Team cooking was naturally not invented by the famous TV show MasterChef, created by the BBC in 1990, nor was its use as a medium for energizing work teams or simply enjoying cooking together. However, this global phenomenon undoubtedly played a massive role in popularizing it. Culinary activities tailored for corporate groups—whether competitive challenges or hands-on masterclasses—gradually gained traction in Spain throughout the early 2000s, although it was not until well into the 2010s that they became an essential classic, not only for Christmas but year-round. In Barcelona, teams can cook together right in the city center after sourcing ingredients at iconic locations like the Boqueria Market, inside rustic country estates surrounded by vineyards, or while cooking a giant paella right next to our Mediterranean sea.

As an experiential teamwork workshop, culinary team building is also a favorite choice for companies hosting international guests for corporate meetings. Stepping away from Microsoft Teams or Google Meet to share not just a meal, but an apron and a great recipe with colleagues undoubtedly creates a genuine bond outside the usual work environment, while serving as the perfect introduction to the country’s rich culinary heritage. Among local teams, however, exploring international cuisines has become increasingly popular.

Two micro-donations were made: one for €500 to the NGO Pozos Sin Fronteras and another to the We Are Water Foundation for €550. Pozos Sin Fronteras has been working since 2003 to bring water to communities suffering from water scarcity and remoteness from water sources. The donation went toward the emergency water supply project for populations displaced by the Sahel crisis in Burkina Faso. The We Are Water Foundation was established in 2010 with the aim of helping solve problems caused by the lack of water and sanitation worldwide. The donation was allocated to the project improving access to water, sanitation, and hygiene for rural communities in Madagascar.

“The extraordinary work of NGOs like Pozos Sin Fronteras and We Are Water Foundation enables any company’s workforce to transform teamwork into solidarity through international projects that connect people, businesses, and NGOs with a shared purpose.”

Gavà (Barcelona)

The Sustainable Development Goal set for the event prior to the earthquake in Turkey and Syria was SDG 2 Zero Hunger, with the aim of donating the funds raised to World Central Kitchen, which carries out international projects wherever the need arises, with active projects currently in Ukraine, Chile, and since 6 February very notably also in Turkey and Syria, where at the time of publishing this news story WCK has already served over one million meals. The extraordinary work of NGOs such as World Central Kitchen and the growing interest of small and large companies in sustainable formats for their events make it possible to transform teamwork into solidarity through international projects connecting people, businesses, and NGOs with a shared purpose. The event was also carbon neutral, minimising CO2 emissions resulting from it wherever possible—using, for instance, collective transport and reusable materials (paperless)—and offsetting the remainder through tree planting.

Port Balís, Sant Andreu de Llavaneres (Barcelona)

The initiative receiving the bicycle donation is part of the Cáritas Abancay Project, which develops several lines of action, including the “Street Children” project. This initiative aims to identify children living or working on the streets—who, at an early age, strive to help generate financial resources for their families, postponing their childhood and the full enjoyment of this developmental stage—in order to provide them with essential items such as clothing, toys, books, and school supplies.

The beneficiary families live in poverty and extreme poverty, facing severe limitations in accessing fundamental rights such as food security, housing, and basic sanitation. These hardships directly impact their living conditions and overall quality of life, particularly affecting the academic progress and healthy development of children and adolescents.

To carry out this solidarity project, volunteers travel across different areas to identify and assist vulnerable families. Five bicycles (Elops) will be allocated to volunteers traveling through towns and communities to locate and assist vulnerable families, and five bicycles (Rockrider) will be delivered directly to vulnerable children identified by Cáritas Abancay.

Naturally, the event was also carbon neutral, minimizing direct CO2 emissions wherever possible and offsetting the remainder through tree planting. “The extraordinary work of NGOs such as Cáritas Abancay (Peru) and Madre Coraje (Spain) allows teams from any company to transform teamwork into solidarity through international projects that connect people, businesses, and NGOs with a shared purpose.”

Download the complete Cáritas Abancay | Street Children Project Fact Sheet (PDF)

Castelldefels (Barcelona)

Workshop Goals and Design: The main goal was to bring the teams closer together and work on a vision of how the client could offer an optimal employee experience taking into consideration all aspects of the employee life cycle. The workshop was designed to be engaging and fun with some team-building elements included. The feedback received from the client was extraordinary.

The LEGO® Serious Play® (LSP) methodology is a high-impact tool to optimize teamwork that facilitates reflection, communication and problem solving in organizations, work teams in any field and in people in general. The LSP methodology can provide value in various areas such as: Team Building, Team Coaching, Business Strategy or Design Thinking among others.

Barcelona