in US dollars starting in July, 2006. The price is all inclusive; and covers shopping, ingredients, instruction, supervision and assistance, task list, recipes and instructions, as well as use of the facility La Lavande. The price is based on a 4-course Gourmet French menu, including 1 glass of wine per person, as well as freshly baked bread from Little Bread Company to accompany the meal.
- Billing conditions: To reserve, 30% of the total bill will be required. The remainder of the bill must be paid the day of the event. The exact number of participants must be confirmed at least one week in advance of the cooking event. The final bill will be based on this number of confirmed participants.
- Making Your Reservation: Reservations for a Culinary Team Building event must be placed at least three weeks in advance of date of cooking event. In order to best satisfy your needs, it is recommended to reserve at the earliest possible date. Whichever menu you choose, the appetizer, entrée, salad course, and dessert will be the same for all guests. In order to maintain high quality and freshness of proposed products, Karen maintains close contacts with local producers and suppliers, and thus reserves the right to modify the menu or certain selections depending upon availability and quality.
- Cancellation Policy: In the event of the cancellation of a Culinary Team Building event, refund of the deposit will be calculated upon the following conditions:
- Cancellations up to one month before date of cooking event:
100% of deposit will be refunded.
- Cancellations between 2-4 weeks before date of cooking event:
50% of deposit will be refunded.
- Cancellations less than two weeks before date of cooking event:
No refund of deposit.
In event of cancellation on the part of Cuisine Karen due to illness, accident, other personal trauma, or external hazard, you will be given the choice of a 100% refund of your deposit or to reschedule your cooking event.
What to Expect ~ Menus ~ Price Chart ~ Terms & Conditions ~ Photo Gallery
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