December 21, 2021 - Coulter Companies Holiday Party

“As a producer of sophisticated nonprofit and corporate events all across the country, our standards for our own company events are exceptionally high. From start to finish, the people of Open Kitchen delivered a truly outstanding experience. The atmosphere was spot-on, the service excellent, the food sublime … on a scale of 1-10, a perfect 10! Open Kitchen was an inspired choice for our corporate event experience.“

Tom Gibson

CEO

The Coulter Companies

Coulter Nonprofit Management

Coulter Events

Coulter Strategy and Innovation

McLean, VA

I worked with Open Kitchen to plan a holiday event for my company, Synaptitude Consulting, an elite management consulting firm that provides business and technology consulting to clients who want to transform and improve their operations. From the idea stage to detailed planning to the event itself, everything was wonderful! Hue-Chan and her team came up with fantastic ideas for an Iron Chef competition, and were flexible in the set-up as we worked together to accommodate our group’s ideas, goals, and food restrictions. During the event it was clear that they’d thought of everything to make it a seamless, fun, and interesting experience for the whole team. Our Iron Chef competition was full of fun, laughter, learning about food safety and cooking skills, and above all, delicious food that we’d made ourselves! We all look forward to returning to Open Kitchen for events and meals in the future.

Laura

Hi Hue-Chan,

The kids had a wonderful time.  I want to thank you and your staff.  Everyone was amazing with the kids.  And, the appetizers were delicious!

Pam

Hue-Chan,

Thank you for hosting a fantastic event for Blackboard. I have been told by several colleagues that it was the BEST  Team-building event they have ever participated in. The entire Open Kitchen staff was awesome and made the event unforgettable for us.

Thanks again for such a fun, memorable night.

Lindsay Burns

Global Events Marketing, Blackboard Inc.

Hue-Chan,

The event went extremely well.  Everyone had a great time and got a lot  of positive feedback from the participants. Many thanks to you and the entire staff..  Thanks again and we look forward to have another event at your premises when the opportunity is there in the future..

Paul Davila

We had a great time and the event was wonderful.  Matt did a fantastic job and everyone really enjoyed learnin g some new techniques and tasting the fabulous food.

Thanks so much!

Karen

“Our company used an Open Kitchen cooking class as a team-building event before starting a difficult two-day training session. This was a real class, not a “here let me do it for you” exercise. The results were that everyone had a good time, learned to make handmade pasta and correct sauces, and improved their teamwork skills. We are very satisfi ed with our experience at Open Kitchen, and I highly recommend the classes as a cost-effective venue for business events like this.”

- Chuck Taylor, Principal Sales Consultant, major software corporation.

Hi Hue-Chan!

What a great time we had on Sunday! My friend was totally surprised and we all had such fun! Chef Matt was charming and very interesting and the food was just perfect. Hats off to you and your staff for making our day so special. Many of us are already thinking about coming back and bringing husbands, more friends, etc. I wish you continued success in your business!

Regards, Heidi

A few word from some of the participants.

“I thought it was great - the instructor was very knowledgeable and fun, and the food actually turned out great!”

“This was my first time doing something like this, and I must say, it exceeded my expectations. I really enjoyed it and learned a lot. The instructor was really nice and down to earth, and gave us some really good cooking tips. At the end when we got to eat the fruits of our labor, he even ate a plate of food and ‘critiqued’ us.”

“I chose this even though I also did Open Kitchen last year (but this year’s theme was Middle Eastern). Both times were great!“

“Yes; the instructor was good (he’s use to people with differing levels of ability), and I think we all enjoyed it.”

“I enjoyed everything about it.”

Hue-Chan, Chef Bernard and company,

Thank you so much for having us at Open Kitchen and for putting on an Iron Chef competition for us.  With a group of 25 people it’s often difficult to find an activity that everyone enjoys. This event, however, proved that it isn’t impossible.  Even people who never cook enjoyed working together with their team to create gourmet dishes.

Hue-Chan, you were very helpful in the planning stages, making sure all our requirements were met.  Chef Bernard, sous chefs, and kitchen staff, you all made the event run so smoothly.  This event would not have been possible without each and every one of you.

Khanh Stenberg

Office Manager, Viget Labs

Dear Hue-Chan and the Open Kitchen Staff,

Thank you so much for such a wonderful experience with you and the Open Kitchen group. Comprehensive Language Center staff is STILL talking about the fun we had last month during our Iron Chef competition.  It was a big hit and I was so pleased to see how involved everyone was in the festivities.  Between the planning of the meal, choosing the ingredients, preparation, and plating of the final product…it truly was a team effort!  The entire staff was so supportive and helpful.  It was a great experience for us all.  Bob is still talking about the wine expert!

Thank you for sending the link to your pictures.  They are great and fun to look at while we think back on the evening.  Thanks again for a great experience!  We look forward to trying it again.

Best regards,

Carol Baran and the CLCI Team

Hue-Chan- thank you very much for assisting us with this program.  It was well received and I do believe it made a significant impact on the team…Chef Matt and the assistants were all wonderful!  Please send our thanks and appreciation to them.

Thanks, Denise

As I was planning for my mother’s 100th birthday party, I had determined that I would prepare the food myself.  As the guest list grew to 100+, I knew that I needed help.  Several people had told me that Open Kitchen provided catering so I went there with the intention that they would make the food, but I would still do everything else.  Once I began talking to Chef Bernard, I felt an instant sense of calm and knew that I had to hire him to cater the party.  It was the best decision that I could have made.

Chef Bernard recommended many excellent solutions for cutting costs and making it a successful afternoon event.  He picked out a delicious menu of finger foods, recommended a smaller cake and a canapé assortment, and arranged for the tent rental.  Everything was taken care of with the highest level of professionalism.  The day of the party he took over and he and his two wait staff provided excellent service to our guests.  Everyone loved the food and I received many calls and emails after the event praising the party.  Best of all, I was able to relax and let Chef Bernard deal with the littlest details and my mother had a perfect party.  I would highly recommend Open Kitchen and the services of Chef Bernard and his staff to help make your event a big success.

Sincerely,

Roberta Hopkins

Just wanted to say thank you for making our Chef’s Dinner on Friday night so special.  We all had a wonderful time and my husband really enjoyed the whole experience.  I think you have many Open Kitchen converts as a result of the evening!

Please thank Chef Bernard for me and tell him that he did an amazing job.

- Catherine

Lots of fun was had by all.  Following the event I received nothing but positive praise for bringing the team together to cook.  The tasks required interdependency from team members.  Keep in mind that we are all in charge of our individual buildings.  We never had to produce on the spot like that before. The team came together in a way that only cooking and eating could accomplish.

Jay Pearson

Principal, Marshall High School

April 11, 2021 - Conrad and Jacqueline’s 6th Birthday Party

“We had a wonderful time at the children’s birthday party.  Everything was so well done!  It was really beautiful.”

Michele

Thank you for making my birthday so special! We really appreciated the festive memories created by Chef B and all those at Open Kitchen. All of us, birthday boy down through the grandsons, were held in rapt attention by the culinary story unfolding before us. We enjoyed the meal immensely while learning about how to cook it from a master; he really does make it look easy. I would happily recommend this to anyone looking to have a special event that you will talk about for some time to come.

Dan Sze

Falls Church City Council Member

Dear Hue-Chan,

Just wanted to say thanks to you and your team for a fantastic afternoon of team-building! You have a great program set up; and a phenomenal team to execute…I would definitely schedule another event.

Christian J. Petterson

I brought my French class to Open Kitchen to celebrate Chandeleur – a French celebration day when we make  crêpes in France -. Chef Bernard made the class very interactive.  Each student was able to make their own crepes at cooking stations set up along the Chef’s Counter.  He also taught some of the cooking class in French, which was wonderful.  Everyone enjoyed a French-style Shepherd’s Pie and salad for lunch, then ate the crepes for dessert. The students, and teachers, had a great time! The students are still talking about this field trip and wish their parents could take them again to Open Kitchen!

Marie Cartier

Westminster School, Inc