Look Who's Cookin':How to Host a Chef-Themed Party

By Sinea Pies

 

Theme parties are all the rage for families with young children. Princesses, pirates, sports themes, cartoon characters, Hawaiian luaus, western themes…the list of possibilities goes on and on. Want to break out from the ordinary? Try this for an innovative party idea: a Chef Party.

As you well know, children love to help in the kitchen. Unless closely supervised, though, their kitchen "help" can become an ooey, gooey mess! To quote Rachael Ray, "... it ain't a party until you drop the milk container on the floor." Well, wouldn't it be fun to put all that natural fascination for the kitchen to use? You can put on a super Chef Party for kids and let them pretend to be real chefs in a real restaurant where refreshments are part of the entertainment. Not only is it fun, but it's a great opportunity to teach kids about cooking!

How to Do It
Invites: Buy or make invitations that look like chef's hats, cooking utensils or even the finished product: pizza, cake, cupcakes. Entice the guests with a lavish description of elegant dining in a warm, friendly atmosphere where they will be the cooks. Invite them to come learn the art of pizza making and cake decorating. Remember to list the pertinent information: day, date, time, location and the best reason for the event: celebrating your child's birthday.

Shopping & Set Up: Pick recipes that are easy to make and kid-friendly. Pizza works well but so do things like pancakes and waffles. Make your list and buy the supplies including ingredients for the food, paper goods, party favors (you may need to order these online so allow time for shipping), cake and pizza baking pans, pastry bags/doggy bags for take-home leftovers, mixing bowls and accessories. Write out a list based on the recipes you will use and make sure your kitchen is stocked a few days in advance. If you can find an expert to come in to teach your young chefs, ask them what they will need to have on hand. If they have their own chef's uniform, have them wear it!

You will need some decorations to lend authenticity to the experience. There are businesses and party supply retailers that sell children's chefs hats, aprons and baking paraphernalia. Also purchase plastic table cloths (preferably red checkered if you're making pizza!) and simple floral centerpieces to decorate your "restaurant."

Pick a room in your house to be the restaurant area, large enough to set up card tables covered with your restaurant decor. For an authentic experience, have Italian music playing on a CD in the background. Plan the time to include pizza making, cake baking and cake decorating. You will need to include some time-fillers to keep your party goers occupied while the baking is taking place.

Find help: As you can see, in order to be successful, a party of this kind will need assistance. Enlist the help of other adults to keep the party moving along.

Duties include: a photographer, pizza baking help, cake baking help, game playing help, set up, clean up. Make a list of responsibilities and give directions to your helpers before the party begins.

You can play the hostess at the restaurant to "check to see if they have a reservation." Of course, ALL of your party goers are on the list and are your "very special guests." Have the other adults play waiters and waitresses while your photographer takes shots.

 

Plan Games: Plan craft projects, brainteasers or action games. Make it age-appropriate, fun and tie it all in with your Chef Party theme.

An Orien Illinois mom, Maribel, tells her story about a game she invented called "Oh Waiter!" on BirthdayParties.com. She threw a Chef Party for her 7-year-old son and his friends. "I divided the boys into teams and they each had to carry a tray on one hand (like a waiter) that held a cup of water," she says. "The first team to get across the designated line and back with the least amount of water spilled was the winning team." She also created an ingenious recipe-reading contest where the children teamed up to make a batch of chocolate chip cookie dough. The team that followed the recipe most exactly (measuring, egg-cracking, etc) was the winner.

Entertainment: Baking is the entertainment but you will need some things to do during "down time." For a change of pace, show the animated children's movie from Disney that is all about cooking: Ratatouille! You can even go online and download the free Ratatouille activity book and coloring pages. All you will have to provide is the crayons.

Have a party: The big day has arrived. Enjoy every minute of it!

Sinea Pies is a contributing writer to Rochester Area & Genesee Valley Parent Magazine. She writes in the areas of organizing, time management, parent & family, education, and pets. Her work can be seen on Ehow.com, Ezine Articles.com and her own website Ducks 'n a Row - www.ducksnarow.com.

This article originally appeared in the February 2011 issue of Genesee Valley Parent Magazine. Copyright 2011.

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