Comments from our Corporate Clients:

"I would rate everything as Excellent!  Adam and the staff were friendly and made us feel comfortable form the moment we arrived.  Chef Darren was great.  He was professional, knowledgeable and kept the evening flowing and a lot of fun.   The meal itself was delicious to the point that we couldn’t’ believe we actually cooked it!  I know that a few members of our staff will be going back to take some personal classes which speaks to how positive of an experience we all had.  The teambuilding aspect was actually better than I expected.  We were able to take a lot of fun metaphors from the kitchen and use them as examples of how we can improve our day to day team-work. Thanks again for helping me to coordinate such a fun event." - inhaus Surfaces Limited (2 Hour Cooking Class | March 2010)

"Thank you to you and your staff at PICA.  You guys did an amazing job and everyone who attended came back raving about their experience.  Sorry our numbers were low on certain days, but those that went truly had a fantastic time! Thank you again for everything!  We really appreciate it! - NBC/GE (2-Hour Cooking Class | February 12-27, 2010)

"Once again, thank-you so much for helping coordinate the corporate cooking class for our team!   We had a fantastic time and really appreciated Chef Darren.  Chef Darren was fantastic. He was friendly, professional and we would recommend him to our friends.  The meal was delicious. We were able to make dishes that many of us had never tried before. The content was not overwhelming, yet there were still tasks enough for everyone to work on.  All of the recipes were delicious! Hands down the best crème brulee we have ever tasted. We also really enjoyed the sauce for the chicken…bordelaise sauce. You were very accommodating when coordinating the evening and we enjoyed being able to select the menu from a range of options. We felt very well taken care of from the time we arrived throughout the session. I think everyone learned helpful tips that we can take home and replicate. When gathering feedback, the agreement was “We like Chef Darren!” Overall I think you have a very well executed and put together program." - Electronic Arts (2-Hour Cooking Class | January 2010)

"Thank you so much for helping us to organize the most talked about Christmas event  any of our clients have attended in a long, long time.  I want to take this opportunity to extend our thanks for an absolutely fantastic evening. Our guests who attended this event with us are singing your praises. Chef Bernard and Tim were terrific hosts and had everyone laughing throughout the evening.  The food and wine were delicious and the service was outstanding.  We really appreciated that the inmates were given free run of the asylum.  I would like to rate all of the items as excellent." - CSL International Inc. (Iron Chef Challenge | Gold Wine Package | December 2009)

 "We had an absolutely excellent (5 star) day.  Chef Darren was fantastic.  The staff were all very welcoming.  I will definitely be referring your event to other executive groups, the same way my husband did for me. There is nothing we would change about the event.  Everything was perfect. Thank you again.  This was certainly a day to remember for all within the group." - ADT Security Ltd. (2-Hour Cooking Class / December 2009)

"I had such an amazing experience during a recent event (sponsored by Phonak) that I would LOVE to take just about any short course you are offering. Please let me know your 2010 schedule as soon as it comes available. Thank you sooooo much for a wonderful evening of fun and education!! I've been telling anyone who'll listen how much fun it was!!! PS. LOVE my apron!!!" - Phonak (2-Hour Cooking Class | Wine Package / November 2009)

"Thank you so much for an absolutely fabulous evening.  I am passing on rave reviews from all  in attendance.  I would rate everything as EXCELLENT in your survey.  Carsten was most helpful and cordial as were the chefs and all the staff.  The food and wine were delicious. (I can't believe we actually produced it!). The class was the perfect length and enjoyed by all and as for the cost, I feel we received good value.  Many in the group suggested doing this event on a regular basis!  Once again, you were a pleasure to deal with.  Thanks for a great time." - Royal Columbian Hospital (2-Hour Cooking Class  / November 2009)

"On behalf of our group, I wanted to sincerely thank you for your help in organizing a wonderful evening! Everyone had a great time and this morning, I have heard nothing but positive feedback about the venue, the chefs, the hosts, the food and the wine!  We look forward to the event next year. Thank you again!" - Hub International (Iron Chef Challenge / November 2009)

"You did everything well/excellent. I don't think anything can be improved. Everything flowed better than we thought it would.  Our Chef Instructors (Bernard & Phillip) made the event fun and relaxing.  We'll be back next year!" - Kahn Zack Ehrlich Lithwick LLP (2-Hour Cooking Class/October 2009)

"I was impressed with how well the staff built the mood very quickly to loads of fun and ruckus and maintained it throughout the evening, and yet still kept it a professional, classy, elegant event.  The Chef Instructors & Sommelier were excellent and the dining experience @ Bistro 101 was top notch! Throughout the next day I was bombarded with comments about how fun the evening was, what a great place, what great staff, and three of the guests are requesting contact information to look into booking the same thing for their teams.  Tim, the Sommelier, was simply the best!  And we are all arguing over which team had the best chef! " - Farm Credit Canada (2-Hour Cooking Class/Silver Wine Package/October 2009)

"We had a wonderful time.  Tim, Carsten and the students were a delight to work with.  PICA is a comfortable and inviting place to team-build.  The Chef facilitator's personality fit perfectly with the cheeky team that we have here at Prospera. The facilities were great and we were humbled by how much 'stuff - equipment/supplies' were on hand and in all the various locations. Very good value for the money spent. There is already talk about planning another cooking event (sushi I think)." - Prospera Credit Union (Iron Chef Challenge / October 2009)

"Great feedback!  Love it!  You did a fabulous job. You are great. Never done this before. I took a chance with this audience. In the end it was not a chance, it was Tim Ellison, a person who I have faith and trust in who can capture the most difficult of audiences.  From the bottom of my heart - Thank you very much Tim.  An outstanding edutainment event." - KPMG (Dining Etiquette Workshop/October 2009)

"Thank you again for leading the Dining Etiquette Luncheon! You did an unbelievable job with the event, and I'm incredibly thankful on how supportive and flexible you were throughout this entire process, so thank you so much for working with us! I learned quite a bit from you, and I'm happy with how everything turned out!" - Ignite! Conference and Career Fair (UBC) (September 2009 / Dining Etiquette Workshop)

"We just wanted to let you know that our team had a great time last night at P.I.C.A.  Tim, our host, was amazing, entertaining and a lot of fun!  The food was fantastic and everyone was appreciative of the ambiance as well as the service.  The event was above and beyond what we expected, so thank you and your staff for making our annual team event a success!" - Phillips, Hager & North Investment Management Ltd. (September 2009 / Iron Chef Challenge)

"Excellent. We always enjoy our classes.  The staff was very professional, pleasant & knowledgeable.  We will definitely do this will do it again. How do you improve upon perfection?" UATP (July 2009/2-Hour Cooking Class)

"Excellent! The Chef Instructors were very professional – everyone enjoyed their Chef.  We were very impressed with both their knowledge and skill. Everyone enjoyed the time spent in the kitchen – it went by very quickly. The chosen menu was excellent and enjoyed by all!  The time just flew by and everyone enjoyed the cooking experience." - CGA Association of BC (May 2009/2-Hour Cooking Class)

"I just wanted to send you a quick note telling you how very much we all enjoyed our evening!  What a great event!  I loved it so much that I'd like to come back with some girlfriends for a stagette." - Bull, Housser & Tupper LLP (April 2009/Iron Chef Challenge)

"I just wanted to let you know that we all had a great time last night and I have been receiving fantastic feedback all day - so thank you very much for a most enjoyable evening - both Chef Tim and Chef Bernard were fun to work with. The sense of humour of the chefs was very enjoyable.  The instruction in the kitchen was really good.  Also the information about the wines was fantastic - very detailed and interesting. The wine pairings worked well.   The Barley risotto was so innovative - I really liked that - a nice change from rice. Oh and the ravioli was amazing - the flavour of the olives and the leeks with the basil - terrific! I also loved the fact that we made the pasta from scratch - I had no idea we were going to do that." -  UBC (April 2009/2-Hour Cooking Class)

"I would like to once again thank you for taking the time out of your day to host the workshop (Dining Savvy & Wine Etiquette with Tim Ellison).  Indeed, you have set the motion for future wine drinkers and you have made a great impact on each and everyone of the students that attended.  So thank you for making such a positive impact on the World and on SFU Business students as well. It was absolutely entertaining and informative." - SFU Business School (March 2009 / Dining Etiquette)

"I was in the etiquette party last night. I just want to say thank you for such a fantastic speech and I totally love it! I think your speech was really influential and interesting and all of us enjoyed it so much! I do hope that in the future I can still get opportunities to meet you and listen to your speech. Considering I am going to the Bass banquet in March, I think your speech last night was such a great help to me so that I would at least not make myself embarrassed in any formal dinner. Thank you again for your great effort and if there is any chance I am looking forward to seeing you again in the future!" SFU Business School (March 2009 / Dining Etiquette)

"I just wanted to thank you again for organizing the Iron Chef competition for us last night.  We had a wonderful time with Chef Bernard and the members of the club were excited to cook in a professional kitchen.  The members also appreciated the aprons that they received at the end of the competition as well as the wooden spoons for the winning team." - UBC Food Society (March 2009 / Iron Chef Challenge)

"I would most definitely rate the experience as Excellent overall.  Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the experience and it is something that I would most definitely recommend for other groups.  Thanks again for all of your help and please pass along our thanks to the rest of the staff there." - Rick Hansen Foundation (February 2009/Iron Chef Challenge)

"We wanted to say THANK YOU so much as everyone had a wonderful time.  Come 10:30PM we had to kick them out; literally, as everyone seemed hunkered down, chatting, drinking and relaxing.  Never seen anything like it.   Again, all your help has been fantastic; I so enjoy our events with you as everything goes so well.  The nice thing is that I always know things work out there; I don’t have to panic or worry." - Connor, Clark & Lunn Financial Group (February 2009/2-Hour Cooking Class)

"I just wanted to pass along a huge thanks on behalf of the Business Career Centre of the Sauder School of Business. From your style to the content of the workshop to the amazing delivery of your ideas/jokes, it was truly a highlight of the day. Students are still buzzing about the experience, and I’m sure they’re eager to put their new moves to the test with some high-stakes business lunches. Thanks again for supporting this new program. I really appreciated your work, and, as I mentioned after your workshop, learned a lot about more about what it takes to make a good performance great." - Sauder School of Business/UBC (February 2009/Dining Room Etiquette)

"I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you and your team for making our first experience with PICA so positive.  Our expectations were exceeded from start to finish - whether it was with the venue, the iron chef challenge, the dinner, or the wine sommelier .... it just kept getting better as the evening progressed.  Most importantly our clients' feedback was tremendous, and it was unanimous that this year's event was probably the best as compared to previous years.  The two words that were consistent were: "memorable" and "different" (in reference to the iron chef challenge).  Our desire from the beginning was to have a client appreciation event that was intimate and memorable ...and that was accomplished!" The one person I would specifically like to recognize is Tim, your wine sommelier.  He was the perfect host all evening, so pleasant and gracious to deal with.  He truly gave the evening that special touch and I'm so happy we included his services.  In fact, if you ever need a testimonial for his services I would be glad to give one.  Once again, thank you for all of your time and effort and I truly appreciate the different ways you tried to accommodate us, even up to the very last minute." - Great West Life (February 2009/Iron Chef Challenge)

"Andritz Automation thoroughly enjoyed the team building session held last year at the PICA.  Last year we did the two-hour session with about 24 people.  We divided ourselves between two chefs and cooked a four course meal.  I heard nothing but positive feedback, not only was it the best meal we had all week (and we ate at some nice places that week), the concept of taking pride in your preparation so that the team would benefit was not lost. It also highlighted the fact that every piece of the meal contributes, and because everyone participated they felt included in the outcome – a key value for our company." - Andritz Automation Inc. (WA, USA) (comments re: February 2008 event and booking February 2009 event)

"I just wanted to thank you and all involved for a wonderful evening at last nights’ corporate cooking class.  Your staff was wonderful, particularly Chefs Simon and Bernard and Tim the sommelier.  Everyone seemed to go the extra mile to ensure that we all had a fabulous evening and a great meal – and as an added bonus, everyone loved the food!  I will be extolling the virtues of your school and the cooking classes as a team-building exercise to all!  Thanks again, and for making me look good in the eyes of my colleagues!!" - Ostara (2 Hour Cooking Class/January 2009)

"Thank you so much for organizing the Holiday Entertaining Workshop for Tourism Vancouver last night!  The meal was delicious, Tim and Chef Bernard were excellent, and everyone had a really great time. Those who hadn’t been before were very impressed with the dining room and facilities, and those who had were reminded of all the culinary tourism possibilities with lunches and workshops before or after Granville Island tours.  Once again, thank you, we had a really great time." - Tourism Vancouver (December 2008/Cooking Class)

"On behalf of our team from PricewaterhouseCoopers, I would like to say thank you. We had such a great time learning how to cook and enjoying our dinner. - PWC (2 Hour Cooking Class / December 2008)

"I meant to write sooner…sorry about that!  The event was WONDERFUL.  We had such a great time, the food was delicious, and of course, we have to applaud Chef Bernard and his excellent teaching skills.  Kudos to PICA for putting together such a successful team building event.  We (and our tummies) are looking forward to the next time!  Thanks again for all your help in booking the event." - Sierra Wireless (October 2008)

"I want to say thank you for coordinating an amazing experience for us last evening at Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts.  Our group had a fabulous time and everyone was raving about the event. It was probably the most enjoyable insurance industry event that we’ve ever had.   Please pass along my special thanks to Carsten and Chefs Bernard, Julian and Tim as well as the rest of the staff assisting us last night. It was because of them and their enthusiasm and energy that we had such a wonderful evening.  I do have to say a specific thank-you to Chef/Sommelier Tim.  The wines he picked were absolutely perfect and I thank him for sharing with us some of his knowledge.  The food was delicious and we all took such pleasure in the fact that we actually made it ourselves!  I would recommend this experience to anyone and note that the professionalism and enthusiasm of everyone at PICA made our event the wonderful experience that it was." - Liberty International Underwriters (October 2008)

"I just wanted to send a note to say thank you again for helping to coordinate our team building event yesterday!  Our teams , D-licious and The Cream Puffs, had a fantastic time putting their creative energies together in the kitchen, with The Cream Puffs winning the challenge in the end.  Our lunch was incredible, and the meeting area worked out well for our purposes." - ICBC (October 2008)

"Just wanted to send a thank you to you and the staff for a great event yesterday!  Everyone enjoyed the meal and Iron Chef was super fun.  We will definitely keep this on our radar for future events." - Accenture (August 2008)

"A big thank you to you for arranging our event yesterday. I believe everything went superbly well certainly from the feedback I have received from all those who attended. Everyone had a wonderful time. We really had no idea what to expect or what each of us could actually accomplish in the kitchen but with team work, we at least prepared dinner. Chef Julian and Chef Simon were both fantastic and all of us actually picked up lots of cooking tips from them. Please convey our thanks to them. Once again, thank you so much for a successful evening and please convey our sincere thanks to Chef Julian, Chef Simon all your very friendly and attentive staff." - HSBC (August 2008)

"Thank you for Saturday's event and a bigger thank you to you, the chefs and your staff for an amazing experience!  Our associates loved the concept and were all excited about the cooking class (even a bit surprise that they can cook).  The chefs made the evening most enjoyable and I would like to thank you personally once again for taking care of those individuals with special dietary needs.  Tim was amazing and so personable and I really enjoyed working with him.  I look forward to working with you and the institute again in the near future." - Richards Buell Sutton LLP (June 2008) 

"Thank you again for everything!  We ALL had an absolute blast on Friday.  Your chefs and staff were awesome and the food was amazing. And again, please thank everyone at the school for all of us. I'm sure we'll see you again," - TELUS (June 2008)

"Just wanted to thank you for helping me to organize this event.  We all had a fabulous time and learnt a few things as well.  Your head chef was excellent." - YWCA (May 2008)

"Just a note to let you know that our team had a fabulous time at last Thursday's Iron Chef Challenge - they loved it so much that they want to come back for more.  The feedback that I received was that the challenge was extremely well organized and tons of fun.  The staff were extremely helpful, professional and friendly.  Special thanks to our moderator, Chef Julian, the word that were used to describe him was fantastic!  Most importantly the food was delicious from start to finish…our hats off to all of you." - RBC Public Affairs (May 2008)

"Thank you so much for all of your help in organizing the event on Friday.  It was a huge success and we have been receiving nothing but positive feedback from the staff who participated!  The challenge was a lot of fun and everyone got involved.  Chef Bernard was a good sport and really helpful in getting us organized, along with the help from the kitchen aides.  The students did an absolutely amazing job on creating a gorgeous and delicious dinner (and wow – what a dessert table!!!).  Tim Ellison was truly a star that evening; his service, patience and smile really helped to make the evening so delightful!  We really appreciated his extra effort during the night.So again, thank you for all your assistance.  It was a real pleasure working with you to make such a fun gathering." - Peoples Trust (April 2008)

"Just wanted to tell you how much our client and facilitation team enjoyed the Iron Chef event at the Culinary Arts on Feb 26.  It was perfect for our team – they thoroughly enjoyed the experience and the competitive spirit continued on into the evening.  Chef Bernard was excellent – a real hit with the group… his humour, judging, entertaining throughout… it was perfect! Overall very enjoyable and the dinner was great!  We would definitely consider this event with the new group starting later this year. Thanks again to you, Chef Bernard and your staff for all your support/planning!" - Teck Cominco/Right Managment (February 2008)

"I just wanted to thank you for the fabulous time we had at the team building activity on Wednesday night. Everyone had a lot of fun, and Chef Bernard was a very patient man with a great sense of humour:)  I would definitely recommend this activity to any corporate group looking to have a great evening out!" - Desjardins Card Services Division (January 2008)

"Everyone really enjoyed last nights cooking classes and the dinner.  The whole thing was very well organized thanks to you and the Chefs.  Everyone said that it was a great idea and the food we made was fabulous.   We all appreciate the Chef’s ‘tweaking’ the flavors after we were all done.  I appreciate your prompt attention to all matters from start to finish." - TD Securities (December 2007)

"I just wanted to let you know we had a great time last week at our cooking class.  Chef Bernard was wonderful to work with and he managed to coach us into making a wonderful meal. I would definitely recommend this event.  Our colleagues were all jealous! Thanks." - Morrison Hershfield (September 2007)

Thanks again for your kind assistance in organizing this event for us and judging from our guests' rave reviews, we may be repeating this event in the future. Thanks." - RBC Dominion Securities (July 2007)

"We all had a wonderful time and again thank you and to your staff for making our day special." - BC Hydro (June 2007)

"We would like to express our appreciation for all the work you put into making our Team Building Event a success.  Please pass on our thanks to the two Chefs that were assigned to our groups.  They were a big part in making the Event so enjoyable and their patience with all of us was a credit to your facility." - CMHC (June 2007)

"I just wanted to thank you for an excellent event.  The Chef was terrific, the food outstanding and we all had a great time. Thank you for making it so easy to plan - I will be spreading the word about what a wonderful place you have!" - A&W Food Services of Canada (May 2007)

"Just wanted to follow up and say thank-you very much for a wonderful morning.  Our team had a fantastic time! Your chefs were a lot of fun and made the whole experience very memorable.  We had a number of managers comment afterwards that it was one of the best district retreats they had been to.  So thank-you again!  And the lunch that followed was delicious...you have some talented students. - TD Canada Trust (May 2007)

"Thank you so much for all your help with the Iron Chef Challenge event today!  The event was very well organized, despite the fact that we had an additional member at the last minute.  It was a lot of fun to participate, even if the other team won!!  I would definitely recommend that others participate in this sort of event in the future!!  The lunch was truly amazing!  I was very impressed by the presentation and flavours (sound just like a chef, don't I?!!) Anyway, it was very good and my compliments to the chefs!  Thanks again for your help." - MDA Systems Solutions (May 2007)

"On behalf of all of us who participated in yesterday's Iron Chef Competition, we would like to say 'Thank you' for providing us with such a fun-filled event. Not only did we have the opportunity to work together as a team, we also picked up some great cooking ideas!!!  We really enjoyed our lunch too!  Thank you to all your great Chefs for assisting us." - Health Match BC (May 2007)

"We wanted to thank you so much for making last night a great success.  The vibe and energy in each kitchen was great and everyone really enjoyed themselves." - Connor, Clark and Lunn Financial Group (May 2007)

"The team event for Nokia went extremely well, we all enjoyed it.  The Chefs that you assigned to the task were perfect, they made it even more fun. I'm sure that you will get more Nokia groups coming your way after I spread the word.  Thanks again." - Nokia (April 2007)

"We all had a great time!  Thanks to you and Chef Christian, the dinner turned out to be superb!!!  We surprised ourselves with the magic directions of Chef. Thanks."  - Department of Justice (March 2007)

"The evening was absolutely fabulous and all of our board members enjoyed themselves thoroughly!!!  Thanks so much for everything." - Chief Information Officer Association (Vancouver Chapter) (February 2007)

"Thank you very much for a great day yesterday.  Our Company had a lot of fun and enjoyed working together in the kitchen.  I also was appreciative that your organization was able to schedule our event so that some of our colleagues could enjoy the whole event before their afternoon meetings. Thanks again." - Allon Therapeutics (January 2007)

"Our group had a fab time. The Chef was great and we learned a lot as well. Meal was really good- though we ate too much! Thanks and all the best for the holidays." - Canada Bread (December 2006)

"We had a great event this past Tuesday evening.  Christian and crew made for a fun event and a spectacular meal. Thank you." - Bayer Canada (December 2006)

"I just wanted to let you know that we had a great time last night. All of the staff this morning were mentioning that this by far was one of the better staff functions that we have planned...we will definitely spread the word. Please also extend our thanks to Chef Christian, he was awesome." - P.K. Group of Companies (December 2006)

"We had a wonderful time and the food was awesome. The Chef Instructor did a great job of engaging the group in the cooking process." - Electronic Arts (June 2005)

Contact our Events Department at 604-734-4488, email  or submit an online request for corporate team-buiding cooking classes to experience the thrill of a unique group challenge.