TeamBuilder Plus

Leading Edge Corporate Consultants
Rachel Ember, President

A Westport, Connecticut-based organizational development consultant, Rachel Ember, President of Leading Edge Corporate Consultants, had provided the Senior Team at RBS Credit Cards with pre-hiring psychological assessments, executive coaching and several team development activities.

She and her client, Michael Steele, the RBS Card Services HR Director, decided that a culinary teambuilding experience would be a fun opportunity for the 10 member team to shift out of its normal roles. She considered a couple of culinary programs in CT, where RBS is based, then went online and found Cooking by the Book.

“From the first conversation with Suzi, I knew this was a great fit,” Rachel said. “We needed to hold a two day meeting and wanted to make culinary teambuilding the evening activity. After looking into several hotel meeting rooms, we accepted Suzi’s offer to use the dining area at Cooking by the Book for a dual purpose. The staff made it easy to use the space for meeting, as well as for dining, and very importantly, the price was well within our budget.”

“Cooking by the Book bent over backwards to customize our program,” she continued. “Especially thoughtful was their willingness to let us make Grand Marnier soufflés, a past president’s favorite dessert that was not on their regular menu and a sentimental choice to end the meal. Let me also say that the duck breast was one of the most delicious entrees I have ever eaten.”

“The culinary advisors were a wonderful combination of professional experts and down-to-earth helpers,” Rachel continued. “The food was fantastic; everyone felt engaged by the process and was delighted with the results.”

Our meeting began in the early afternoon of the day we cooked together and there were always plenty of refreshments. When we returned to the loft at 9AM the next day, a New York style breakfast was on the buffet. A delicious assortment of sandwiches and salads were served at lunch.

With all the food we needed prepared and served in the loft, there was no need to waste going out, which allowed us to make maximum use of our time together.

“The experience absolutely met my expectations and in fact, I am now encouraging another client to take advantage of this unique opportunity,” she concluded.