Conquering Cooking Anxiety: Tips for Hosting a Successful Show with 12 Guests

[ahammons]

Tonight is my first cooking show outside of my close family and friends! It's for a lady who works w/ my MIL, but I've only met her once. I'm starting to get really nervous now... she's planning on about 12 people being there, so she wants to make two taco rings instead of one. I don't mind, since it's a really easy recipe, but I'm wondering - can you bake two of them at once? I have a large bar pan (this is what I usually make it on) and my MIL is letting me use her round stone, so I just hope it all fits! lol Any tips for a show with 12 people??

 

[kcjodih]

You'll do great just breathe! And if necessary, picture them all naked
For my first few shows I actually preferred ones outside my circle since I'd never met these people before.

As for the ring - I've never made that one but I would either make one as soon as I got there and have it cooking and then rinse my tools off and demo the second (they can all eat while you demo) or do both at once and cook one after the other. I never have any luck with host's smaller ovens, different cooking times etc cooking more than one thing or having the room!

As for 12 guests, yay! Try to take the time to speak with each and ask about bookings etc.

Good luck!

 

[Kitchen2u]

Have one baking in the oven while the guests are arriving so they SMELL it when they come in. Then demo the 2nd and pop it in the oven....the first one will be out. You can say "Look, just like the FoodNetwork channel...this one's ready to go in...but here's the finished one!!! I'm feeling like Rachael and Sandra Dee!"

 

[kspry]

Good luck with your show! It's normal to be nervous - probably means you'll do well!

I second the idea of having one already baked or baking, and demo the second one.
Two stones would not fit into my oven and bake well.

 

[ahammons]

Thanks, I think I'll definitely have one in the oven ahead of time. I'm so excited that I get to use my new cookware (finally)... I still haven't tried it out yet!

I just hope I remember everything and do okay. I think it's going to be a little tough for me emotionally... the host lives right down the road from where my grandparents used to live. I practically lived there when I was growing up, but haven't been there since they passed away, and my cousin has torn down their house and built a new one. Just not sure if I'm ready to see that! I feel a little stupid that it will actually bother me, but I know it will. My friend keeps telling me to focus on the road, and don't even look at the house until after the show! lol

 

[raebates]

Feelings aren't stupid. They just are. As for forgetting things, be sure to practice several times out loud. It works.

 

[ahammons]

Thanks Rae.

I've been practicing out loud ... my kids probably think I'm nuts! lol

 

[smile10308]

Don't WorryI am sure you will do great tonight. I did this recipe for one of my first shows and it was a huge hit! Good Luck!

 

[ahammons]

Yeah, I'm very comfortable w/ this recipe, which is why I agreed to make it when she asked for it. I make it all the time - my kids love it!

 

[raebates]

Thanks Rae.

I've been practicing out loud ... my kids probably think I'm nuts! lol

My son knew I was nuts long before I became a PC consultant.

 

[KellyTheChef]

Ashlee~

Good luck! Try not to focus on the negative aspect of your grandparents house being gone...remember lots of happy memories!

My Grandma has been gone for over 20 years, and it still upsets me to see her house...they put an addition on and changed a bunch of things so it is hardly recognizable anymore. I try not to even go past there...I want my memory to be able to picture her house the way it was when I spent so much time there. Maybe since it will be an entirely different house, it won't bother you. (Since your mind can still "see" their house!!) I like what Rae said--feelings just are! They aren't wrong...they are how we feel! Focus on the great memories you have!

Have a great show and let us know how it goes!!

 

[pampered1224]

I sure hope you did well!!You probably will not see this until after you get home.
I want to share something I learned a long time ago.
My very first show was with friends and family and I got along great with it. I was nervous but that soon went away.
The very first show I did outside that circle was 5 months and 15 shows later. I was so nervous I was actually sick to my stomach. Major anxiety!
I learned something very important though. It turns out the more nervous I am about a show, the better the show! It is a proven fact. If you are nervous, you are producing much more adrenelin and your senses are highten greatly. You actually can think faster and better than if you were not nervous. AND if you're nervous you will actually be more "real" to your audience. The humor is better and the facts are much more there.
"A non-nervous person is a person that is too ****y to be of any use to anyone but themselves." I am not sure where I heard this but it came from some one like Tony Robins or some other motivational speaker.
And in our business, that is exactly what we DO NOT want to be!

 

[ahammons]

Thanks so much everyone! I got lucky and didn't have to drive by their house - the host's home is just far enough down the road where I couldn't see it. That made me feel a little better.

As for the nervousness about the show, it never really went away and I know I forgot to mention some stuff. I was planning on starting one taco ring ahead of time b/c she wanted two, but it didn't work out that way. It was like pulling teeth to get people to want to try out the products (I was trying to get some help so that I wasn't spending forever on the demo), finally the host and a past host jumped in to show them off and then my UM wouldn't work!! Everyone loved the recipe we did though. I'm still waiting on some outside orders, but the show's at $350 right now - I guess that's pretty good.

I just hope I get more comfortable with shows! I'm a very shy person, so I'm trying to be more outgoing - sometimes I think I'm crazy for doing this! lol I do think it was a little easier than the ones with family and friends so far though.

 

[ahammons]

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention what else happened at this show... right after we started, my nose started bothering me. I figured it was just allergies b/c the host lives pretty far out in the country, but by the time I left the show my throat was hurting. Yep, I think I'm getting sick! My MIL's had this for a few days now and she thought it was allergies as well.... I guess not since we both have it! My youngest DS doesn't act like he feels too great, so I think he's getting it too. This should be a fun week! :yuck:

 

[raebates]

I'm not at all shy (as those who have met me will testify), but I'm pleasantly surprised at how many very successful PC consultants describe themselves as shy. The nervousness may never go away completely, but it will lessen to a HUGE degree as you get a few more shows under your belt. As for forgetting things, I can't tell you how often I still get to the drive home and think, "I forgot to mention ____________!" There's never time to mention everything. Heck, if I mentioned everything my shows would be six hours long!I find that friends and family are often the hardest shows. But, either way, you'll have those crowds that just don't participate. Every crowd has a personality. Your next one may be filled with guests who want to do everything.