We offer some very creative, inventive classes!  We work with you to select a chef, as well as a cusine or theme.  We also offer wine tastings and "stainless steel chef competitions".  Our hands-on classes are the most popular and most conducive to team-building.  However, depending on your needs, we can also offer meeting facilities, private breakfast/lunch/dinner facilities, or space for a unique cocktail party. 

Group Size

mise en place: A unique approach to learning.

Team building and employee relations: Let mise en place design a program that's perfect for you

Titles, experience, and age, all the things that establish boundaries in a corporate environment disappear once your employees walk through mise en place's doors. Our programs are developed to create a level playing field where every person is an equally important member of the team regardless of what role they play in your organization.

Example: Building camaraderie in the kitchen

Ever notice when you host a party, how your guests inevitably gather in the kitchen?  Complete strangers seem to bond quickly over their common interest in food.  Whether it's an informal gathering or a structured learning experience, mise en place knows that being in the kitchen is a sure way to create interactivity among your employees.  Having them prepare a meal together teaches your staff how to work together towards a common goal. 

For H+L Architecture, mise en place created a program that divided participants into groups with each one responsible for different component of the meal. With the help of the guest chef, teams worked together to execute their menu item and the meal as a whole.

In this exercise, team members learn to interact, and to incorporate their strengths and weaknesses to develop the best end product.  What they don't know, they learn by asking questions, by relying on each other, and by risking and trying. Some will succeed, and some will fail, but it is up to each team to work together to create an end result they are happy with and that will be served to everyone as their contribution to the group dinner.

By being outside of their organizational structure and comfort zone, employees are given the opportunity to get to know one another for who they truly are, not for the positions they hold.  Individuals not only learn skills applicable to their day-to-day responsibilities but also, learn how to relate with each other in a way that may be different from how they've interacted before.  Such lessons improve team morale and dynamics and are sure to benefit your organization.

mise en place: A unique approach to learning

Management/leadership development: Let mise en place design a program that's perfect for you

As in any business, the preparation and execution of a meal served at a restaurant involves teamwork orchestrated by a well-trained leader. Effective leaders are crucial to an organization's success. Skills like communicating effectively, the ability to disseminate information, motivating and managing employees and leading by example are all critical dimensions needed in your leaders of tomorrow.

Example:  Commanding your staff like a "top chef"

"Too many chefs in the kitchen can spoil a good broth". A well-run kitchen is commanded by one person and one person only.  And like the conductor of a great symphony, it is the chef's responsibility to leverage the unique talents of his team to create a harmonious meal. A good leader is only as good as the people on his/her team.  And so it is up to him/her to know the strengths and weaknesses of each of his team members and to find a way to build synergy among the group that benefits the organization.

mise en place recognizes the importance of a good leader and uses techniques of the trade to teach leadership skills to its students by placing them in situations where they are educated on essential skills such as communicating and problem solving.

For Medtronic, mise en place developed a program for its new sales managers that taught them basic leadership skills by having them work together to execute an entire menu around one ingredient - polenta.  One team created polenta in various forms to be used in a variety of applications by the other teams. Since each team relied on the "core team" for an essential ingredient, it required precision timing with other teams as well as coordination and communication within each team. In this exercise, team leaders not only learned how to utilize individual team talents to prepare the base ingredient of the meal but also, learned how to understand the needs of the other groups so that they ensured proper delivery of their required ingredients on time.  Here employees learn to listen, to understand and to communicate with their staff and colleagues in an effort to anticipate and remedy problems.  They learn how to think on their feet and how to allocate resources to meet their goals.  All skills that will be required in their new management roles in their organization.

mise en place: A unique approach to learning

Executive training: Let mise en place design a program that's perfect for you

Across industries, certain fundamental skills are essential to employees' success in managing the day-to-day requirements of their jobs. Whether your employees hold positions in IT, Finance, Sales, General Management, Human Resources, or other fields, fundamental skills include the ability to:

• Communicate effectively
• Deliver a successful end product
• Sell a concept in one minute or less
• Manage customers' expectations
• Manage and motivate employees
• Work in a high pressure environment
• Effectively participate on a team
• Keep within budget
• Execute several tasks at the same time
• Stay ahead of the competition
• Complete a project on time

The same can be said for employees in the culinary world. Owners of restaurants and chefs must know how to:

• Describe their service/product
• Effectively Communicate in a way that grabs the interest and appeal of their audience
• Manage and motivate their staff
• Be a team player
• Orchestrate a complex project
• Present and deliver a world class product/service
• Deliver meals in a timely manner
• Exceed customers' expectations
• Thrive in a high pressure environment
• Continually improve skills
• Stay within budget

Using the common language of food, mise en place's classes teach your employees the skills they need to get their jobs done but in a completely different way. mise en place incorporates the techniques used in culinary training, to teach your employees the fundamental skills required in a restaurant kitchen. Because these skills are learned in a unique way, training is more impactful.  Such training, allows employees to take what they've learned in the kitchen and apply it to their jobs, ultimately increasing productivity.

Example: Selling effectively through the art of presentation

Executing a recipe is one thing, but preparing a dish that is outstanding in taste and presentation is another. And selling it to your customers is yet another.  A product is nothing without sales and promotion.  mise en place teaches your employees the art of selling, by creating programs that illustrate how to sell their menus and their end creations to their colleagues through the power of visual and verbal presentation.

Example: Learning to master deadlines through menu execution

Coordinating an entire menu so that all dishes are completed at the same time regardless of their complexity is a challenge that must be mastered in the kitchen. mise en place, through the exercise of having your employees work together to prepare multi-course meal, reinforces the basic principles and necessity of adhering to a project schedule.

Special facilities

mise en place has a 42" video monitor available to provide close-ups of the chef demonstration.  This monitor can be attached to a laptop for Powerpoint presentations.  We also offer wireless microphone capabilities for larger groups.  mise en place offers catering for your corporate events / meetings.

Instructors

Paula Lueske, owner/chef of mise en place teaches the corporate team building and project management classes.  Paula has a culinary degree but has spent the last 20 years in the IT/Training/Software industry.  She has been involved in technical engineering, sales & sales management.  She also has a degree in Computer Science from the University of Kansas.  Paula has the unique advantage of having worked in the corporate environment and being able to convey strategic messages in a fun environment!  Alternatively, you can have a team building cooking class and any of our chefs may be available to teach.