What It Is
Food is the most disarming thing in the world. Put people around a stove and walls come down.
The Gourmet Joe Forum Series uses food and cooking as a vehicle for the kind of honest, revealing conversation that builds real trust — the kind peer groups spend years trying to get to and teams rarely find in a conference room.
Each session is built around a theme, a dish, and a set of guided prompts. People cook together, eat together, and talk — really talk. What comes out of it tends to surprise everyone in the room.
Sessions run three hours — and everyone breaks bread together. They work for EO forums, Vistage chapters, leadership retreats, executive teams, and any group of people who are serious about going deeper with each other.
Built For
Any group ready to go past the surface.
- EO forums and peer advisory groups
- Vistage and YPO chapters
- Leadership teams at inflection points
- Executive retreats and offsites
- Founder cohorts and accelerator programs
- Any team that wants to actually know each other
What People Walk Away With
More than a meal.
- Deeper knowledge of each other's stories and values
- Honest conversations that don't happen in a boardroom
- A shared experience that anchors future discussions
- Personal reflections and closing commitments
- A reason to look forward to the next meeting
"When people cook together, their guard comes down. You learn more about someone in an hour around the stove than in ten meetings at a table."
— Dave Kustin, Gourmet Joe
Featured Sessions
A few examples of what a session looks like in practice.
Session 01 of 09
The Recipe for Resilience
Session Structure — 3 Hours
Welcome & Framing. Joe sets the tone: "Resilience is like cooking — sometimes the dish doesn't turn out how you planned, but you adapt, adjust, and still make something beautiful."
Resilience Ingredients. Each person selects an ingredient representing a time they've had to adapt quickly. They share the story behind it.
Cooking Component. Make-your-own grain bowls with roasted vegetables, proteins, and sauces. Mid-way through, teams get surprise ingredient swaps to simulate unexpected challenges.
Shared Meal. Everyone builds their own bowl but shares toppings across the table — reinforcing adaptability and shared resources.
Guided Conversation. "What's the hardest thing you've had to recover from in the past five years?" and "When things go sideways — fight, fix, or freeze?"
Closing Reflection. Each person writes down one resilience practice to strengthen in the next month. Joe mails these back later as a personal accountability touchpoint.
Session 05 of 09
From Raw to Refined
Session Structure — 3 Hours
Welcome & Framing. "Tonight we're going to literally transform raw into refined — and connect it to our own journeys."
Raw Moment Share. Each member shares a "raw" moment in their life that shaped them.
Cooking Component. Crudo or tartare to start, then transforming part of it into a cooked version — literal transformation on the plate. Members pair up, taking turns leading each phase.
Shared Meal. Both versions side by side — raw and refined — tasted together and discussed.
Guided Conversation. "What's something in your life that's still in its raw stage?" and "What's a refined strength you're most proud of?"
Closing Reflection. Write a letter to your past raw self. Joe mails it back later.
The Full Series
Nine sessions. Each one built around a theme, a dish, and a real conversation.
The Recipe for Resilience
Navigating adversity. Adapting under pressure. What bouncing back actually looks like.
Savor the Moment
Shifting from constant achievement to mindful presence. Slow down and taste it.
Flavors of Our Story
Celebrating diverse experiences. The formative chapters that shaped who you are and how you lead.
Ingredients for Impact
Connecting personal values to collective potential. What could this group do together?
From Raw to Refined
Personal growth and transformation. The gap between where you were and where you are now.
The Comfort Food Effect
What safety and belonging mean inside this group. Building something worth showing up to.
Beyond the Table: Vision Feast
Aligning on individual and collective futures. Where are you going — and how does this group help you get there?
The Fire Within
Passions, motivations, and what drives you at your core. What fuels you when nothing else will.
The Leadership Banquet
Reflecting on leadership styles and blind spots. Every leader has their own recipe — tonight, we cook and examine yours.
Every group is different. The sessions can be too.
The nine sessions above are a starting point — not a fixed menu. Each one can be adapted to fit your group's size, setting, current focus, or the specific conversations your forum or team needs to have.
- Session themes adjusted to where your group is right now
- Dish complexity scaled to your venue and setup
- Guided conversation prompts rewritten around your group's specific dynamics
- Single sessions, multi-session series, or a full annual program
- Professionally facilitated