Michonski of Coldwell cooks Christmas dinner for his employees

In what is now a 14 year tradition one CEO in America turns the table on his employees and does more than give them a good holiday party: he does all the cooking and this year even without a stove. "I cook for them as I would for a family," said David Michonski, the CEO of New York City real estate brokerage, Coldwell Banker Hunt Kennedy. "In many respects they are. I want to just let them know at this time of year that I care enough to cook for them and wait on them. They do such a great job all year, why not?" Michonski chooses a different country every year and then researches what that country traditionally eats at Christmas time. He then prepares that feast. He used to cook for all the agents in his company but three years ago when they hit 300, he said he just could not do it anymore. Now he only cooks the feast for his 40 or so employees. This year he has chosen Sweden and is preparing a lavish dinner with five fish dishes, four meat dishes, two breads, cheese, six vegetables, five desserts and plenty of Swedish aquavit and beer. He will lead the singing of Swedish drinking songs culminating in a "Skoll" followed by a shot of the aquavit or "schnapps" with a beer chaser. Perhaps more remarkably, he will do it all without a stove. "When you don't have a stove to cook on, that is really tricky" says Michonski, "but we will pulled it off. It just took careful planning of the menu." How does he cook a dinner for 40 employees without a stove? "You go for a lot of dishes that can be cooked ahead and served on chafing dishes with sterno for heat" he says.