Parties That Cook Kitchen & Event Space

Parties That Cook runs group cooking events in San Francisco. It doesn't sell seats in public classes. Its home base is a kitchen and event space at 923 Harrison Street in SOMA. From outside it's a dark grey building. Inside are 20-foot open beam ceilings, natural light and an open floor plan that holds groups of 10 to 80. Bigger groups go to partner venues, the Ferry Building or Bay Area wineries.

You choose a format and a menu, and the chefs run the evening. Small Plates is a mingling party built around international appetizers. Chef's Table has teams cooking a 3 or 4 course menu and then sitting down to eat it. The competitive formats are the real draw. Kitchen Challenge gives each team three basic ingredients and a pantry. Sushi Showdown is a timed sushi battle, and Pasta Wars has teams making pasta and sauce from scratch.

The company mostly serves corporate teams. It also hosts birthdays, bridal showers, rehearsal dinners and family reunions. It holds a 4.5 Google rating from 25 reviews.