Case Study: When the Cozymeal Magazine Team Tried an Online Cooking Class
What’s that expression about putting your money where your mouth is? Or practicing what you preach? Whichever idiom works best, the Cozymeal Magazine team decided it was high time to put our home-cooked food where our mouths are and practice what we poach!
The time had come to dive into an online cooking class through Cozymeal as a team building activity, to truly get a sense of what our raving reviews are all about, and to get to know one another even better. We’ve been writing about these classes for so long that we thought we needed to try one for ourselves: it could only bring more clarity and first-hand experience to our content.
So, we voted for the online cooking class we all liked the look of best — Thai Favorites Made Vegan — and we booked for all seven of us to attend Chef Stacy’s well-reviewed class.
Jump to Section
- What Problem Were We Trying To Fix?
- How Did the Online Cooking Class Help Us Solve Our Problem?
- How Did Chef Stacy Make The Experience Special?
- As a Team, What Did We Take Away From the Experience?
What Problem Were We Trying To Fix?
As a fully remote team, our Cozymeal Magazine colleagues live across five countries:
- Canada
- USA
- Colombia
- South Africa
- UK.
We love this forward-thinking, flexible way of working. We truly believe it brings out the best in us, allows us to enjoy our work while finding a balance with home life and gives us the experience of working with a broad, talented range of colleagues from around the world.
The downside of being in different time zones and therefore not having many chances to share space in person, is that it takes longer to get to know each other. With this in mind, we needed a team building activity that would:
- Allow us to spend time together virtually
- Get us away from our desks
- Help us do something as a group that wasn’t just sitting on another video call
- Be inclusive and suitable for the whole team
- Feel like a bit of a challenge and something new
- Be sociable and fun enough to bond us together as a group
- Fit into all of our time zones
- Give us something to talk about and remember together afterwards, forging new links and memories as a team.
We weren’t asking for much, right?
How Did the Online Cooking Class Help Us Solve Our Problem?
The online cooking class appealed because we could all log on to our laptops at the same time, with the same ingredients, each from our own kitchens across the globe. We were thousands of miles apart, but able to share an experience that was exclusive to our team.
Before the class, we were provided with:
- Four individual recipes for the four dishes we’d be making
- A comprehensive ingredients list
- A bio about Chef Stacy and what to expect at the class
- An email address to contact Chef Stacy with any questions
- A private Zoom link to join the call on the day.
We had the class booked for about a month beforehand which gave us something to look forward to and plan towards carefully — some of the ingredients were tricky for some team members to get hold of in their countries, and it was fun discussing the menu as the class got closer, learning more about each other’s cultures and tastes. Our Digital Editorial Manager, Dan Warden, explains:
“Everybody was excited, and even the build up to the class was brilliant. As well as discussing whether or not to add that optional shot of rum (the Mai Tais are very good!), we found ourselves reminding one another not to forget our ingredients (thanks, Anna!) and swapping notes on the pre-class prep, where to get hold of things, and which bits of the class we were looking forward to.”
Already, before we had even attended the class, we were finding more common ground in anticipation of the team building activity. Dan continues: “During the class, it was lovely to see everybody outside of their usual home office spaces — standing in their kitchens and eager to get cooking. It was also great to see the whole team focused on the task at hand and getting stuck in.”
Sascha Dubrovo, our Digital Content Editor, shares how the experience made him feel about spending time with the team outside of work: “On a personal level, I loved being able to share this experience with the team because it's as close as we can get to seeing each other in person, without taking a flight. Although it took place online, it felt like we were all welcomed into each other's homes for a couple of hours, sharing some laughs over a delicious meal.”
Whether we were logging on at 11:30am, 2:30pm or 7:30pm local time, we were all able to make and share a special meal together, learning new skills in the process. We all enjoyed the pride that came with making a full Thai vegan feast — something none of us had achieved before.
How Did Chef Stacy Make the Experience Special?
Working with a professional chef, from her very own kitchen in San Diego, was a truly memorable experience. Many of us have worked in kitchens before, whether as serving staff or pot washers, but being able to welcome a chef with so much experience into our homes to cook along with us felt like such a treat.
Chef Stacy was friendly and so knowledgeable about both Thai food traditions and vegan food — having been a vegan herself for over a decade — that she was able to impart a wealth of knowledge before we even got started. She then went on to share fun tidbits of information with us as we cooked, which sparked conversations about travel and flavors amongst the team. Dan adds that:
“We all learned so much about the food thanks to Chef Stacy, who led the class expertly. We also gained some fantastic insights into the ingredients and cooking methods required to make authentic and delicious Thai food, along with some handy ingredient substitutions.”
Together we made:
- A mai tai cocktail (non-alcoholic and alcoholic versions available)
- Vegan spring rolls
- A sweet chile peanut dipping sauce
- Vegan pad Thai noodles
Chef Stacy was very thorough and clear in her explanations, which made the whole process easy to follow. It was great to see her passion for both what she does and sharing it with others. Under her steerage, the two hours flew by, especially since we were encouraged to sample the food as we went rather than wait until the end.
The food itself was excellent and, even though many of us love cooking in our free time, there were so many new skills to learn, such as softening and rolling rice wrappers, finely dicing vegetables and making a pad Thai sauce from scratch. As our Senior Online Marketing Manager, Sam Savaglio, says:
“I had a lot of fun at the cooking class! I especially enjoyed making the spring rolls. They were so much more simple to make than I thought they would be and something I plan to do often as a healthy work-from-home lunch in the future. It’s a fun alternative or twist if you're looking for something different than the usual lunchtime salad.”
Thanks to Chef Stacy’s excellent pacing of the class, we all had plenty of opportunities to ask her questions as well as discuss the cooking among ourselves. It was educational but offered plenty of chances to be social, which is just what we were after. We met a team member’s cat, and even Chef Stacy's dog made a guest appearance!
As a Team, What Did We Take Away From the Experience?
In short, this class hit each of the extensive targets we outlined at the start — something we weren’t sure any team building activity could do. We were brought together, allowed to share plenty of laughs and we each learned something new.
Since the class, we’ve swapped stories about which bits we enjoyed the most, what our families thought of the dishes and which ones we’ll be making again. We now have a shared event we can refer back to that doesn't (at least directly!) involve work. Sascha explains what he’s taken away from the class:
“To sum it up in one sentence: I've never been so happy to have leftovers!" He adds: "Being able to take part in one of the experiences available through Cozymeal as a team building activity was loads of fun for several reasons, but two main ones spring to mind. Firstly, it allowed us to see what life is like in the customer's shoes, being engulfed in excitement throughout the whole process — from the grocery shopping to the actual cooking.
"Secondly, it gave Chef Stacy the opportunity to meet some of the team that makes the magic happen behind the scenes, allowing her to see how passionate we are about connecting people to experts like her, resulting in a delightful experience for all. Overall, I had a fantastic time and can't wait for the next one!”
As a team we’ve taken away:
- Experience with new vegan ingredients
- New cooking techniques, authentic to Thai cuisine
- Shared memories
- Strengthened team bonds
Dan sums up the experience: “As an avid home cook who has never prepared a vegan meal, Chef Stacy’s class seemed like the perfect opportunity to give it a go. Some of my relatives are vegan and, until now, I’ve never known what to cook for them. I can’t wait to surprise them with an alternative to my usual gambit: Shall we book a table somewhere?”
For even more cooking class inspiration, check out other experiences on Cozymeal.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT?
Join the conversation.