ECDPM, the European Centre for Development Policy Management, brought thirty-eight colleagues to Kachatelier Studio in Windhof, Luxembourg for an afternoon of culinary team-building centred on Thai cooking and wine tasting. Led by Chef Corrie and sommelier Niels, the session formed the centrepiece of a full staff day that began in the city and concluded around a shared table, with each participant cooking in custom-branded blue aprons.
Results at a glance
- Thirty-eight participants from ECDPM's international development team cooked Thai Curry and Pineapple dishes in four-person stations
- The event anchored a full-day itinerary: morning activity in Luxembourg city, light lunch, then an afternoon cooking and wine experience before the bus back
- Each team member wore a custom ECDPM-branded blue apron, ordered and printed in advance
- Wine pairing led by sommelier Niels featured Luxembourgish, German and Italian bottles selected to complement the Thai menu
- A month later, the organiser requested the Thai Chicken recipe — colleagues wanted to recreate it at home
Why ECDPM chose a culinary team day
Riaan Paul, in a management role at ECDPM, found ChefPassport via Google search on March 6, 2025. He already had a clear picture: a full staff day out in Luxembourg on June 13, with the cooking class as the centrepiece of the afternoon. Within the same day he was on a call with the ChefPassport team. Within five days, the booking was confirmed.
The plan was to bring together colleagues from a think tank whose work spans Maastricht, Brussels and Luxembourg. The morning would begin with a group activity in Luxembourg city, followed by a light city lunch. Then the team would board a bus to Windhof for an afternoon that combined hands-on cooking with wine tasting, before heading back together in the early evening. The cooking experience needed to anchor the day — not just a class, but a shared moment of creativity, flavour and relaxation.
What ChefPassport created: Thai cooking, wine pairing and branded aprons
The thirty-eight participants arrived at Kachatelier Studio at 14:00 to a reception with snacks and Crémant. Each was handed a blue apron embroidered with the ECDPM logo, ordered and printed in the weeks leading up to the event.
Chef Corrie led the cooking portion. Four people per station, everyone worked together on Thai Curry and Pineapple — balancing heat, sweetness and fragrance. The kitchen filled with the scent of lime, lemongrass and coconut. By the time the teams plated their dishes, sommelier Niels was ready to guide the group through a wine pairing. He'd chosen Luxembourgish wines alongside German and Italian bottles specifically to complement the Thai flavours — aromatic whites that stood up to the spice, and lighter reds that didn't overpower the curry.
The group sat down together for dinner at a long table draped in red cloth. Wine glasses, shared dishes, colleagues who'd spent the afternoon chopping, stirring and tasting now settled into conversation over the meal they'd made.
What the organiser and team valued
A month after the event, Riaan emailed to ask for the Thai Chicken recipe. His colleagues wanted to try it at home. That kind of follow-up tells the story — the experience stuck, the food was memorable enough to recreate, and the day left people wanting more.
From the organiser's perspective, the event worked because it was straightforward to coordinate. ChefPassport handled venue liaison, ingredient sourcing, chef and sommelier coordination, the custom apron order, and event flow from reception through to clean-up. Riaan's job was to confirm numbers, communicate dietary needs, and get the team on the bus. The rest was taken care of.
For the participants, the value was in the mix: hands-on cooking that required focus and collaboration, wine education that felt like a treat rather than a lecture, and a shared meal that gave everyone time to talk, laugh and connect outside the rhythm of meetings and deadlines. The custom aprons weren't just branding — they were a tangible reminder of the day, something people took home.
Why this format works for international teams and milestone days
ECDPM's event demonstrates how a cooking experience can serve as the anchor for a broader team day. The morning activity and city lunch set the stage; the afternoon cooking and wine session delivered the emotional peak; the shared dinner provided the reflective close. For teams spread across offices, or groups marking a milestone, that arc — activity, creation, celebration — creates a day people remember.
The Thai menu offered enough complexity to keep things engaging without being intimidating. The wine pairing added an educational layer. The four-person stations meant everyone contributed, and the final sit-down meal gave the event a sense of occasion. It wasn't just team-building; it was a culinary day out.
If you're organising a similar experience for your team — whether as a standalone event or the centrepiece of a full staff day — explore ChefPassport's corporate cooking class options in Luxembourg. Like Amazon EU's Thai cooking team-building event, a well-crafted culinary experience can turn a group activity into a shared story your team talks about long after the last course is served.