We've Cooked Up Something New

Today is the day we've been waiting all month for! Our Currant Kitchen at the Merchandise Mart is now open for business, and we hosted our first class (Knife Skills, of course) in it this morning. The barricades hiding our beautiful new storefront and logo will come down on Monday (hopefully).

From Jenn-Air appliances to Greenfield Cabinetry to Cambria Countertops to Kohler sinks to John Boos custom woodwork, each item has been selected by our Owner/Chef Shelley Young and brought to life by Susan Fredman Design Group to create The Chopping Block Experience for our students.

Stop by soon to check out our new space. Our staff will be happy to show you around!

See the entire transformation in our new Pinterest board Mart Construction 2015.

Party Planning Trends for 2015

This year's trends in event planning include everything from brain foods to sustainability. See how our event coordinators can help make your party a success.

Brain Food: Get your team's creative and strategic juices flowing by offering brain food for team building and meeting activities. Protein is a great brain food, so skip the sugar/carb-heavy danishes and bagels and select a frittata from our Brunch menus. Our soon-to-come Spring menus offer lots of seasonal produce to offer your guests healthful options.
Signature Cocktails: It's no surprise that craft cocktails are trendy right now. Let our mixologists create a specialty cocktail for your company, maybe even in the color of your logo!
Fun with a Purpose: This is no trend in our kitchens. Everything we do at The Chopping Block is centered around having fun with a purpose: learning how to cook. Think "edutainment".
Being Wired: Corporate events will be involve more technology than ever this year. See what the Apple Watch and iPhone6 could mean for your next event.
The Early Bird Gets the Worm: We are finally seeing a trend toward booking early. A new report says having more lead time for events could indicate an economic recovery for corporate events. We love this trend! Be sure to book at least 6-8 weeks to guarantee your desired date and time in our kitchens.
Sustainability: This is a trend we happily practice every day. We compost everything we possibly can into those little red bins you see in every one of our kitchens. We also have seasonal menus to help ensure that we can get as many products locally as possible.

LEARN MORE ABOUT HOSTING A PARTY AT THE CHOPPING BLOCK

For more party pics, check out our The Party Starts in the Kitchen Pinterest board.

Skip the Awkward Bar Outing & Engage Your Team

If you aren't sure a cooking party is right for your group, hear from one of our recent clients on why The Chopping Block is tops for corporate events:

"A cooking event aids in networking and communication. Our members made many comments that dinners or outings at bars are difficult because if you aren't comfortable in social situations, you end up standing in the corner or only talking to the two people next to you.
Multiple cooking stations encouraged people to move around yet the activity kept people busy (no awkward moments!).
The activity involved teamwork and a sense of pride as we enjoyed a meal we made together.
Everyone loved the added bonus of getting the recipes."

~Sarah Kohler, Building Service Contractors Association International (BSCAI)

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This Gift Card Deal is Hot

Want to get something for nothing?

During the month of February, purchase a gift card for $150 and get an additional $20 value on the card. That's more money to spend toward a cooking class, gift for someone special (hint: Valentine's Day), or to use in our retail/wine shops. Our Sizzling Savings Card will be available starting this Sunday in stores and online.

Already have a gift card? Save it for February and use it to get 20% off all bakeware, including Emile Henry. Muffin tins, sheet trays, popover pans, pie dishes... they're all on sale next month!