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How to plan an unforgettable Work Christmas Party?

Get a great time in this the season for great venue, good foods, activity and entertaining and of course the infamous Work Christmas Party. If you are in charge of organising your office social calendar, no doubt you want to make sure it’s Christmas cheer and everyone enjoy what you plan for them. And of course you’ll want to avoid Christmas party hell.

Here’s Chef Ha's handy hints to assist you with how to plan an unforgettable Work Christmas Party goes with a bang.

• Get start now! It may feel like you’re only just two month away, but good venues get booked up, fast. You don’t want to be left with only your dodgy pub as an option. Make sure you get a date in everyone’s diary as early as possible, then start the all-important task of finding a venue.
• Get out of the office No one wants to spend their Christmas party in the cramped office lunch room. Find a venue which is easy to get to, and make sure there’s the option for public transport home at the end of the night. For example, consider holding the event in a pub or bar if you want a festive mood for your work Christmas party. It’s usually located in central areas, making it easy to get to for everyone. It can also create a festive atmosphere with its decorations and music. It often has a dance floor for those who want to dance the night away. It also has furniture like quality bar stools where people can eat and drink at bars or high tables, chat with friends or colleagues, or provide additional seating in small spaces. However, if you do have to stay in-house, choose a room away from your normal work area and make it festive a little bit of effort goes a long way. Order some yum foods for example Vietnamese Menu
• Send an invite Make it feel like a special event that people can look forward to. Make your invite fun and eye-catching to really get people in the festive mood. For instance, you can use festive imagery and language. You can also make the invitation more personal by addressing it to each guest by name. If you’re sending the invitation by mail, use a beautiful card or envelope. If you’re emailing the invitation, utilize a festive subject line like 'Jingle and Mingle: Office Christmas Party Invite'.
• Decide on a Christmas party theme. No party is complete without a theme to tie it all together. Here’s your chance to get creative. Perhaps it’s Christmas past, or novelty hats. Or you could even plan a cooking activity to really get everyone involved. There are also other popular Christmas party themes you can try. For example, if the workers love the beauty of winter, you can organise a Winter Wonderland Party. If you want a fun and festive holiday party, a naughty or nice cocktail party where the guests can dress as naughty or nice and win cash prizes for the best costumes. 
• Include a competition. Whether it’s ‘best Christmas jumper’ or ‘best achievement of the year’, everyone loves a competition and it’s a fantastic ice-breaker. You could even take it a step further and include the competition as part of your theme. Stage a full-blown quiz complete with novelty prizes and really get people excited. Talk to one of us, we have great ideas that might work for you.
• Plan a great menu. Whatever you do, remember to include enough food for the day and night. Drinks will be flowing, and no-one wants to find themselves stumbling in the gutter at the end of the night. Find out your budget and look for a menu which has something for everyone. For larger groups a buffet can be ideal, and it means people can eat whenever they’re ready.
• Treat everyone like guests to your own party. Great them at the door and make sure they know where to put their coat and get a drink. This is a great way to put people at ease, especially if you’ve chosen an unusual venue.
• Make a seating plan. With large groups of people this is the best way to ensure everyone is happy, and you could even mix up teams and help people socialise more. Another option is to get all the men to move seat before desserts. As well as the traditional cracker jokes, you could leave a fun ice-breaker question next to each person to help things along and get conversation flowing. Conservation about foods say ingredients might go a long way.
• Take lots of photos. to include in an article for the staff newsletter and great for a giggle when sober back to work kicks in. You could even make a short video for real fun factor, my suggestion is stay away from the photocopier.

So there you know how to plan an unforgettable Work Christmas Party. Follow these tips and you’re all set for a fantastic office ‘do. . And remember, treat your boss as you would normally do at work with respect!

#2 Chef Ha's Handy Hint

How to store spices and how long they will last are most frequent questions being asked in our cooking classes.

Most of our spices are imported, shipped and shelved before we get them. Our recommendation is store them in a cool and dark place. So do not store above your stove as you might think of a perfectly access for your cooking. Heat, humidity and light will cause the spices loose their beautiful oil and flavour.

Be a great cook to use your spices within six months or 12 months. They will loose their flavour over the time but you still can use them. 

Give your old man a hug and laugh at his funny jokes. Dad loves cooking? It's Father's Day! Melbourne has much to offer your old man. Do some sight-seeing or visit a bar, or buy him some more gadgets. 

When is Father's Day?

Father’s Day is on Sunday 3 September and if you’re struggling for inspiration on what to buy Dad, a cooking class is a great idea. Let's step away from the gifting of gadgets.  Take a second to appreciate what our father's taught us in the kitchen.

We cooked and really enjoyed Mother's Day. It was so much fun to see how our family kitchen was shaped by a parent. This time around, be inspired with some things our dads taught us about cooking.  Surprise your dad with this weekend with the gift of cooking.

Hanoi is very graceful and exotic capital city of Vietnam.  The city is well known with grand old boulevards and ancient temples and pagodas.  Locals works on their tai chi moves beside tree-fringed lakes. For all of its timeless charm it also changes quickly to a modern city today but the music is new and old to compliment with its culture in 36 hours travelling to Hanoi. She talked about food

Full articles can be from here

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/02/travel/things-to-do-in-36-hours-in-hanoi.html?_r=0

Only Asian country that the French brought with them in: the baguette. The Vietnam takes it to a different level depending whether you are in the South or the North. In the north, you will have the basic elements of bread, meat and sauces. In the south you will have colourful combination of cold meets, pickled vegetables, sausage, fried egg, fresh coriander, fresh chilli and hot chilli sauce.

Learn few simple cooking skills of steaming, stewing, frying and rolling... with few great Vietnamese recipes that are fully transferable to your own kitchen. In no time you will have mastered quick and tasty dishes to wow your friends and family. Move over Masterchef – there’s a new culinary star in town!

Traditional and modern Food of Vietnam is admired for its freshest ingredients, minimal use of oil, and accompaniment of herbs and vegetables. With the balance between fresh herbs and meats and a selective use of spices to reach a refined taste, Vietnamese food is considered one of the healthiest cuisines.

Here is the best things to do in melbourne on a rainy day, from cheap and cheerful restaurants to learn to make Vietnamese Foods at Otao Kitchen

Cevich is a dish popular in the coastal countries such as The pacific and America. Nowadays, place like Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam also feature this dish.  we made this dish for friends and they did enjoy the no fishy smell of fish in a salad. The recipes is made from fresh catch raw fish cured in lemon or lime and spiced chili peppers and coconut milk. Additional ingredients can be added are onions, salt, and herbs. 

The fish is not cooked with heat so it must be made from trusted sources of 100% fresh fish. The fish shall be bought from reliable fish shop and chill at all time until eaten as raw fish carry high  risk of food poisoning.