Group Creative Exercise for the 3rd Session - Is this a Culinary Arts Class?

Promoting Entrepreneurial Revolution

I borrowed this exercise from Dr. Peter Kelly who made entrepreneur professor experience this in teaching creativity.  He uses this for his fab lab in the Design School he is running in Finland.  While we can afford a kitchen, we can not have a lab for fabrication, machining, or chip design.  But everybody can experience cooking anytime anywhere.  It is accessible, universal, and easy to understand.

The judges and the class experts.

To handicap the class, I made sure that the members who are knowledgeable  in cooking (at least what they claim in the Learning Agreements) were the judges and facilitators (they would advise the groups and challenge them to create)  And I profusely thank the three for their expert assistance:   Anton, Mel and Jem.  Thank you.

                The judges are at the end of the table;  this is the winning dish being pitched

The objective/challenge:

The groups, without using an oven or kitchen were to come up with two dishes:    one sweet, one salty(or sour) using the available resources.


The resources:

The resources cost me a lot:   sweet bell pepper (they cost @Pl00.00!) Dizon mangoes from Zamboanga, bakers chocolate, Australian cheese (also very expensive) some paper plates that I brought) tin foil, and oh yes, the main ingredient that I found only at Rustan's -  the strawberries.

                       The bell pepper (aren't they lovely?) cheese and branded mango

                                            The strawberries

                              Anton and Ms. Raval looking over the ingredients


The presentation and the pitch

Look at what they were able to produce in less than an hour

          This was adjudged as the best by the judges.

                           This group was not prepared;  look at the glassware they used!

 What the groups came up with were unbelievably, in their term "yummy" or look very delicious

 Pictures of the pitch

How did they do it (the Process employed)

                                        The chef of the winning group

                                         Another chef master at work

                                  The mango and the strawberries look colorful and sweet

                                      The ampitheater was turned into a kitchen

                                           Makeshift kitchen top

                         They were not prepared yet had plates and glass bowls! Wow

                                  This group chose a place where they can work well

Some groups are "madadaya" (unfair)?

I have often heard remarks that there were groups that were unfair?  (Madadaya) and implying that there were guys who are unethical or not playing by the rules.  But there were no rules;  only resources and the objectives were clear.

Some of the traits of the creative groups or enterprising groups:

l.  They had agressive and resourceful leaders.  They anticipated  a lot of things that they would be needing.  We all ready gave a clue as to what we were going to do in last weeks session.

2.  They tried to scrounge for resources (or more than other groups).  They kept going back to the resource table for more.

3.  They were quick and restless.

4.  They were very competitive.  They did not want to be upstaged by others.

5.  They were good in creating stories for their product (siempre -  creative eh. obvious ba?) They made strange and unique stories for their products:  Mexican theme, etc. healthy food for children

6.  That means they were trying to be best in everything they do.

The inspirational video project/presentation  set the tone for this creative exercise

Frankly, I am surprised at the outcome of  this exercise. They did much much better than the PhDs and other professor when we tried doing this at REE. at Bangkok.  This class is superior.  I enjoy looking at their work;   take note, they did live in the classroom.  (No camera tricks or stunts)