Hold on, let them cook: The Best Cooking Team-Building Activities in Singapore
Whenever my manager asks for team-building suggestions, I love to recommend attending a cooking class together. I love to cook in my spare time, and it was lovely to share my interest with my co-workers.
But my favorite part during these classes is when someone gets suddenly possessed by the spirit of Carmy from The Bear or Gordon Ramsay from Hell’s Kitchen!
If you also want to spend time with your co-workers whipping up something good (and testing your patience with each other), here are my recommendations on where to book.
Cooking Team Bonding
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Address: 362 Upper Paya Lebar Rd, #08-01 Dajin Factory Building
Contact Number: +6563861816
Website
With a very straightforward name, Cooking Team Bonding indeed delivers fun cooking activities for teams both in big corporations and small businesses. You don’t even have to have cooking experience because the chefs here will guide you throughout.
I love how the team-building here (named Cook & Dine) is structured like your typical cooking game show. You will be divided into groups, and each group will cook something that will be assessed by “judges.”
Don’t worry because this is no Hell’s Kitchen. If anything, it’s just a silly, goofy time! When we came here last, we just spent the entire time trying to prank each other (hiding their ingredients and the like), and when our efforts failed, we just burst into laughter.
Pro Tip: This company also has another program called Cook & CSR, which lets you cook for a cause. A percentage of the amount you pay for this experience will be donated to your preferred charity or organization.
At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy
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Address: 28 Tai Seng St, Level 5 Sakae Building
Operating Hours:
- Monday to Friday—9 am to 6 pm
- Sunday—9 am to 8 pm
Contact Number: +6564166688
Website
At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy is a full-fledged school that offers diplomas in culinary studies. But they also have Team Chef, their very own cooking team-building activity!
The team-building event here is also in the style of a competition, and you can choose what cuisine you’d like to do. We did classic Singaporean cuisine, but you can also choose Western, Thai, Malay, Indian, and Chinese.
You’ll be judged based on plating and presentation, so be sure to unleash your inner creativity! Feel free to gloat as well—though not at the expense of your fellow co-workers (this is just for fun)!
Pro Tip: Eat all the dishes you’ve created because you can’t bring them home with you.
Commune Kitchen
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Address: 182 Cecil St, #02-10/11 Frasers Tower
Operating Hours: Monday to Saturday—10 am to 8 pm
Contact Number: +6588214805
Website
What I love about Commune Kitchen is that they offer a few cooking challenges to keep the experience interesting. Because of this, you’ll really feel like a participant in a MasterChef season!
The one we tried was the Mystery Box Challenge, which was so exciting because we really needed to think fast and work as a team. If you need even more ideas, you’re free to look them up on the internet.
Aside from this challenge, there’s also The Secret Ingredient Challenge, which is also thrilling because you never know what the ingredient is until the chef tells you. We haven’t tried this yet, but hopefully soon!
Pro Tip: Their website has a few recipes available. You can try some of them in preparation for your cooking event.
D’Open Kitchen
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Address: 6A Shenton Wy, #B1-07 OUE Downtown 2
Operating Hours: Monday to Sunday—8 am to 10 pm
Contact Number: +6582286217
Website
Located in Singapore’s central area, D’Open Kitchen was opened by Trish Yee, who was actually a finalist of MasterChef Season 2! Honestly, that fun fact was the reason we tried this studio out in the first place, and it didn’t disappoint.
This studio offers two programs: cooking team building and cooking team bonding. The difference is that the team building one is very much focused on friendly competition, while team bonding is more chill.
We went with the team bonding one because we weren’t in the mood for an intense race. But next time, we’d like to try the team-building one, especially since there are many fun options like Mystery Box, Fear Factor, and Blind Chef.
Pro Tip: This studio also has recipes available on their website. You might want to try them in your spare time (and to prepare yourself for the event).
Palate Sensations
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Address: Chromos #01-03, 10 Biopolis Rd
Operating Hours:
- Tuesday—10 am to 9 pm
- Wednesday to Saturday—10 am to 10 pm
- Sunday—10 am to 8 pm
Contact Number: +6564789746
Website
Even if you’re not into cooking, you’ll still be impressed with Palate Sensations. This culinary school features a spacious open-concept kitchen that’s equipped with state-of-the-art tools and gadgets, and there are multiple chefs ready to help you!
For the corporate team building, you have several themed options to choose from. We tried the Murder Mysteries Team Building, which was definitely a unique experience because we had to solve a murder mystery over a three-course meal!
We also tried the Bake for a Cause, which had us baking cookies and cupcakes for charity organizations. It was such a fulfilling experience!
Pro Tip: If you don’t like any of the themed options available, you can create your own team-building event instead.
ToTT
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Address: 3 Temasek Blvd, #02-427 Suntec City
Operating Hours:
- Sunday to Thursday—11 am to 9 pm
- Friday and Saturday—11 am to 9:30 pm
Contact Number: +6562381578
Website
Most people know ToTT as a culinary wonderland that sells a curated selection of kitchen appliances, cookware, bakeware, and more. But it’s also a cooking studio that offers classes and team-building services!
I recommend trying the Ultimate Baking Challenge, especially if practically everyone on your team is a fan of The Great British Bake Off. At the end of the session, all of you will be covered in flour and icing, I guarantee it!
If you guys want something even more challenging, try the ToTT Ultimate Chef Challenge. The in-house chef will demonstrate how to make certain dishes, and you have to replicate them. Time to show off your skills!
Pro Tip: If your team already has an idea of what to do for your team building, you can just book one of the studio’s event spaces instead.
Pots & Pans Culinary Studio
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Address: 176 Orchard Rd, B1-12 The Centrepoint
Operating Hours:
- Monday to Friday—9 am to 6 pm
- Saturday and Sunday—8 am to 8 pm
Contact Number: +6562304045
Website
Pots & Pans Culinary Studio is located in a popular shopping mall on Orchard Road, and it offers a team-building event that’s laid-back instead of competitive.
You can choose what theme to do for your event. The most popular option—and the one we tried—is Hawker Heritage, which lets you cook classic hawker food. I remember having to make chicken satay and chili oil dumplings when we were here before.
Other cuisines you can do during the team building include Thai, Korean, Japanese, and Peranakan.
Pro Tip: If you’re serious about cooking, this studio offers cooking courses that are eligible for SkillsFuture (a program that offers aid in learning new skills).
Coriander Leaf
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Address: 30 Victoria St, # 02-01 Singapore CHIJMES
Operating Hours:
- Monday to Friday—12 to 2:30 pm, 6 to 10:30 pm
- Saturday—6 to 10:30 pm
Contact Number: +6596180142
Website
Found in the iconic CHIJMES landmark, Coriander Leaf is actually a restaurant. In fact, it was only when we went here for team building that I learned that it also doubles as a culinary studio!
The team-building event here is formatted as a cooking competition, just like a lot of other cooking team-building programs, but don’t stress too much because it’s chill and fun. You can even customize the programs however you want.
After the event, you can enjoy lunch or dinner at no extra cost to you!
Pro Tip: Sometimes, the restaurant posts recipes on the blog. You can practice making them just in case these dishes are what you’re going to make during the event.
ABC Cooking Studio
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Address: 391B Orchard Rd, #03-12 / 12A Takashimaya Shopping Center
Operating Hours: Monday to Sunday—10 am to 10 pm
Contact Number: +6566946104
Website
ABC Cooking Studio has many locations all over the world—several in Singapore alone—so, it’s not a surprise that it’s a go-to spot for many aspiring chefs. It’s also a go-to spot for corporate teams because there’s a fun team-building program here.
The program here is very laid-back; you just have to learn certain dishes together. No competition whatsoever! The best part is you can even bring home what you’ve cooked!
They also have a virtual team-building program if your team can’t make it to the physical studio. A chef will be doing a cooking demonstration while you follow along at the comfort of your home.
Pro Tip: If you already have an idea of what your team-building program will be, you can just rent any of the studio’s physical locations.
Food Playground
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Address: 24A Sago St
Operating Hours: Open 24 hours
Contact Number: +6594523669
Website
Food Playground is a cooking studio popular among tourists (thanks to the cultural cooking class they’re offering), but teams from various corporations also love coming here.
This studio has the typical cooking challenge where you’ll be divided into groups and the group that creates the best dish “wins” the competition. But if you want something that’s even more challenging, you can opt for the Mystery Box program.
We chose the Mystery Box when we came here, and we had such a blast. It was very fun having to come up with a dish using only the ingredients that were given to us.
Pro Tip: There’s also another team-building activity that you might like: Corporate Wellness Program. This isn’t a competition-style program; instead, it’s more of a class that teaches you about healthy cooking.
Cookery Magic
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Address: 117 Fidelio St
Operating Hours: Monday to Saturday—11 am to 2 pm
Contact Number: +6596656831
Website
The impressive thing about Cookery Magic is that it has different options for a cooking-themed team-building program—and some of them are unique and adventurous!
First, there’s the typical corporate home cooking workshop. You’ll be cooking two to three dishes per group, and once you’re done, you can enjoy everything you’ve cooked with a bottle of wine.
If you’re tired of that concept, why not elevate the experience by taking a corporate class in a luxury yacht? Yes, you read that right—cooking in a yacht sailing the seas! It truly is a one-of-a-kind experience!
There’s also a cooking escapade in Pulau Ubin, which is the one I’ve tried. Honestly, I loved my time here; it was nice being immersed in nature and cooking dishes that use herbs found in the jungle.
Pro Tip: If your team doesn’t have a lot of time for a team-building program, you can book an express cooking class instead. This one is shorter than the usual program, but it’s definitely just as fun.
SSA Culinary Institute
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Address: 3 Irving Rd, #02-07, #02-05, #02-04, #01-22 Tai Seng Centre
Operating Hours: Monday to Sunday—8:15 am to 6 pm
Contact Number: +6566329434
Website
If you have Muslim co-workers, then SSA Culinary Institute is the perfect studio for your team-building event. This studio only uses halal ingredients!
They don’t have set programs available; instead, you can customize your own event, and the studio will cater to your needs. You can even bring a big group if you want because the biggest kitchen here can accommodate up to 60 people.
When we came here, we had a simple, relaxing cooking session. Competition and challenges are fun, but sometimes, we just want to cook dishes without external pressure.
Pro Tip: Sometimes, this studio hosts exciting events like free cooking classes and webcasts. These are perfect if you want to learn more about culinary arts.
Kitchen Showdown Singapore
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Address: 37A Boat Quay, #02-01
Operating Hours: Monday to Saturday—9 am to 10 pm
Contact Number: +6597618717
Website
Kitchen Showdown Singapore isn’t for the chill players. This is for the ones who thrive on a good challenge!
The themed programs here will definitely get your heart racing. We tried the Cutthroat Assassins Challenge—inspired by the cooking show of the same name—and it was wild. There was a lot of sabotaging happening (don’t worry, no one got angry)!
The Amazing Race Challenge is another exciting program. In this challenge, you have to race against time to complete a dish. This one is definitely intense, so make sure you can handle the pressure!
Pro Tip: If your team members have various dietary preferences and restrictions, let the staff know beforehand. That way, they can get the right ingredients for you.