Cooking group themes tend to be as wide and as varied as the individuals who participate in the groups. These gatherings offer a great opportunity to get to know fellow foodies, those who are just learning to cook and those who just want to enjoy the company of others while enjoying delicious food. Themes might revolve around food from a certain region, a holiday, a specific food item or a specific preparation technique. They also might revolve around a focused menu or just trying a little bit of several different items.
Regional cuisine offers many possibilities for a cooking group. A group might decide to focus on food from a broad region, such as Mexican cuisine, or the decision might be made to further break down the area. Mexican cuisine might be broken down into northern, central and southeastern Mexican food. Each area within a region generally uses different ingredients and cooking methods to add its own personal touch to the food. It might also be fun to compare and contrast areas.
Holidays also present many choices when it comes to themes for a cooking group. Each year is chock full of holidays, each with its own distinct traditional foods. The cooking group might decide to create a classic Easter brunch, fabricate a fabulous Christmas dinner or concoct a creepy Halloween lunch. Another twist would be to plan a totally new and unexpected menu for a holiday celebration. Yet another take would be to update traditional menus.
Using a specific food item as a theme for a cooking group is yet another option. Many people would love to know how to make the perfect loaf of bread, chocolate cake or pasta. Oftentimes, foods that require a lengthy preparation, special tools or uncommon preparation techniques are shied away from by the everyday cook. Devoting a cooking group theme to one type of food might allow the group the time necessary to learn why the preparation steps are important, how the tools work and the science behind the recipe.
Sometimes the same type of preparation technique is used to create many different foods. These techniques are not always easy to master. A cooking group might decide to focus on pasta making, proper folding or filleting fish. Presenting menus beforehand that everyone votes on will serve to focus the preparation of the meal. Discussion also might focus on how best to apply the technique to everyday cooking and a wide variety of other foods.