The Spicy Lunch
After years of remote work, interactions inside the organisation had become mostly transactional. People collaborated without really knowing one another… faces reduced to names, voices without presence, relationships without context.
I felt a need for something simple and human: a way to bring people together outside the structure of formal meetings.
PROJECT STORYLINE:
The insight
After COVID, while seeing many well-intentioned corporate initiatives to “reconnect people”, I realised something simple:
Culture doesn’t shift through large programmes. It shifts through small, genuine moments.
I wanted to test whether a simple ritual: food, curiosity, and a bit of play, could create that kind of connection.
From a small experiment to a recurring community
Spicy Lunch started as a one-time experiment:
I shared the idea with a colleague who was passionate about spicy sauces and we invited a handful of people we knew: interns, managers, different profiles to share lunch together.
I picked up burritos and nachos from a nearby Mexican restaurant just before lunch and he brought the sauces.
That first lunch was simple, informal, and fun. People passing by stopped, asked questions, joined the conversation.
The next time, there were a few more. And the time after, once again, a few more. When it became clear that people were coming back consistently, I decided to structure it properly.
I partnered with the building’s catering team and co-designed rotating monthly menus to keep the experience fresh: Mexican-inspired, Asian-inspired, finger food, and a surprise edition.
As the community grew, so did the care:
Feedback through simple NPS surveys.
Adjustments for dietary needs and budgets.
Inclusive options so everyone could participate.
Within months, Spicy Lunch became a recurring monthly gathering of 40–60 people, filling up quickly and bringing together interns, managers, and senior leadership — including executive teams — around the same table.
What it enabled
Spicy Lunch created conditions that rarely emerge organically in large organisations:
Genuine cross-level interaction between interns, managers, and senior leadership
A neutral, welcoming space where hierarchy softened and conversation flowed naturally
Stronger human connections across teams, functions, and backgrounds
A sense of belonging for newcomers and long-standing employees alike
Shared rituals that people anticipated and actively protected over time
By combining food, play, and light vulnerability, the initiative made it easier for people to meet as humans first; not as roles or titles. It became a small but meaningful anchor in the internal culture, sustained by trust, consistency, and collective engagement.
WHAT I LEARNED
I designed and hosted each edition end-to-end, focusing on ritual, flow, and inclusivity:
Defining the concept and rhythm of each session.
Co-creating menus with the catering team.
Managing communication, registration, and logistics.
Creating playful spicy challenges and tasting rituals.
Opening each session and welcoming newcomers.
Maintaining a safe, informal, and inclusive atmosphere.
The goal was never performance. It was presence.I designed and hosted each edition end-to-end, focusing on ritual, flow, and inclusivity.
WHY IT MATTERS
Spicy Lunch is not about food. It is about belonging.
A simple monthly ritual that helped rebuild the human fabric of a large organisation. One shared moment at a time.
