About Hands On Gourmet

Hands On Gourmet is the leading cooking party company in the San Francisco Bay Area. Everything we do is rooted in our passion for fresh, authentic, soul-warming food. There is nothing more fun than cooking together.

The depth of experience throughout our team of professional chefs enables us to customize menus or specialize dishes as needed for each client or culinary occasion. We love a good challenge and thrive when we have a chance to exercise our culinary skills.

For all of us, Hands On Gourmet has been and continues to be an incredible adventure. While cooking with clients and sharing their events from corporate team building to birthday parties to holiday soirees, we have learned that we are much more than chefs and event coordinators. We are teachers, entertainers, scientists, magicians and clowns. We are a group of people who love what we do.

Stephen Gibbs
Executive Chef

"You can't imagine the satisfaction I get when I see sparks fly in the kitchen! The contentment I feel when someone takes home the knowledge of a new dish or technique. For me, there isn't a more fulfilling career. Being a chef has afforded me the luxury to do what I love most - create! Food is alive: it arouses the senses."
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Molly Fuller
President

" I am energized daily by the excitement for impressive entertaining that surrounds me. At our events, I see smiles, hear laughter, and watch people enjoying amazing food and learning from our chefs. We work incredibly hard to orchestrate each event to fit our clients’ needs and expectations, which is all worthwhile at the end of each successful event when everyone expresses what a wonderful experience they have shared."
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Anne McCarten-Gibbs
Co-Owner

"Creating great food with colleagues is both fun and nurturing to the soul. It builds the best kind of connections between people. I've watched Chef Stephen's joyful experimentation in the kitchen for many years, and am thrilled to be a part of bringing this fantastic experience to more groups."
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Caroline Lubbers
Marketing Director

“I have rarely worked with a group as dynamic as the Hands On Gourmet team. They are excited, passionate and enthusiastic about introducing people to good food and gourmet cooking. Their energy transfers to the events and the guests who in turn, make all that we do worthwhile.”
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What's New

Hands On Gourmet partners with the Commonwealth Club
Join us! Locavore Lunch: a Hands-On Cooking (and Eating) Experience
August 6, Ferry Building

Do you shop the farmer’s market and appreciate the bountiful offerings without truly knowing what to do with it? Join us for an afternoon of learning, hands-on cooking and of course, eating! We will show you that nothing is more deliciously rewarding than a meal you cook yourself using locally grown, seasonal ingredients from the farmers' market.

Hands On Gourmet and the Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture (CUESA) will guide your delectable, educational afternoon at the outdoor kitchen of the Ferry Building. After a discussion of seasonal harvest cycles and California agriculture, you will cook alongside professional chefs and discover the joys of cooking with seasonal produce, the rewards of supporting local farms and the ease of preparing amazing dishes with the freshest flavors. For more information, please contact us at molly@handsongourmet.com. Learn more about the Commonwealth Club here.

Public Speaking Workshop for H.O.G. Chefs with Jerold Franks

acting classes Jerold Franks, well-known casting director and public speaking guru, joined us in San Francisco to host a Public Speaking Workshop for H.O.G. Chefs. In addition to dozens of other popular TV series, Jerold is recently responsible for casting the hit series "Lost." He also coaches politicians, helping them develop their public speaking skills.

At Hands On Gourmet, the highest quality food and innovative recipes are paramount. Equally important is each of our chefs' ability to teach culinary skills, communicate with our guests, and have fun while doing it. With Jerold's help, our chefs walked away with additional training and confidence to effortlessly facilitate our hands on cooking events. After all, Hands On Gourmet is all about cooking AND entertaining.

Community

“By teaching kids how to use fresh ingredients and get away from packaged foods, we not only give them the tools for healthy eating but also teach them and their families the joy of spending time together in the kitchen and around the dinner table which is equally important.” – Chef Stephen Gibbs

Each year, we choose a charity close to our hearts to support. For the second year, we have decided to continue to work with the Junior League of San Francisco, focusing on the “Kids in the Kitchen” project. Executive Chef Stephen Gibbs, along with other Hands On Gourmet chefs, explored healthy and fun eating options with underprivileged students and their parents. Once again, Chef Stephen and his team were energized by the event and the amazingly positive response from the children.

In addition to the Kids in the Kitchen benefit, Hands On Gourmet participated in the Junior League Home Tour last year. Regularly, we donate food and services to other community organizations, including Children’s Hospital Oakland, KQED public radio, The Lincoln Child Center for Mental Health Services, Youth Philanthropy Worldwide, Mentoring And Resource Team (SMART), and other local schools and nonprofits.

Awards and Acknowledgements

	Make Mine a $Million Business Award, 2006 Molly Fuller of Hands On Gourmet, beat out thousands of applicants to receive the Make Mine a $Million Business Award. This national competition for majority women-owned businesses is sponsored by OPEN from American Express, QVC, and Cisco Systems and is conducted by Count Me In for Women's Economic Independence.

	Smart Business and Communications Package, 2006 Hands On Gourmet was awarded a Smart Business Communications Technology Package from Cisco Systems worth up to $20,000.

	Dacor Grill Challenge, 2004-2006 For three consecutive years, Executive Chef, Stephen Gibbs has won the grill competition hosted by Dacor appliances. It's a grill competition that involved all the main appliance manufactures including Viking, Kitchen Aid, and Wolf. Each chef was challenged to create the best grilled dishes.

	On the Verge Award, 2005 Chef Stephen gibbs won 7x7 Magazines On the Verge Award for Menu Creation and Development in November 2005. This award recognizes innovative leaders in creative fields.

Gourmet Cooking Classes • Learn Gourmet Cooking • Cooking Classes San Francisco • Executive Chef Stephen Gibbs • Cooking Party Favors • Bridal Shower Bay Area California • Birthday party bay area • Cooking Party Bay Area • Corporate Team Building Activity • Seasonal Gourmet Recipes • Gourmet Cooking Newsletter • Corporate Team Building Events • Gourmet Cooking Parties • Corporate Team Building Workshop • Culinary Team Building Bay Area • Unique Party Ideas • Team Building Events Napa & Sonoma California • Culinary Team Building In California • Gourmet Menus • Cooking Party Photo Gallery • Gourmet Cooking Workshops • California Cooking Class Parties • Relish Monthly Gourmet Cooking Newsletter • Team Building Classes San Francisco • Culinary Team Building • Management Team Building Events • Gourmet Food Recipes • Culinary Team Building Events in San Jose