Contests, Food, Weirdness

Everyone's A Winner Cooker at Nixon Peabody?

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According to the non-theme-song song (mp3) of Nixon Peabody, the firm is “the best to work with” and “the best to work for.” At NP, “it’s all about the team, it’s all about respect, it all revolves around integrity.”
And top of the line ingredients. From the Washington Post:

Big-time lawyers are pros at waiting for judges’ tough decisions, but yesterday afternoon at Nixon Peabody in the District, some may have posted fewer billable hours until results of the firm’s 19th annual cook-off were handed down.

The competition pits men against women, which could lead to actionable territory and dangerous stereotyping. Yet, it has helped build camaraderie among all departments, firm employees say, pointing to Nixon Peabody’s ranking among Fortune magazine Top 100 Best Companies to Work For, three years running.

Wow, they really milk that honor for all it’s worth! Kudos to NP’s public relations department for placing this puff piece in the Post. The firm’s PR operation has come a long way from the days when they threatened bloggers over leaked musical homages (and generated unflattering publicity for themselves).
More discussion, after the jump.


Still from the WaPo piece:

Some companies set up tennis or golf tournaments, which can draw more male than female employees. Nixon Peabody’s cook-off turns out to attract partners and paralegals alike and is even more popular than the bocce tournaments it has held in the summer.

What is up with Washington law firms and bocce ball? See also Venable.
This cook-off is not so popular with the ladies:

Women’s team co-captain and associate Emily Hargrove, 30, says that although more women than men participate, she still ran into plenty of resistance from women in the firm who said they don’t cook; they just make reservations.

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The judges for the contest are distinguished and high-powered — the culinary world’s version of the D.C. Circuit:

Eighty-five entries in seven categories were vetted for appearance and taste by a panel that included longtime in-house participants, executive chef Douglas Anderson of the Four Seasons Hotel, chef John Koltiskoof the Caucus Room and hospitality directors from the Mandarin Oriental and Four Seasons hotels….

Anderson was impressed with the look of several dishes, including a Gourmet Magazine-inspired orange crepe gateau and a wine-dark pot of borscht with a heaping bowl of sour cream nearby. “Food can look better than it tastes, sometimes, you know?” he said.

Ouch. So, based on both tastes and looks, who prevailed?

After much tallying and lawyerly revisiting of the rules, the results were Nixon Peabody men, 11; Nixon Peabody women, 10….

“We’ve earned a full year of bragging rights,” boasted a relieved men’s team co-captain, Christian McBurney. None of the 48-year-old partner’s three dishes wowed the judges this time around, but he did earn style points by wearing his “lucky” red-checked bib apron all morning. Historically, the men are experiencing a reversal of fortune: “We’ve taken three of the last five” years, McBurney said. In other words, the women are still ahead overall, at 16 to 3, in a firm of 100 attorneys and 116 staff members.

And some reassuring news:

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The cook-off’s reputation as a morale builder is understandable, but secondary career paths may be forged as a result. “I’d hire the cooks from today in a heartbeat,” said judge Michael Deltette, 38, director of catering at the Mandarin Oriental.

Good to know. As the economy worsens, and law firms lay off associates (whether openly or stealthily), denizens of Biglaw would be well-advised to cultivate and maintain a skill set outside the law.
A Law Firm Puts Its Chefs on Trial [Washington Post]

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