As a consultant, How Can You Spice Up Your Cooking Show?

[Malinda Klein]

What do you do to have fun shows? I believe hosts book because of an informative and fun show. I do a lot of theme shows and throw some games that are geared towards the theme ("guess your age in chocolate" for a chocolate party) (while keeping the focus on the products and cooking tips). I also get everyone involved and am a very interactive party consultant.

I'm having a blank moment on how to jazz up my normal cooking show (when no theme is involved). Be as specific as possible, I figured this could help new and seasoned consultants refresh how to bring the spark back in to their show.

 

[flemings99]

Got this from NC one year. When doing the DCB, I hide a rubber chicken (avail. at party stores or novelty on-line stores) in the inside and talk about how great the baker is. Then ask if anyone is nervous about cooking in the microwave and how most food turn out like rubber in other dishes...I take the top off throw the chicken across the room or behind me and say, well lets get that out of here b/c we aren't cooking rubber chicken tonight. It usually catches people off guard and gets a laugh.

If we are using the citrus press I ask who is the strongest in the group or who had a tough day and have them come up and demo it for me. One of my consultants has the person 1st squeeze the lime with their hand and then uses the press. It's amazing how much more can be pressed out.

 

[BethCooks4U]

Malinda, when people were scared to do a theme show we taught that a theme show is just a cooking show with a twist. If your comfort is theme shows then twist it it up for a non-theme show. We used to have an unbirthday party every year in the stretch of 3-4 months that there were no birthdays. So do an untheme party. As the queen of theme parties you have got this.

 

[Chef Kearns]

I try to just be myself. If I don't know anyone in the room, which happens most often, I just pretend like I'm one of the girls. Granted most of the time I'm standing and they are all seated around me, but I just pretend like they are my girlfriends and I'm sharing things that I love with them. I share personal stories and try to get the guests involved as much as possible. I ask then to tell me about their experiences with our products. I don't do a whole lot of games. They can be fun and people love to win prizes, I just didn't find them to be a great benefit to my demonstration.

Oh, and I totally agree with Beth. You can take one tool to focus on and make a "theme" around that in your mind to help you. Themes seem to be your niche and comfort zone so create one if that makes you feel more comfortable.

 

[angel7581]

At my parties we play a short version of the game Apples to Apples with a PC twist. It is a lot of fun and I use it to inform about our products.

 

[forever their mom]

Angel, I would LOVE to know more about PC twist on Apples to Apples!! Please share your version with us!!

 

[angel7581]

I bought the playing cards from Merrill. Then I took labels (10 per sheet) and created 2 sets of cards. One set has food items. The other set has PC products on them. Everyone takes cards of the products. I call out the food items and the guests have to pick their card that can best be used for making that item. Whoever has the most cards at the end gets a door prize. I have 12 food items and I go through all 12. The nice thing is that even though I only use 12 foods, the game is never the same.

 

[forever their mom]

Thank you so much for posting!!!! I am going to use this idea at my next party!!!

 

[valsped]

:chef:I made up a word file with PC products for an Apples to Apples game! I think I'll play that I pull a tool card and the guests pick a food from their hand that would be used for that tool. That way I can talk about some of the more unique uses for our products.
I will try to figure out how to post the cards. I am going to use some food playing cards that I used when I was teaching for a food group go fish game. If anyone is interested I'll try to point you the site where I got them.

 

[esavvymom]

:chef:I made up a word file with PC products for an Apples to Apples game! I think I'll play that I pull a tool card and the guests pick a food from their hand that would be used for that tool. That way I can talk about some of the more unique uses for our products.
I will try to figure out how to post the cards. I am going to use some food playing cards that I used when I was teaching for a food group go fish game. If anyone is interested I'll try to point you the site where I got them.

What a fun idea!

I've done Queen of Shoppers- it's a great ice-breaker game (for them AND ME!). It also gets me talking through the catalog a little more than I usually do.

My first thought though when I saw the thread title was "Alcohol?". HAHA. KIDDING!

 

[[email protected]]

:chef:I made up a word file with PC products for an Apples to Apples game! I think I'll play that I pull a tool card and the guests pick a food from their hand that would be used for that tool. That way I can talk about some of the more unique uses for our products.
I will try to figure out how to post the cards. I am going to use some food playing cards that I used when I was teaching for a food group go fish game. If anyone is interested I'll try to point you the site where I got them.

That would be great! Thank you!

 

[Kate0831]

I like comparing regular kitchen products with the PC version, and having the guests try them out and see the differences for themselves.Two that I've done recently:I had a SlapChop laying around that I got as a Christmas gift before I signed on with PC. I had a show at my house, and after the show was over and the guests had left - and a few beers later -- my friends and I decided to go head to head and see what worked better, the SlapChop or the FoodChopper. The FoodChopper won easily, and I've started bringing both to shows to have a "competition". I give 2 volunteers a similar sized piece of a vegetable, and one get the FC with the other gets the SC. We put 10 seconds on the clock, and see which chops better. I've found that it really appeals to the guests sense of competition.The other thing I did was I went to Target and bought a cheap chef's knife. You know the kind -- the type of knife that everyone has or has had at some point in their lives before upgrading to the good stuff. Our cutlery is impressive on its own, but is SUPER impressive when you can compare to it to another piece. I invite as many guests as would like to try use both knives and talk about the differences. After that, the cutlery usually sells itself.I have more fun when the guests are having fun. Finding ways to get them involved really loosens them up and creates a more festive and jovial atmosphere.

 

[TJMagoo]

What is the Queen of Shoppers game?

 

[Sheila]

I LOVE the PC version of Apples to Apples. How cute!!!

 

[wadesgirl]

I like comparing regular kitchen products with the PC version, and having the guests try them out and see the differences for themselves.

Two that I've done recently:

I had a SlapChop laying around that I got as a Christmas gift before I signed on with PC. I had a show at my house, and after the show was over and the guests had left - and a few beers later -- my friends and I decided to go head to head and see what worked better, the SlapChop or the FoodChopper. The FoodChopper won easily, and I've started bringing both to shows to have a "competition". I give 2 volunteers a similar sized piece of a vegetable, and one get the FC with the other gets the SC. We put 10 seconds on the clock, and see which chops better. I've found that it really appeals to the guests sense of competition.

The other thing I did was I went to Target and bought a cheap chef's knife. You know the kind -- the type of knife that everyone has or has had at some point in their lives before upgrading to the good stuff. Our cutlery is impressive on its own, but is SUPER impressive when you can compare to it to another piece. I invite as many guests as would like to try use both knives and talk about the differences. After that, the cutlery usually sells itself.

I have more fun when the guests are having fun. Finding ways to get them involved really loosens them up and creates a more festive and jovial atmosphere.

We did this at one of my first parties. It came up while talking about our food chopper. My sister had a TW one and said she never used it because it was so hard to take apart and put back together. Some how this got into a race between the two items, one guest had the TW one and the other had ours. The guest who tried the TW one (and lost!) ended up buying ours just by seeing that comparison.

I do have to say that if it wasn't my sister's party and I didn't personally know the people at the party like I did at that one, I wouldn't "bash" TW or any other company in that way. I like the generic idea of using a non brand knife or even just a horrible cheap skillet from your kitchen to show off the difference.