Gift Guide for Foodies under $100

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Your Gift Guide for Foodies is here! If you’re shopping for a foodie, Italy traveler, or wine connoisseur this guide is going to have all the top recommendations and the best part is you’re also shopping local and getting authentic Italian food products.

We have so many people in our lives who love trying new foods, especially around the holidays. There are also parties galore and always a reason to host or entertain. Giving food gifts to these people give them something to put out for the unexpected guest. Or something to gift when they are invited to a holiday party of their own.

If you’ve been here a while you know that our love language is food and wine which means that we’ve curated the perfect gift guide for foodies. This really is a one-stop shop for your shopping!

 

Great for: The sweet tooth foodie in your life. This sweets gift box is filled with our favorite Italian sweets, some of them might surprise you! 

What’s inside:

  • Pistachio cream (don’t knock it, till you try it. It’s a Dalla Fonte fan favorite!)

  • Jams

  • Honey

  • Cookies

  • Candies

 

Great for: The traveling foodie who enjoys happy hour like a true Italian. This is great to bring as a hostess gift or to send to your friend who always loves being the hostess.

What’s inside: 

  • Taralli Wine Knots (so addicting! You can snag a bag just for you.)

  • Olives

  • Olive forks

  • Prosecco

 

Pasta + Sugo Gift Box | $40

Great for: The busy foodie friend who doesn’t want to compromise great taste even for a quick meal. Also, a great option if you want to gift a full dish instead of another box of sweets during the holidays. 

What’s inside:

  • Orecchiette pasta 

  • Olive and tomato sauce

 

Around the Table Recipe Collection + Cooking Class Bundle | $85.90

Great for: The foodies who love to get their hands dirty in the kitchen and try new recipes from around the world. 

What’s inside:

  • Recipe Collection with 12 global recipes, pictures from TTLT trips, access to video tips from the chefs

  • Voucher for one live and interactive cooking class of their choice with The Table Less Traveled!

 

Great for: The foodie who wants to relive their trip to Italy and is already thinking of returning! This box highlights food from a variety of regions of Italy and includes the best way to enjoy each item. 

What’s inside:

  • Taralli wine knots 

  • Sweet and savory antipasto

  • Extra virgin olive oil from Le Ferre

  • Barrel-aged cherry balsamic vinegar

  • Apricot jam from pure stagioni

  • Florence City Pocket Guide (It has all our insider recommendations for a trip to Florence)

  • Optional: Lini’s Labrusca Lambrusco Riserva

 

And while you’re shopping for the foodies in your life, maybe snag one or two things to try during the holiday season. You can turn many of these gift boxes into fall-themed and Italian-inspired charcuterie boards or you can put them out for guests with our favorite Italian cocktail, an Aperol spritz.

Are you shopping for your work team? Dalla Fonte’s Corporate Gifting program makes it so simple to treat your team to the very best foods and wine this holiday season. They handle all the shipping and handling! Or if you’re looking for a way to gather together during this season, check out our holiday corporate events. Our holiday classes are a great way to learn a new skill and spend some quality time with your team.

 
 

Collaboration with Olivia Becker, Owner of Dalla Fonte

 

Travel with us around the world on one of our multi-day small group food tours. Check out our itineraries to Italy, Japan, Peru, and more! Join us as we visit tea farms in Japan, sip on limoncello in Italy, and savor ceviche in Peru.

If you’re traveling abroad and don’t know where to start or want to tap into our travel expertise to make the most of your trip, check out our Travel Coaching and Private Trips with booking service.  

 

No matter where you travel, we always recommend purchasing travel protection to safeguard against sudden changes or cancellations. If you don’t already have a preferred vendor, you can check out ours - Travel Insured - which offers a “Cancel for Any Reason” policy. 

 

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How to make a Aperol Spritz for the Holidays

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It’s time to learn how to make a Aperol Spritz! An Aperol Spritz is our drink of choice any time of year, but especially when getting in the holiday spirit. The color is cheery and the Prosecco creates a perfect bubbly moment. An added bonus is that it’s a very simple drink to make and it pairs with, well everything! (Don’t worry we’ll share our favorite snacks!)

In Italy, a spritz is the most common drink enjoyed at aperitivo which translates to “opening of the stomach” in preparation for the main event - dinner. It is a perfect drink, not too sweet and not too bitter, and paired with a salty snack like Taralli or chips it’s our favorite way to wind down the day.

 

How to make a Aperol Spritz the easy way! Remember the 3-2-1 rule: 3 parts Prosecco, 2 parts Aperol, 1 part sparkling water. Pour over ice and top it all off with an orange wedge. 

 

For future reference, this same recipe combination can be used to create our other favorite spritzes. Just swap out two ounces of Aperol for Limoncello when craving something a little more sweet or two ounces of Campari when craving something a little more bitter. 

We recommend any Prosecco that has the DOC label that will guarantee that it was made in Italy to their local standards. You can learn more about Prosecco and how to ensure you’re getting the right kind in our blog post about picking the best bubbles. You can also learn about what DOC is and why it is important to Prosecco in the article, Consorzio Tutela Prosecco DOC. 

For the sparkling water, we recommend using San Pellegrino, of course. There is something about that iconic green bottle sitting on our table! If you are missing an orange wedge, add some extra flavor to your Aperol spritz by adding lemon or orange-flavored sparkling water. Our favorite is Spindrift.

 

Italians never drink alcohol without food and an aperitivo is no different. Typically this is served with a salty snack because Italians believe the sour of the drink and salty of the snack will prepare your palate for dinner. Sweet is never served with an aperitivo. Since wine is reserved for food pairings, cocktails are the drink of choice for an aperitivo.

Our favorite snack to pair with an Aperol Spritz is the irresistible taralli. Originated in Puglia, but now they can be found across bars throughout Italy. Dalla Fonte has offered several different versions including a wine knot from Matera. These wine knots are unbelievably addicting and you can snag a bag from the Dalla Fonte shop. If you’re feeling more ambitious, this is a recipe we recommend, if you’d like to try your hand at making your own. Taralli - Irresistible Italian Crackers | ITALY Magazine

If you want to explore options beyond taralli, we also love pairing our spritz with olives or bruschetta piled with fresh or jarred vegetables or olive oil. Check out the Dalla Fonte shop for more delicious aperitivo snacks.

 

Once you’ve tasted aperitivo and spritz in your home, come with us to Italy and participate in this pre-meal tradition on a 9-day culinary trip! Travel from the Amalfi Coast to Florence and Emilia-Romagna, eating seasonal and regional cuisines every step of the way. We’re hosting three trips to Italy next year filled with culinary adventures from private limoncello tasting to a hands-on cooking class with a master pizzaiolo. Check out our Food Tours in Italy!

 

Collaboration with Olivia Becker, Owner of Dalla Fonte and The Table Less Traveled

 

Travel with us around the world on one of our multi-day small group food tours. Check out our itineraries to Italy, Japan, Peru, and more! Join us as we visit tea farms in Japan, sip on limoncello in Italy, and savor ceviche in Peru.

If you’re traveling abroad and don’t know where to start or want to tap into our travel expertise to make the most of your trip, check out our Travel Coaching and Private Trips with booking service.  

 

No matter where you travel, we always recommend purchasing travel protection to safeguard against sudden changes or cancellations. If you don’t already have a preferred vendor, you can check out ours - Travel Insured - which offers a “Cancel for Any Reason” policy. 

This page is in partnership with Dalla Fonte. TTLT earns from qualifying purchases at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting our small business!

 

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How to Shop for Wine this Holiday Season - Cheat Sheet to the perfect bubbles!

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A little bubbles with dinner always makes an evening or meal feel particularly special. We certainly feel that way on our Heart of Italy tour and we try to replicate that feeling as often as possible. And quite frankly you don’t need the holidays as an excuse to add a fun and festive drink to a meal either, we love bubbles any time of the year. But it hits differently during the holidays. 

During the holidays, you want to try something new or festive and we’re right there with you! Our top recommendation for a drink to have on hand during the holidays is Prosecco. From spritzes to mimosas or something bright to celebrate the moment - we are always stocked with Prosecco for the holiday season.

If you’re not as familiar with Prosecco, it’s a sparkling white wine with a fruity flavor. It’s delightful to drink by itself but it can also be mixed with other ingredients to make festive cocktails. It’s incredibly versatile and that’s why we love it.

 

But it’s important to note that not all Prosecco is created equally and there is definitely bad Processo out there. 

 

There’s one thing you need to know about Prosecco and how to snag the perfect bottle for the holidays.

Look for the DOC and DOCG labels.

When shopping for Italian wine, it is very important to familiarize yourself with the DOC and DOCG labels. DOC stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata or controlled designation of origin. DOCG stands for designation of controlled and guaranteed origin. Both of these confirm the bottle's status as true Prosecco. Like Champagne in France, Prosecco is a protected class of wine in Italy. For something to truly be considered Prosecco, it must be made from grapes in a very specific region of Italy. 

Look out for these two labels while you’re shopping. Prosecco is known to have some impostors out there as we mentioned above which pale in comparison to true Prosecco. Both of those labels are easily identifiable on the bottle and if you see either one of them you’re good to go!

If you don’t want to search the internet or your local store trying to find a DOC or DOCG Prosecco, our partners at Dalla Fonte are happy to ship our favorite Prosecco right to your doorstep. It’s that easy!

 

A little bonus tip on the best way to consume your new drink - Prosecco pairs nicely with a full meal but it’s also great with an aperitivo before dinner.

 

We love to pair Prosecco with olives and Taralli wine knots which are crunchy and addicting. You’ll definitely want to check it out in Dalla Fonte’s shop. Or you can check out Chef Alain’s favorite aperitivo, which is another great addition to your meal!

We hope you bring a little bit of Italy into your home this holiday season and maybe it’ll inspire you to join us on our Heart of Italy tour next year! We wine and dine with chefs, home cooks, and friends of friends all over Italy. You’ll get to dine with a sommelier and sip on drinks that compliment the seasonal cuisine that we love to base our trips around and share with you.

 

Collaboration with Olivia Becker, Owner of Dalla Fonte and The Table Less Traveled

 

Travel with us around the world on one of our multi-day small group food tours. Check out our itineraries to Italy, Japan, Peru, and more! Join us as we visit tea farms in Japan, sip on limoncello in Italy, and savor ceviche in Peru.

If you’re traveling abroad and don’t know where to start or want to tap into our travel expertise to make the most of your trip, check out our Travel Coaching and Private Trips with booking service.  

 

No matter where you travel, we always recommend purchasing travel protection to safeguard against sudden changes or cancellations. If you don’t already have a preferred vendor, you can check out ours - Travel Insured - which offers a “Cancel for Any Reason” policy. 

This page is in partnership with Dalla Fonte. TTLT earns from qualifying purchases at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting our small business!

 

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How to Build a Fall-Themed Charcuterie Board with an Italian Twist

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Fall-themed charcuterie boards are here and we’re not mad about it! There’s something so fun about arranging a lot of delicious foods on one platter and trying a taste of all the best items and delicious combinations.

They’re great for any gathering whether it’s an intimate gathering or a big party. Because charcuterie boards are filled with a variety of foods, they can accommodate a lot of different food preferences. 

With Kathryn currently in Italy hosting our Heart of Italy trip, we’ve got food tours in Italy on the brain. Plus our partnership with Dalla Fonte means that we have access to all the best Italian snacks and treats. 

In fact, we teamed up with Olivia to share a few tips for building a fall-themed charcuterie board with an Italian twist and will be raiding their shop for the best foods to take your charcuterie board to the next level.

 

The number one rule for serving any Italian food is to make sure you have a LOT of food available. 

 

No one goes hungry in an Italian home and this starts with the charcuterie. Olivia’s family treats this as a course of the holiday meal. It is always made ahead of time and set out before guests arrive. It helps direct people to cozy places to gather and keeps people out of the kitchen while you put the final touches on the holiday meal. For Olivia, this is on an out-of-the-way countertop or the coffee table in the family room.

If you were in Italy, you would see antipasto as a section on the menu. This translates to “before the meal” and includes all the delicious bites you would enjoy before the main course. 

For us, this includes four key elements: cheese, meats, crackers, and accompaniments that bring it all together. 

Here’s how we’d break down our fall-themed charcuterie board with an Italian twist.

 

Cheese

Our favorite Italian cheeses right now are gorgonzola dolce, la tur, and smoke scamaroza. For a well-rounded charcuterie board, we recommend offering a wide variety of cheeses. It’s nice to have soft and hard cheeses as well as sharp and mild cheeses. Each of these cheeses pair well with different types of meats and accompaniments.

Tip: One combination that we are currently obsessed with is créme fraiche, apricot preserves, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (make sure to get the real DOP stuff!), and a drizzle of Cherry Barrel Aged Balsamic Vinegar. 

 

Meats

Our favorites are prosciutto and mortadella. These are two really great options because they pair well with a lot of different cheeses. You also can’t go wrong with salami, sausage, or speck. For cured meats, find a specialty deli in your area that carries items imported from Italy. If there isn’t a specialty deli in your area, a few grocery stores like Wegmans or Publix might carry options as well. Have some guests that prefer fish? Add spicy anchovies to the assortment to mix it up.

Tip: Keep cured meats on separate plates for the vegetarians in your life. 

 

Crackers

Crackers are there as vessels to enjoy it all. But that doesn’t mean you should skimp on your crackers. Another vessel that can be very delicious is fresh bread. You can cut thin slices of a baguette, toast them slightly, and create delicious aperitivo bites using your charcuterie board. Want to skip the baguette? Use Bruschetta as the perfect layering piece for cheeses and spreads.

Tip: Chef Alain’s favorite aperitivo is sliced baguette topped with fig marmalade, ricotta, and salami.

 

Accompaniments

This is the fun part! Adding in all the accompaniments to your fall-themed charcuterie board that take each bite over the top. First of course is jams. Our love for mostaradas and jams with soft cheese began at restaurants in Tuscany and now we will always include them!

A few spreads we love are apricot jam, fig marmalade, artichoke spread, truffle sauce, and don’t miss this wine jelly!

Other great accompaniments are Anisetti Biscuits, Pistachio cream, honey, cookies, and candies. A good charcuterie board is all about balance and that includes sweet and savory. Adding in a few sweet items will compliment all the salty and savory cheeses and meats on your board. Make it really simple and order the Dolci Gift Box from Dalla Fonte and you’re set!

For more complimentary savory items we love adding olives, jarred veggies, or wine knots. If you want a cheat sheet to accompaniment and a wine to go with it, check out Dalla Fonte’s Prosecco + Aperitivo Box.

Let us know if there is anything else that you always add to your charcuterie board and make sure to raid Dalla Fonte’s shop for all the best Italian snacks and goodies during the holidays.

 

Collaboration with Olivia Becker, Owner of Dalla Fonte and The Table Less Traveled

 

Travel with us around the world on one of our multi-day small group food tours. Check out our itineraries to Italy, Japan, Peru, and more! Join us as we visit tea farms in Japan, sip on limoncello in Italy, and savor ceviche in Peru.

If you’re traveling abroad and don’t know where to start or want to tap into our travel expertise to make the most of your trip, check out our Travel Coaching and Private Trips with booking service.  

 

No matter where you travel, we always recommend purchasing travel protection to safeguard against sudden changes or cancellations. If you don’t already have a preferred vendor, you can check out ours - Travel Insured - which offers a “Cancel for Any Reason” policy. 

This page is in partnership with Dalla Fonte. TTLT earns from qualifying purchases at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting our small business!

 

More Travel Resources

Virtual vs. In-Person Client Appreciation Events: The Advantages of Going Virtual

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Although folks have craved “getting outside their 4 walls” since COVID times, we’re hearing shifting feedback from companies who host both in-person and virtual client appreciation events.

One event organizer for an insurance company explained, “The cost of in-person events is becoming prohibitive, and people RSVP and then don’t even show up! Our virtual gatherings have better attendance and engagement.”

Across the board, client appreciation events serve as valuable opportunities for your business to express gratitude and foster strong relationships with your clients. 

However, in the era of virtual connection, let’s refocus on how it’s best for your client to engage. Many peoples’ lifestyles and expectations have changed, and perhaps, just perhaps….

…Virtual client engagement events are a better option for your company and your clients. Read on for 4 reasons why.

 

1. Accessibility and Convenience

No commute! Save your clients time and give them the flexibility to participate at home. Virtual client appreciation events provide unparalleled accessibility and convenience. By eliminating the need for travel, virtual events enable clients from various locations to participate effortlessly. 

Regardless of their geographic location or time zone, clients can attend from the comfort of their homes, enhancing engagement. You can even encourage your clients to include their families in the virtual event. Get to know your clients on a personal level and bring their households into the fun.

 

2. Cost-Effectiveness

Save time and money by gathering clients all together versus visiting them across different locations. With virtual client appreciation events, you can save on expenses such as venue rentals, catering, transportation, and accommodation. 

This cost efficiency allows you to allocate resources more effectively and achieve a higher return on investment. Additionally, if you stretch your budget through virtual, you can have more frequent engagements and touchpoints with your clients. 

 

3. Increased Reach and Attendance

Virtual client appreciation events have the advantage of the expanded reach and maximum attendance. With in-person events, geographical limitations or scheduling conflicts can affect participation. By eliminating travel requirements, virtual events enable your business to engage with a larger audience, nurturing existing relationships and attracting potential clients. 

We help our customers increase attendance with our complimentary registration process and by shipping recipe kits to each of their guests. Recipe kits give the feeling of unboxing a gift (and even include a souvenir kitchen tool!), and make it *almost too easy* for your attendees to join the class without having to grocery shop or explore their pantry. 

One event organizer shared, “Every time we’ve hosted a virtual cooking class we get emails from clients afterward who thought it was great and asked what other kind of cuisine they can learn next. These events always sell out!”

 

4. Flexibility and Customization

Virtual events provide unparalleled flexibility and customization. For our virtual cooking class events at TTLT, we can customize the format, duration, and schedule to suit your preferences, and they create dynamic and engaging experiences. Moreover, virtual events can accommodate varying group sizes, from intimate gatherings to large-scale conferences.

And there you have it! Four advantages of virtual events: accessibility, cost-effectiveness, expanded reach, and flexibility.

If you’re in the market for a client appreciation event, check out one of our global cooking classes.

 
“You all make this so easy to plan. The Everything You Need Recipe Kit is so awesome and communication from TTLT is easy to understand and follow. We cannot wait for next year’s event! We truly all look forward to this each year and our clients rave about it!”
— Shannon N. at BerganKDV
 
 

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Mother's Day Gift Guide for the Mom Who Loves to Travel

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Steal these suggestions to make shopping for Mother’s Day easier! If you’re shopping for a mom who loves to travel, look no further.

Below you’ll find 5 items that make a great Mother’s Day gift whether you’re celebrating in person or from afar.

 

Community Cooking Class

For the mom who loves to travel and is a foodie at heart, now she can explore the cuisines of the world from the comfort of her own home. Gift her a spot in one of our upcoming Community Classes where she can learn to make Gyoza with Yoko or Eggplant Parmesan with Chef Alain. 

Where to find it: You can go ahead and purchase the spot directly if there is a recipe and time that you know works for her. Or you can purchase a gift card and let her choose.

 

Florence City Pocket Guide

A Guide to Florence: Where to Eat, Sleep, Shop, and More! Is your mom planning a trip to Italy soon? This digital guide is a great kicking-off point for building an itinerary that unlocks our expert recommendations for restaurants, hotels, and other local spots.

Where to find it: Florence City Pocket Guide is located in our Etsy Store and is currently 20% off for Mother’s Day!

 

Sacred Valley Pocket Guide

This is a brand-new item! Snag one of the very first copies of this guide to the Sacred Valley. This guide shares insider information about traveling to Peru, like where to eat, sleep, shop, and so much more! This digital guide is a great kicking-off point for building an itinerary that unlocks expert recommendations for restaurants, hotels, and other local spots we recommend. 

Where to find it: Sacred Valley Pocket Guide is located in our Etsy Store and is currently 20% off for Mother’s Day!

 

Ultimate Girls Trip to Italy!

Take your mom on the trip of a lifetime by securing a spot for both of you on our Heart of Italy Food Tour. On this multi-day trip, you’ll eat your way through 3 different regions of Italy, tour local markets, businesses, and farms, and immerse yourself in the Italian way of life. It’s truly an unforgettable experience.

Where to find it: Check out our Heart of Italy trip details!

 

Travel Protection

Hear us out, this gift might seem a little boring BUT it’s the best functional gift when it comes to travel. Trip protection provides amazing peace of mind and it’s worth every penny in our opinion. 

Where to find it: Our preferred partner is Travel Insured. They’ve worked with the majority of our travelers in the past and provide a variety of policy options. 

 

If you need more ideas of great gifts for the mom who loves to travel, check out our favorite Amazon travel products for Mother’s Day, where we’ve created an ever-evolving resource that highlights our favorite travel products based on personal use, experience, and research. 

You can also check out our other travel product guides as well, like our 5 favorite items for travel. If you’re shopping for a new mom, you have to see Annie’s 14 essential items when traveling with a baby.

 

We hope you love our recommendations! The Table Less Traveled collects a small commission from the Amazon links on this page at no cost to you. Thanks for supporting our small business!

 

No matter where you travel, we always recommend purchasing travel protection to safeguard against sudden changes or cancellations. If you don’t already have a preferred vendor, you can check out ours - Travel Insured - which offers a “Cancel for Any Reason” policy. 

 

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5 Free Ways to Celebrate the Holidays with Your Team

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We talk with clients from a wide variety of industries and company sizes but one concern that comes up across the board is the current state of tightening budgets. That makes this time of year particularly difficult since most team gatherings happen around the holidays and are crucial to keeping morale high, team members working efficiently and feeling connected to their colleagues. 

If the budget is shrinking or frankly non-existent, some much-needed team connection and team building events can feel like a tall and potentially impossible order. 

The good news is that there are still ways for you to gather your team together, connect, and foster a productive and thoughtful team culture.

Here are 5 virtual ways you can connect with your team without breaking the bank (or even spending a cent).

 

1. Cookie Decorating Competition

Send out a simple sugar cookie and icing recipe and host a virtual cookie decorating competition. There are so many fun ways to organize this event depending on the interests of your team. 
Give it a cooking show vibe where everyone joins a Zoom call and decorates together for 20 minutes and then shares their final results and participates in judging.

If you want something a little less involved, have your team make cookies in their free time and submit a photo to a Teams chat or Slack channel and everyone can vote based on a few judging categories. 


Fun Tip! Encourage your teammates to dress up in a favorite holiday outfit. You could even have a judging category for best dressed! 

 
 

2. Guess Who Game

Come up with a series of questions, gather your team’s answers ahead of time, and see how well you know each other. For example, what’s your most listened to song currently? Favorite candy? Fun fact about you?

Gather everyone on a Zoom call for the game. Depending on the size of your team, have everyone write each team member's name on a piece of paper. When you ask the question, have them hold up the piece of paper with the name of the person who they think is the correct answer. 

Tip! If you’re doing any sort of game, check out free online platforms that will elevate the experience and make it a more interactive event. Check out Kahoot or Heads-Up. If you need more game ideas, check out this Washington Post article! 

 

3. Skills Class

Take a page out of our play book! Poll your team members for special skills and pick one person on your team to teach the rest of your team a new skill.

It can be anything: painting, yoga, sign language, etc. Be creative.

4. Charades

We’re firm believers that the best interactive virtual events get people up and out of their chairs. No one wants to sit in front of Zoom the same way they do every day at work. 

Have one person draft up some charade ideas and then through the chat box privately message individuals with their charade task. 

 

5. Powerpoint Party

Tell everyone on your team to come prepared with a 3-minute presentation. Set parameters for prep time, such as only 10 minutes to work on it, so it’s not an overwhelming ask. Give guidelines on what the presentation should be about. For example, best 90’s movie, favorite holiday tradition, most underrated holiday movie character, etc.

Turn it into a competition and give out prizes for most convincing, creative, or festive presentation. 

 

It’s important that regardless of budget, you’re finding ways to engage your team and connect. In the future, when it’s the right time to invest in your next team building events, let us make it the easiest item on your to-do list. We’ll handle all the prep work and management so you can sit back and enjoy with your team. 

 

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7 Best Virtual Cooking Classes for Team Building in 2022

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Learning a new skill together is one of the best ways that a remote team can connect and build relationships. This is why cooking classes make such a great option for these types of events. They’re hands-on, educational, and really fun for everyone. 

If you’re looking to book a holiday event for your team, these are the best virtual cooking classes from team building in 2022. See which one makes the most sense for your group.

 
 

Japanese Dumpling Class

Vegetarian, Vegan, and Dairy-Free | 90 Minutes | Difficulty Level: Easy | Recipe Kit Available!

Learn to make Gyoza, Japanese Dumplings, with Yoko in Osaka, Japan. This class is a great option for remote teams who want to catch up on water cooler conversation while keeping their hands busy. The recipe is simple and gives you plenty of time to chat amongst yourself. Plus you’ll learn a lot about Japanese cooking traditions from Yoko.

 

Peruvian Empanadas Class

Vegetarian | 90 Minutes | Difficulty Level: Easy | Recipe Kit Available!

Get to know Cristo and Yoli, our Peruvian guides and home chefs in their Empanadas Class. This is a great option for teams who want to invite family members to join in on the class because you’ll definitely make enough empanadas to share. You can also mix it up with your empanada filling and the chefs will give you suggestions during the class on the best ingredient combinations. 

 

Costa Rican Tortillas & Gallo Pinto Class

Vegetarian, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free | 90 Minutes | Difficulty Level: Easy | Recipe Kit Available!

This class is great if you need to accommodate a variety of dietary restrictions, but at the same time, it’s still unbelievably delicious. On top of that, Wendy is one of the best storytellers and shares amazing stories about her life in Costa Rica and the local traditions.

 

French Holiday Yule Log Dessert Class 

Vegetarian | 90 Minutes | Difficulty Level: Easy

Making this French dessert with our chef, Guillaume will transport you to France during the wintertime. It’s a traditional holiday dish and it’s fun and easy to make. It also makes for a great decorating competition after class to keep the team-building momentum going. Ask us how to put a contest together and we’ll come up with prize options and rules. 

 

Italian Butternut Squash Risotto Class 

Vegetarian and Gluten-Free | 90 Minutes | Difficulty Level: Easy | Recipe Kit Available!

This is one of the most popular hearty winter meals in our entire recipe catalog. This traditional Italian dish with Gaia is perfect for a cold winter day between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Travel to Florence and Gaia will share tips and tricks to making the perfect risotto.

 

Japanese Sushi & Miso Soup Class

Dairy-Free and Gluten-Free | 90 Minutes | Difficulty Level: Easy | Recipe Kit Available!

If your team is looking to try something a little outside their comfort zone, learning to roll sushi is a great option! Yoko will teach the class how to roll sushi in 2 different ways and the only way to cut sushi so it doesn’t fall apart. Top it off with some miso soup and you have a delicious meal that’s easy to replicate in the future. 

 

Italian Pork Roast Dinner Class

Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free | 90 Minutes | Difficulty: Easy

Another hearty meal is Chef Alain’s Pork Roast Dinner. In class you’ll make pork roast, onions, and Tuscan mashed potatoes, filling everyone’s home with divine smells and providing enough food for a family dinner. Throughout the class, Chef Alain will share funny stories about growing up in a family of chefs that you do not want to miss. 

 

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How to Make a Negroni like an Italian

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Gaia, our chef friend and favorite Florentine guide, is sharing her recipe for making a delicious aperitivo, Negroni, at home.

This is her tried-and-true recipe that we make during our cooking classes and drink when we join Gaia on her dinner tour around Florence during our Heart of Italy food tour.

Follow Gaia’s 4 simple steps to make a refreshing Negroni.

Step 1

Before you get started, make sure you have your ingredients and equipment ready to go.

Ingredients

Ingredients

  • Glass

  • Spoon

Step 2

Fill a glass with ice and stir the ice for a few seconds to chill the glass. Once the glass is cold, strain any water from the ice so that there is no liquid and the glass is full of ice.

Step 3

Pour Campari, Red Vermouth, and Gin directly into the glass over the ice.

Step 4

Stir your drink by moving the spoon up and down so that the three levels of alcohol mix together.

Step 5

Peel a large slice of orange zest, about 2 inches long, and squeeze it over the drink to release the natural oils. Rub the zest around the rim of the glass, give it a twist, and then place the twisted zest into the drink.


If you’re looking for a non-alcoholic aperitivo, Crodino is a great option!

 
 

Pro tip: Toast like a true Italian!

  1. Wait until everyone has been served.

  2. Say the word “salute” (literally toasting to the person’s health) or “cin cin” (pronounced chin-chin which resembles the sound glasses make).

  3. Make eye contact with each person as you toast them since this signifies you are toasting their health and being sincere about it. If in a large group, try to look around the best you can at each person as you toast. Enjoy!

 
 

Pair your Negroni with one of our upcoming Italian Community Cooking Classes. Whether you’re making Chicken Cacciatore, Gnocchi al Ragu, or Carbonara, you’ll transport yourself to Italy with this classic combination.

 
 
 

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6 Steps to Make Homemade Tortillas by a local Costa Rican Chef

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6 Steps to Make Homemade Tortillas banner with photo of woman standing by a table

Wendy, our friend and local Costa Rican chef, is sharing her recipe and process for making tortillas from scratch at home.

This is her family recipe that she uses weekly and has used since she first started making tortillas with her family as a young girl. 

Follow Wendy’s 6 simple steps to make delicious homemade tortillas.

Step 1

Before you get started, make sure you have your ingredients and equipment gathered and ready to go.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups corn flour, otherwise known as “masa harina” (look in the Hispanic section at the grocery store, packaging will indicate for tortillas/tamales) 

  • ½ teaspoon salt

  • 1 ½ cup hot water 

  • 1 cup cold water

  • Cooking spray or oil

Equipment

Step 2

In a mixing bowl, combine 2 cups of corn flour and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Then add 1 1/2 cups of hot water and mix it with a spoon. Add cold water little by little and mix until you have an easy-to-handle dough. You may not use the whole 1 cup of water.

Pro tip: Keep an eye on the consistency of your dough. Add the cold water slowly so that your dough doesn’t become too wet. You want the dough to have the consistency of play doh: soft, easy to manipulate, not crumbly, not sticky. If too crumbly, add a bit more water. If too sticky, add a bit more corn flour.

 
 
 

Step 3

Once you’ve achieved the proper consistency, pull off a large golf ball-sized amount of corn masa and roll it between your hands until it’s smooth and shaped like a ball. Again, it should be about the size of a large golf ball. Repeat this step until all of your dough is rolled into balls. You should end up with about 8-10 balls of dough.

 
 
 

Step 4

Using scissors or a knife, split the Ziploc bag along all the seams so that you have 2 separate pieces of plastic.

Step 5

Put one sheet of your Ziploc bag on top of the counter, place the ball of masa on top, and then place another layer of plastic on top of the masa ball. With your hands smash the ball while at the same time rotating the plastic in circles to form a round tortilla.

Step 6

Heat a pan over high heat. Once hot, spray with cooking spray or rub with oil. Remove the top sheet of plastic, and then with the help of your palm remove the bottom sheet of plastic and drop your tortilla in the warm pan. Let it cook 1 minute over medium heat per side and then remove. Your tortilla is ready to flip when it no longer sticks to the pan, and has darkened a bit. Keep warm in a tortilla warmer, or in between a kitchen towel. Repeat with all balls of dough.

 
 
 

There you have it - Homemade Tortillas with Wendy from Costa Rica!

Looking for the perfect pairing for your homemade tortillas? Check out Taste of Costa Rica, where you can learn to make Wendy’s classic recipe of Gallo Pinto along with experiencing more of Costa Rica’s culture.

Or “travel” to Costa Rica and cook alongside Wendy in one of her live and interactive cooking classes. We offer private cooking classes along with our weekly community classes.

 

Don’t forget to pin this article for future reference!

 
 
 

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Book A Virtual Cooking Class for Your Virtual Corporate Event

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Planning a virtual corporate event doesn’t have to be a headache or time-consuming vortex. It can be the easiest item to check off your list without compromising the thoughtful connection and interaction you’re looking to have with your group. 

Here’s why you should book a cooking class for your next team building virtual event.

Corporate cooking classes are flexible.

It can be hard to find a virtual corporate event that piques everyone’s interest. Our team building cooking classes attract a wide variety of individuals - foodies, travelers, home chefs, adventurers, etc. You choose the recipe that best fits your team's interests, dietary preferences, and even cooking limitations. We work with novices and top chefs alike, even on the same team!

Everyone on the team can participate.

Our virtual classes for corporate events are 100% remote, and because we have chefs from around the world we can accommodate almost all time requests. Even as the event organizer, you are free to participate in the class without any responsibilities. We want you to focus on the reason you booked the class - to connect with your group and have fun. 

EYN Recipe Kits make it even easier to participate with all prepped ingredients shipped directly to each of your guest's homes. With a virtual cooking class with ingredients delivered, everyone starts at the same level with the same measured ingredients. 

On top of that, having an EYN Recipe Kit show up at your door is a great way to get everyone buzzed and excited about virtual team building events!

“I literally took my [recipe kit] out of the fridge and opened it 5 mins before class. I had everything I needed. I wasn't missing any ingredients and the instructions were crystal clear. What a great idea for a virtual event!” - Alex O., participant


Organizing a virtual class for corporate events is EASY!

Our class production team handles all guest registration and communication. From the very beginning, we communicate with your guests to make sure they have all the information they need, as well as answer any questions they may have. 

“[The booking process] exceeded my expectations. I received excellent customer service. All the communications…verbal, email, online were done well. The beautifully documented recipes with pictures, the website layout, company logo… top drawer lovely and easy to read.” - Suzanne D., event organizer



Virtual classes for corporate events are unique and interactive.

We have chefs from different countries who can teach you and your group a variety of seasonal dishes. Each class is a unique experience because you’ll be culturally immersed in learning the history of the dish, listening to the chef’s stories, and asking questions along the way. 

It doesn’t stop there! You’ll be on your feet the entire time, chopping, sauteing, and comparing dough consistencies with your teammates. 

“Chef Alain was fantastic! He made the class feel stress-free, while still sharing helpful tips and humorous insights related to Italian cooking...After cooking with him, I feel confident in my ability to make pizza from scratch and inspired to spend more time in the kitchen.” - Jamie D., event organizer

Virtual Team Building Events can be personalized!

Is your group competitive, chatty, full of Type A personalities, or just getting to know each other? Tell us! We can personalize your virtual corporate events to fit your group with competitions and prizes or games

If you’re a chatty group, then stay on after your virtual corporate event and enjoy your 15-minute virtual dining time, where you and your group can enjoy your finished dish together and talk about your favorite parts of the class.

Fill out an inquiry form if you’re interested in booking a virtual corporate event with your team this summer, and make sure to ask us about our summer recipes coming soon!

 

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Best Cooking Classes for Dietary Restrictions

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Three years ago, I was living la dolce vita in Italy eating all the pasta, cheese, and gelato my stomach could desire. I’ve since returned to the States and have had to adopt a low-FODMAP lifestyle. (Fancy talk for, “Apparently, I have a lot of food sensitivities.”) As a passionate gastronome, I thoroughly enjoy exploring dietary alternatives as I learn to blend the worlds of food as medicine for my body and nourishment for my soul.

My favorite cooking classes for dietary sensitive eaters with minimal substitutions required

(Each of these classes can be easily modified for vegetarian, dairy-free, gluten-free, soy-free diets!)

Tom Kha Gai photographed by Carly Dela Cruz

  • Three Flavors of Mochi - Contrary to popular belief, even though the mochi uses "glutinous rice flour" it actually doesn’t contain the gluten protein that is often ingestible for some. You can have the satisfaction of glutinous texture without the symptoms of eating it! For any all-purpose flour requirements, substitute with regular white rice flour.

  • Tom Kha Gai & Pad Thai - Thai food is naturally great for those who have gluten and dairy insensitivities because the cuisine heavily relies on rice noodles and coconut milk! If you're vegetarian you can easily swap the fish sauce with coconut aminos to maintain the umami, replace the chicken stock with veggie stock, and omit any proteins (i.e. salted shrimp or chicken) without altering the integrity of the dish.

  • Tamales - To make this dish vegetarian I would replace the protein with hearty vegetables whose texture will stand up to stir-frying and steaming - like sweet potatoes or jack fruit (although not a vegetable) and replace the lard/butter with coconut oil. No other substitutions are needed here!

  • Tomatada - Omit the side of bread entirely or replace it with slices of your favorite GF bread. This is my favorite recipe by my GF baking hero, Aran Goyoaga.

Ravioli photographed by Carly Dela Cruz

Favorite cooking classes requiring substitutions that take a little more effort, but are SO worth it

Radicchio Risotto & Prosecco Risotto - To make risotto dairy-free, I often replace the butter with olive oil and leave out the cheese entirely. (You don't actually need cheese to make risotto creamy and our chefs will teach you how! )

Pasta classes - For most recipes that involve flour, you can use a cup-for-cup GF flour. However, I've found that using a mix of different types of gluten-free flours also works just as well.

Gnocchi & Gnudi - I like to experiment using brown rice flour or oat flour as my base, and mix in a touch of potato starch, cassava flour, or tapioca flour to mimic the elastic texture that comes from using wheat flour.

Pesto Lasagna - Sometimes we like to make life easy, and in this case, I would definitely rely on a cup-for-cup GF flour for consistent sheets of lasagna that will hold the dish together. Then, I like to replace the cheese in the pesto with nutritional yeast for some umami.

It's definitely a life of trial and error and believing in yourself, but I'm all about the process!

 

Blog Post & Photos by Carly Dela Cruz, Operations Manager, Inside Japan Tour Host,
& Blogger at Eat. Drink. Cozy

 

Check out all of TTLT’s live and interactive community cooking classes.

 
 

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Building a Strong Team in a Remote World

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We’re halfway through January 2022 and to many companies’ dismay we are still living in a mostly remote world. Per a recent article in the New York Times, “The R.T.O. (return to office) date is gone. It’s been replaced with “we’ll get back to you.” And in a Gartner survey of 238 executives, a whopping two-thirds of the organizations delayed their return to office plans due to new COVID-19 variants.

Zoom photo of team in cooking class holding up finished dish

Slingshot Aerospace team in a cooking class with Gaia from Florence

With return-to-office plans up in the air for most companies, many executives and team leaders are concerned about the uncertainty that results in a lack of firm dates to look towards.

How can team leaders create certainty in uncertain times? Our answer: create a strong team culture that can navigate remote, hybrid, and in-person work.

88% of job seekers say that a healthy culture at work is vital for success and team leaders have the highest impact on company culture. 

What are unique ways you can build a strong team culture? Gift interactive and creative experiences! In a new study by Coresight Research with 300 corporate gift buyers, over 80% said gifts have improved relationships with employees and/or clients.

Gifting is becoming a critical part of company culture and it looks like “corporate gifting is a long-term habit that is going to be sustained in the post-Covid world.” Gifting experiences can show team appreciation while building company culture and socialization. (Something a stackable food tower could never do.) 

As experts in team building, remote work, and team member appreciation, we prioritize giving remote team members the opportunity to engage in small talk, get to know one another, and socialize outside of the normal work hours. How? Interactive global cooking classes.

We’re not talking about another "Zoom activity" where you're sitting and staring at your computer on mute.

We’re talking about an interactive, on-your-feet, get-your-hands-dirty kind of virtual corporate event.

Our bread and butter (and personal team favorite): cooking classes with chefs around the world. Take all work-related topics off the table and instead talk about who's the best chef, who's planning a trip to Italy, and who desperately needs a sous chef to clean up after them. 

Check out our Valentine’s Day recipes and see which one is the best gift for your team.

Torta Caprese Cake

Torta Caprese Cake with Domenico & Maria in Capri

Desserts

Great for: vegetarians, novice chefs, chatty teams, or if your team might have sous chefs join them (ie kids, partners, etc)

Entrées

Great for: vegetarians, happy hour fans, willing to get a little messy

And if you really want to treat your team…

Great for: Wine enthusiasts, don’t want to grocery shop, give a physical ‘gift’ with their class

Didn’t see something that piqued your interest? We have a library of recipes to choose from for your class. Give us a call and let’s talk more.

 

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Cook with a home chef from Costa Rica, Wendy!

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We love having Wendy as a part of our TTLT community with her incredible stories and flavorful Costa Rican recipes. We’re so excited for you to get to know her a little better! 

 

Wendy has always believed that the best way to show love is through food. She says, “I love to cook for my friends and family because it’s the way I was taught to show appreciation and share happiness.”

Growing up, Wendy learned to cook in preparation for family gatherings. “Coming from a large Latin country where families get together (30+ people) during the weekend to share a meal, you have to learn how to cook because your hands are needed one way or another.” 

Now Wendy is a tour guide in her beautiful home country where she has been giving tours since she was 16 years old. Wendy loves to read, be surrounded by friends and family, and spend time with her daughters, the “the best blessed adventure” of her life.

When Wendy is not leading tours or making memories with her family, she is teaching the TTLT community how to recreate the unique tastes of her favorite local recipes using fresh ingredients and true Costa Rican flavors.

In her classes, you’ll learn how to cook unique and delicious recipes in simple ways that don’t require messy prep work and can be enjoyed with friends and family to "create a pura vida time.”

Check out all of TTLT’s live and interactive community cooking classes.

 

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One Stop Shop: Best Team Building Activities EVERY Work Team Will Love

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Let’s cut to the chase. 97.6% of workers want to continue some type of remote work but we can’t ignore the fact that socializing between team members improves communication patterns by more than 50%. How do you get all the socialization that a team needs in a virtual world? 

As connection experts, we have hosted over 300 teams in virtual classes for corporate events and learned that attempting to ‘‘recreate an in-person experience” misses the mark.

Instead, we found that building virtual team building events based on the unique elements of each team and how they value socializing is the key factor to delivering an effective and connective experience for your team.

Here are our top tips for curating the perfect team building cooking experience for all your different teams companywide

For Executive Teams

Executives are used to wining and dining and talking about work offline and after hours when they’re having dinners with each other and sometimes their spouses.

With restaurant restrictions and executive team members now spanning the country, creating this business casual gathering is more difficult.

TTLT Solution: Book a private virtual corporate event and add EYN Recipe Kits and Wine Kits with 3 bottles of boutique wines curated by a Master Sommelier specifically for the recipe of your choosing.

Make it easy for your executives and their loved ones to gather together for something fun, compare notes on the wine, and share a cultural experience together! The best part, there’s no prep work! In our virtual cooking classes with meal kits, our Everything You Need Recipe Kits have Every. Single. Ingredient. Down to the salt, pepper, and olive oil.

We recognize that your executives are busy folks who don’t have time to run to the store or even open their pantry for their virtual event. Our EYN Recipe Kits serve 2-4 people so spouses and partners can be included in the evening.

“​​I coordinated the event...for senior managers. By the end of the class and the next day, they ALL said what a great experience it was.”

For Interns

It’s important to impress your interns with your inclusive company culture so the camaraderie they feel will attract them to stay with your company long term. For remote workers, 16% report that the biggest struggle is loneliness.

In addition, interns might have a particularly challenging setup as some might be early in their careers and don’t have the perfect setup at home - including the kitchen! 

TTLT Solution: Engage and create connection ‘outside the office’ with a team building cooking class that is hands-on, lets people kick back, relax, and laugh a little at each other’s kitchen wins & fails. Eliminate the burden of grocery shopping with EYN Recipe Kits. They won’t need to worry about what their kitchen is lacking because every ingredient they need, and a specialty tool needed for the class, will show up at their doorstep!

On top of that, take your class to the next level with a branded keepsake from your company. Talk to our team about adding branded aprons or kitchen tools to your company EYN Recipe Kits.

For Sales Teams

Every sales team has a healthy, happy dose of competition, and that oftentimes comes out in full force during in-person activities.

How do you recreate that fun and engaging environment virtually for your sales team? Especially if you are looking to knock it out of the park with your 2021 team-building activity. 

TTLT Solution: Spice up your virtual corporate event with a competition! With our cooking classes, we love folks who are up for a little Top Chef Challenge.

We’ll help your team set up a voting system for categories like “Michelin-Star Design”, “Worst Dinner Fail”, or “ Hungriest Chef” and then procure and send prizes to the winners on your behalf. Did somebody say curated wine box?

For Your Holiday Party

Whether you’re planning a companywide office Christmas party or a team-only holiday get-together it’s important to pick an event that matches your group size and group interests. This makes your holiday office party stand out among your other team-building events.

For example, a generic wine and paint night might not be the best choice because unless every invited individual loves art, it’s not going to be a successful evening for everyone. 

TTLT Solution: We want to make your holiday party memorable. You can customize your virtual corporate events to match the interest and skill level of your team with the recipe that you select. From Deliziose cookies to Empanadas, our impressive range of recipes will have something that excites your team and elevates your holiday party experience.

Your holiday party can stand out next to past virtual corporate events by making unique holiday recipes from around the world or engaging in a friendly holiday competition based on decorating and baking skill levels. Let us know how you want to take your holiday party to the next level!

For Happy Hours

Zoom Happy Hours swept companies nationwide as an easy choice for virtual team building events, but teams are facing burnout.

You may be drinking together but how is a happy hour different from any other virtual meeting? What if some team members don’t drink? 

TTLT Solution: Get on your feet! Our cooking classes are NOT a demonstration or a tutorial, you are mixing, sauteing, and cooking step by step with a chef. This virtual corporate event is unlike any other because you’re busy the entire time.

If you’re still interested in a little happy hour element, you can add a cocktail demo to your class and pick a recipe that is great for “bites & drinks” like Crostini & Negroni or Empanadas and Pisco Sour. It’s the best of both worlds!

For Company-wide Engagements

As more companies move to virtual conference-style events, the question of ‘what can we do that’s fun after 7 hours of webinars’ inevitably comes up. With 1,000+ people, finding an engaging and interactive virtual activity that encourages connection and memory-making can be a difficult issue to solve. 

TTLT Solution: Create a “Cooking Passport” as a series of options and cultural dishes to experience, giving your employees the option to ‘travel’ to wherever they’d like. We can help you set up multiple break-out events, customized invitations for your company, unique registration pages, and a series of virtual events that will give your team options to feel like they picked exactly what they want.

Want to level up? Have EYN Recipe Kits delivered directly to your employees’ doorsteps with everything they need to get cooking. They’ll unbox their ingredients like a “gift” - and hey - they might also find a company-branded apron to show off in your class.

“It’s hard being apart from everyone, but this really helped to feel like we were together. It was also fun to come back together after the weekend and our CEO asked, ‘did anyone else make more of that pasta, or was it just me?!’” - Danielle M, Human Ventures

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Engage with Your Virtual Team After Your Team Building Activity

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There is nothing like the excitement of wrapping up a virtual team building cooking class. Folks are ready to dive in and eat and everyone stays on during dining time to chat about their newfound kitchen skills, their funniest cooking moment, or how amazed they are by the ease of the recipe.

But then what? Your team had an incredible time connecting and breaking bread together, but what happens next? How can you maximize the team-building momentum? 

54% of employees say a strong sense of community kept them at a company longer in a survey by Gusto. We know that team-building activities are important and we recognize that the follow-up is just as critical to creating a strong sense of community.

Let us support you in cultivating ongoing connections that follow our virtual cooking classes with meal kits, leading to increased connection, engagement, and recall of your memorable & fun time together.

Some of our favorite teams - Zoom, Etsy, Amazon, and Uber - shared with us the ways they keep the team-building momentum created by our cooking classes going.

Try one or two or try them all; it’s about what works best for your unique virtual team! Let’s keep the fun going long after your 90-minute cooking class has landed delicious dishes on your table.

One day after your cooking class…

1. Create a competition. After class, have everybody submit photos of their dish in your communication channel and have your team vote on the submitted dishes. Then give out prizes for different categories like, "Top Chef", "Most Creative Presentation", "The Biggest Fail", “Hungriest Chef”, etc. Keep the conversation going!

 2. Play I Spy. Before class, encourage everyone to “plant” an item in their background that is hidden but visible from the camera. During our team building cooking classes, we take a group photo that we share with you afterward. Once everyone gets the class photo, create an "I Spy" email thread that starts with "I Spy in our cooking class..." and give an award to the person who guesses the item that is out of place.

From a Zoom team that cooked with us!

One week after your cooking class…

3. Share tips. After their class, one team asked in their weekly team meeting, "Who made the pizza recipe again and what toppings did you change?" This encouraged team members to recreate the recipe and share feedback.

For most of your team members, our team building cooking class will be the very first time making the recipe, so sharing tips after class can be helpful. One participant said,  “Our cooking lesson was a super way to engage the team. I think for most of us, this was the first time ever making pasta!” Ask your team about their cooking experience and use questions about the class as an ice breaker activity in the future.

 4. Build a team recipe book. After your cooking class, have folks send in their favorite recipes and create a recipe book along with the recipe you all cooked together. As you take more cooking classes together, you can add recipes to your team recipe book! This is a fun and easy souvenir that you can customize with your company logo and give as a gift during the holiday season.

One month after your cooking class…

5. Send a follow-up gift. Gift everyone on your team a TTLT apron or kitchen tool as a follow-up to their cooking class. If you plan a virtual corporate event with us and are interested in gifting your team members a TTLT item, ask for our private class discount code! Check out our TTLT Shop for more gift ideas.

Six months after your cooking class…

6. Travel somewhere new! Poll your team on the next destination you want to visit through one of our cooking classes. Italy? Thailand? Peru? France? The world is your oyster. View all of our recipes, their modifications, and their difficulty level. One class participant said, “I had the opportunity to transport myself out of Bloomington, IL to the kitchens of Japan and Italy.”

 

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Shop Small Business Gift Guide 2021

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At The Table Less Traveled, we are boutique travel experts, cooking class connoisseurs, world explorers, food enthusiasts, and patrons of local businesses. Supporting local makers is an integral part of TTLT’s values and we are grateful that so many of them share their stories, products, and knowledge with us when we visit them on our small group trips. For Small Business Saturday, we created a Shop Small Business Gift Guide for some of our favorite state-side small businesses! They have great gift options for wine lovers, foodies, and travelers for the upcoming 2021 holiday season.

For Wine Lovers

Archipelago Wines

The very first time our founder, Annie, had Pétillant Natural was with Marti & Chris from Archipelago Wines. She instantly fell in love with their bubbly varietal and enjoyed listening to their passion for wine and personal histories on the islands, that she had to share it with the rest of the TTLT community on our San Juan Islands trip. Now we’re sharing with all of you!

Orcas Island Winery

Orcas Island Winery is the first and only destination winery on Orcas Island and is home to an always-evolving winery and shop. Wes and Tera curate the best of the island’s providers, feature wines from award-winning Washington state winemaker, Chris Lawler, and pour up to 10 locally produced & crafted wines, including reds, whites, rosé, and natural sparkling wines. We love working with Wes, who is always open to our big TTLT ideas and created an incredible experience on our San Juan Islands trip. 

Crunchy Red Fruit 

CRF is one of our cooking class partners! We love to invite master sommelier, Jackson, to share his expertise and love for wine in our online cooking classes. Crunchy Red Fruit works with small producers who work organically in their vineyards and don’t obscure the natural taste of their grapes with chemical intervention. They also work with wineries that are transparent in their process and are honest about what they create. They have a few different subscription membership options and they also offer themed boxes!

Madrone Cellars

Madrone Cider & Cellar wines are made with minimal intervention, working with local farms for their hard cider apples and local ingredients. Shaun and Amy Salamida are striving to bring a taste of Europe to the San Juan Islands, and they do just that! Over the years, we’ve had the pleasure of working with Shaun to create one-of-a-kind experiences on the farm where they produce their ciders and wines. If you get the chance, stop into their tasting room in Friday Harbor town.

For Foodies and Travelers

Girl Meets Dirt

Girl Meets Dirt produces locally sourced, award-winning jams, shrubs, and bitters that are made in an old-school style that emphasizes structure and pure, ripe, naturally grown fruit. Their ingredient lists are short and sweet and they don’t use commercial pectin in their products. We’re talking fruit trees that have been producing for over a century and products prepared by hand. Absolutely mouthwatering. We got to meet the “Girl” of Girl Meets Dirt, Audra, who has an incredible story and background. You can purchase single products from their site but they also gift box options. Their preserves are a staple for any good charcuterie board and can be paired with a variety of sweets and savories.

San Juan Sea Salts 

An incredible product and story! San Juan Sea Salts sources their seawater from a private beach on the south end of San Juan Island and solar evaporates the seawater instead of boiling (like most artisan salt producers). One of the things that make their salt so unique is that they let the seawater completely evaporate, which allows the trace minerals naturally present in the ocean to stay in the salt, adding to its briny flavor. They offer so many different salts and seasonings, and right now their gift sets are on sale! (Highly recommend, the popcorn blend.)

Forest Ceramic Co.

If you’re looking for all of the beautiful vases, cups, and bowls, this is your stop. Forest Ceramic Co. experiments with marbling, layering, and carving colored slips to create incredibly unique designs in their products. We got to visit them in their studio during our San Juan Island trip and we’re amazed at the skill and artistry that goes into every single item. Sean and Valeri are truly a treasure on Orcas Island, and we loved hearing about their inspirations, stories, trials, and errors with their art. 

For Cocktail Enthusiasts

Highside Distilling

We love working with Highside Distilling in our online cooking classes and pairing the perfect dish with Matt’s cocktails. At Highside Distilling, their mission is to provide a uniquely Pacific Northwest experience to the time-honored craft of fermentation, distillation, and aging of spirits. Whether it be Single Malt Whiskey, Gin, or Amaro, all of their products are a nod to tradition. They have recipes on their website that are definitely worth trying and they offer a wide selection of spirits. Make sure they ship to your state!

San Juan Island Distilling

Suzy and Hawk were so open to sharing their distillery, spirits, and stories with us as we connected over food and Suzy’s cocktails on ourSan Juan Islands trip. San Juan Island Distillery makes wonderful small-batch ciders and spirits, including 14 different gins, several delicious liqueurs, and flavored brandies. Not to mention, their premium award-winning apple brandy, which won gold and best in class from the American Craft Spirits Association. They only ship to Washington State residents, so if you’re lucky to fall into that category, go check out their website! 

And of course, thank you for supporting our small business over the years! We are grateful for the community we have created with all of you through our international trips and virtual cooking classes.

To continue supporting our small business, check out our upcoming trips, cooking classes, TTLT Shop, and gift card options!

 

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Meet our New French Chef - Guillaume

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We are excited for Guillaume to join us in expanding our cooking classes into another country with incredible and iconic cuisine: France! 

Get to know Guillaume

Guillaume is originally from Lyon, the world capital of gastronomy. There he was introduced to the art of cooking by his parents and grandma from a very young age. His grandma was a cook for a school in a little village near them.

He says, “I always enjoyed watching her because of the passion she put into her job.” Growing up amidst the smells of freshly made meals inspired Guillaume to leave home when he was 16 and start training as a baker. 

Between his training and learning to cook on his own for the first time, he found his passion for cooking. However, he struggled at first to find his place in the culinary world.

He says, “Over the years, I have worked in different positions in restaurants but never really found my own passion in the industry. I was struggling trying to find a good fit for myself until I realized that I could combine my love of working with people with my culinary knowledge and skills in the field of nutrition.” Guillaume is now studying to become a certified dietician.

Like The Table Less Traveled, sharing meals around the table is a highlight of cooking for Guillaume. He loves to prepare breakfast and brunch for his family and friends whether it’s Eggs Benedict or something simple like toast and orange juice.

When asked about his love for French food he says, “French food is a living art. French cuisine is based on recipes that have been in the culture for centuries. These dishes vary and play different roles in different regions. For example, crepes in most parts of France is a sweet treat but in Brittany, it's called Galette and it's mostly salty, it's also a signature of the region. The exciting thing, and what I like the most, is that French food is continuously evolving–new flavors, new techniques but still the old traditions.” 

Guillaume’s first class is on September 12th and he will be teaching us to make Pear and Pecan Crepes! Other than learning how to make an incredible French dish, Guillaume will also share tips and techniques about nutrition to break stereotypes around French food. This is a class you don’t want to miss!

Check out all of TTLT’s live and interactive community cooking classes.

 

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Chefs from Around the World - Meet Chef Nacho in Urubamba, Peru

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TTLT founder, Annie cheng sim, with chef nacho in peru

Encircled by the Andes Mountains in Peru, in the heart of what once was the Incan Empire, sits the Sacred Valley of the Incas, or the Urubamba Valley. 

On our 9-day Taste of Peru trip, we spend our first few nights in the country at an adorable boutique hotel nestled in this valley. Because the altitude is quite high here at 9,500 feet above sea level (still not as high as the city of Cusco at 11,000 feet), we start slowly here for a couple days as we adjust to the altitude (for reference: Seattle is only 152 feet above sea level, and altitude sickness can kick in after 2,500 feet). 

A visit with Chef Nacho is one of our first activities at this hotel, and he undoubtedly leaves a mark on our travelers & guests. As the resident chef, Chef Nacho not only makes exquisite dinners for our travelers when we visit, but also hosts Peruvian cuisine cooking classes in his kitchen for our small groups.

During the trips, we get treated to a "behind the scenes" chef's dinner in the restaurant's kitchen where we watch Chef Nacho calmly and patiently guide us on how to make certain dishes, meanwhile keeping an eye on all the cooks in the kitchen (literally) as they whiz around concocting local specialties for the diners in the restaurant.

Over the years, our friendship with Chef Nacho has grown over the mutual love of Mexico City, his Frida Kahlo apron, and his doggos running circles around each of us. Nacho brings a liveliness (and delicious eats!) to our first few days in Peru, just like he does in our virtual classes.

Without the ability to work when COVID-19 closed borders for Peru, he adapted to online cooking classes quickly, which he says, “allowed us to have a minimum income to survive, since we cannot work and therefore don’t have a salary.”

“What I like the most with the classes,” he continues, “is interacting with the participants and being able to continue sharing Peruvian cuisine, which is so varied and rich, with gastronomic cultural wealth.”

Market in Urubamba where Chef Nacho buys his ingredients

Market in Urubamba where Chef Nacho buys his ingredients

Chef Nacho during the TTLT Taste of Peru cooking class

Chef Nacho during the TTLT Taste of Peru cooking class

Nacho and his four doggos

Nacho and his four doggos

Chef Nacho’s classes have become a sought after staple in the repertoire of live cooking classes we offer because of this rich variety of flavors and also his fun stories shared throughout class, not to mention the surprise appearance of his dogs, or his “lazy kids” as he calls them. So far he has taught over 100 classes with us since April 2020 when he joined the TTLT team, with some of the favorites being empanadas and lomo saltado (Peruvian Stir Fry). 

This spring, Chef Nacho will be bringing back the intricate flavor combinations with a causa and ceviche combo class. Causa rellena remains an iconic Peruvian dish centering on potatoes. Did you know that Peru has more than 4,000 varieties of native grown potatoes, including a range of colors like blue, pink, and bright purple?

Causa, referring to the yellow potatoes used (papa amarilla in Peru), can be said to originate from the Quechuan word kausay, which means “gives life.” However, the origins of the word causa can vary. One version says that in 1879 during the Pacific War when Chile fought against Peru and Bolivia, women collected potatoes to help feed the soldiers since food was so hard to get in cities. The meal was prepared “for the cause,” therefore causa. A layered dish of potatoes, fresh seafood, and avocado and bursting with bright flavors such as lime, aji amarillo paste, and cilantro, causa rellena is a must to make.

Alongside this dish, Chef Nacho will also prepare ceviche - also known as “cebiche, seviche, or sebiche” - a seafood dish declared such an integral part of the country’s national heritage that it even has a holiday in its honor on June 28th!

Ceviche is marinated fresh raw fish that has been cured in fresh citrus juices, alongside onions, garlic, cilantro, chilis, and salt and pepper. Local and regional flavors get added to customize it, so in this class Chef Nacho will prepare his favorite recipe with everyone. Try it for yourself to see how amazing it is!!

Check out all of TTLT’s live and interactive community cooking classes.

 

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Meet our Capri Chefs — Domenico & Maria

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Domenico & Maria from Capri, italy

Domenico & Maria are BACK on our schedule sharing traditional recipes from the Isle of Capri, where they and their families have lived for as far back as they can trace.

When we visit Capri on our Heart of Italy tours, Domenico guides us around, showing us the best lookouts for the best views of their rugged coastline, and regaling us with stories of the island history, cuisine, and people.

In the first few months of COVID, while on a strict lockdown in their home, he and his wife Maria still regaled us with stories from their island,  sharing Maria’s grandmother’s Caprese recipes and the history behind them — but this time,  from their kitchen table.

Like most locals on the island, both Domenico & Maria work in tourism, which of course, has been hugely affected by COVID.

Usually the tourist season there booms from April to October, fueling the island economy through the rest of the year. This year they were able to open just three short months from July to the beginning of October for other Europeans, but had to make do without their largest group of seasonal tourists: Americans. 

Domenico & Annie in Capri

TTLT founder, annie, with domenico in Capri on our heart of italy tour

The Island of Capri from the top

The Island of Capri from the top

In Italy, Domenico says COVID cases are increasing dramatically, including on Capri. So now he and his wife Maria are staying at home again, taking care of their garden, going for long walks, and visiting family as carefully as they can. They took a break from teaching classes while they were able to work in town, but are looking forward to being back on the schedule sharing Maria's grandmother's recipes with our TTLT community. 

"These classes mean a lot to us," Domenico explains. "They're the closest thing we have to a job right now, and they connect us to the rest of the world. We usually welcome tourists and take care of them during their stay on the island, making sure they feel like locals while they’re here. Now we still do that, just through the computer!”

Join Domenico & Maria as they welcome you to their island and share traditional Caprese cuisine in one of their upcoming cooking classes.

Check out all of TTLT’s live and interactive community cooking classes.

 

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