Famed cook Julia Child once said that cooking is "just as creative and imaginative an activity as drawing, or wood carving or music."

Some employers are also hoping it's a surefire recipe for motivating and inspiring workers.

At a time when employee engagement is critical because of reduced staffs and increased competition in tough economic times, employers are seeking ways to help employees bond better not only with co-workers, but with managers. They're stepping into Child's world — the kitchen — to do just that.

San Francisco-based Parties That Cook stages team-building cooking events for companies where employees work together to create a meal that they then eat together, all under the watchful eye of a professional chef. Often held at a boss's house, the event mixes together employees in different departments and focuses on each team preparing a dish by a deadline with certain ingredients.

For http://www.bill.com founder and CEO Rene Lacerte, the kitchen offers just the kind of team building he needs for his startup company's 16 employees.

"When I have people to my home, the message I'm sending is that I'm opening my arms and home to them," Lacerte says. "It's making a very personal connection."

With the average employee age around 30, and most of their culinary skills leaning toward peanut butter-and-jelly sandwiches, Lacerte says his employees were "kind of nervous."

"But that was OK because I want them to see if they take risks and work together as a team, they can make it work," he says. "They're not allowed to pair up with their buddies, so they're working with people they don't normally work with. They get to have fun and celebrate with a meal. It's to remind them with immediate results of what working as a team can accomplish."

Lacerte says this bonding experience is comparable — or even a bit cheaper — than what it would cost him to take employees to a restaurant, but has the added benefit "of creating a real connection" with the company.

Bibby Gignilliat, founder and executive chef at Parties that Cook, says that while her business has "ebbed and flowed" with the economy, employers still want to find ways to build strong teams, especially with more companies merging departments or businesses. With prices ranging from $75 to $185 per person, depending on the food and the event, cooking focuses on creativity, communication and trust, she says.

"The cooking is a microcosm of the work environment," she says. "It levels the playing field because you might find that some star performers are not the best cooks. Or, someone who hasn't been a star at work is a great cook. You get to see the creativity and personal side of co-workers."

Lacerte says that employees seem to enjoy the events, especially since they get the added benefit of learning their way around a kitchen and perhaps becoming less intimidated with the thought of cooking at home. "I don't have a super kitchen, but they see they can make it work," he says.

He adds that with employers trying to keep workers focused and enthusiastic despite any bad economic news, team-building events such as the cooking parties are even more critical.

"People sometimes underestimate the value of these kinds of events that remind people of why they do what they do and why it matters," he says. "Those are feelings that you can then take back to work."

Gignilliat notes: "Food is the universal language. Nothing brings people together more."