Love me some Berkeley! These cute little storefronts are definitely part of the reason. This place…read morehad sushi, coffee, Tibetan jewelry and organic ice cream with a cooking school upstairs we all wandered around and really enjoyed our time spent here... We all got a scoop of Serotonin ice cream and tasted a few of their exotic flavors like saffron and lavender a few nostalgic flavors like butterscotch & pistachio they were all delicious.

We hosted my wife's 60th Birthday at Kitchen on Fire. We had 14 people, and everyone had an…read moreamazing time. Chef Olive was great to work with, and in setting up the event the staff was very responsive and accommodating to our various dietary needs and menu changes. We had a very special evening there, and would highly recommend the experience for those looking for a great interactive group event. The food was delicious, we all learned new things, and the space was impeccable.

Great staff and great service, was greeted right away. I asked for a couple different cooking…read moresupplies, staff was super friendly and knowledgeable. I just love the quality that Sur La Table offers. I was visiting in the area. My daughter is going to college in San Francisco and this is a great shopping area. I can't wait to come back again.

Wow! This place is pricey. But they do have a great selection of top quality consumer kitchenware…read more If you are in need of a $200 pot, this is the place to come. The staff is extremely helpful and very knowledgeable. They are able to order items that are not currently in stock. Parking at fourth Street can be challenging, especially on the weekends. But there is a lot directly behind this place. It is crowded though.

Nicole led a virtual Chevre-making class for my colleagues and I and it was a blast! Pretty awesome…read moreto be able to enjoy such a fun, informative and highly rewarding (we did get fresh cheese out of it after all) experience via Zoom. We were provided with our very own cheese-making kit ahead of the class (with immersion thermometer, cheesecloth and straining basket included) and super detailed instructions to replicate the recipe at home in just 10 minutes. Worth to note that the cheese culture packet that came with our kit was enough to culture an additional 3 quarts of milk beyond the one we prepped, too. Nicole was lovely - she answered all our questions, and gave us pro cheese seasoning/paring and gifting tips. Would highly recommend, especially for large-group/team bonding events. Looks like everyone will be getting fresh cheese this Christmas :-)

I cannot praise Nicole more for her amazing cheese making classes! Our company did an outing here…read moreto make Burrata, Mozzarella, and Goat Cheese and had a blast. Nicole makes sure to explain everything thoroughly, including the history of each cheese. Makes everything super interesting. We also included a grazing board and they were all so delicious. We were eating, making cheese, and having fun the entire time. Parking is a bit difficult so we just did ride share there. The place is a bit hard to find but it's a office room inside a parking gate. I am definitely go back with friends and family the next chance i get. I hope this place doesn't get too famous so Nicole still has time left for us! haha Thank you for everything Nicole!!

A month or so ago, I attended a fermentation and pickling class taught by Dara Merin right in my…read moreown neighborhood! The class was small - about four or five of us in her roomy kitchen. We went over all the recipes in her handout for fermented veg pickle (like kim chee), sourdough starter (I already killed mine), kombucha (I've got the mother now but not the time or the courage to make the kombucha!)... the class is more demonstration with some hands on prep to make the pickle. Everyone was super nice and I highly recommend Dara's classes. Classes are in the kitchen a 1908 house in the Temescal neighborhood of North Oakland, a ten minute walk from the Rockridge Bart station. Each class is chock-full of cooking instructions, specific methods, and tips and includes a comprehensive handout with recipes and lots of other information and resources. The focus is always on how to make delicious food that is nourishing and nutritious too. Classes all feature a relaxed and comfortable dinner in the lovely dining room after we finish cooking, with abundant food and wine to compliment the meal. This part of the class is a wonderful opportunity to connect with the group and feel the sweet community vibe that makes classes with The Sage Table so special. Cooking is done with the highest quality ingredients possible, adhering to the idea of SOUL food: Seasonal, Organic, Unrefined and Local. As much as possible is purchased at local farmer's markets in the East Bay. Classes are vegetarian unless explicitly noted otherwise.

I have taken 4 cooking classes so far. from The Sage Table…read more The cosmic raw chocolate 101 class was the most exhilarating as we ate and drank amazing dark rich and healthy chocolate all night. It took my current cacao skills to a new level. The fermentation class was excellent. I feel confident fermenting foods and drinks. My partner, having watched me make traditional kombucha, began making his own experiments, so we are a super fermenty household now. The vegetarian soup making class opened my mind and palate up to legumes in a new way, and I have yet to try those recipes. The bones, broths and braising class, taught me how to make chicken soup and beef stew, that could have my Jewish ancestors rolling over in shame. The soups/stews we feasted on at the end of the class were nothing short of off-the-BLEEP-hook fantastic. My belly was in pure bliss. Dara was great about answering all my how to cook meat related questions too. There were a lot of things about meat and cooking meat that I did not know before. As a soup lover I can easily say that these were the best tasting liquid meals that have passed through my taste-buds in a long while. I am dairy-free, gluten-free (except for ghee) and so appreciated that these recipes are not dairy dependent. Thank you Dara, for your amazing culinary expertise.

I find Mexican cuisine amazing. I mean really, how many delicious permutations of corn, cheese,…read moretomatoes, beans and peppers could you come up with?! Tacos, bureeetoes and quesahdilluhs don't count, folks. And yet the richness and diversity of the fare is astounding. Three hours with Edible Explorations unlocked the magic, we discovered it's all about the spices! Offering cooking classes in a welcoming Oakland home, private group lessons and catering, Edible Explorations will take you for a ride with fresh, organic ingredients, authentic Oaxacan recipes and colorful context/history. The tamale session gave us a solid foundation for whipping up these pockets of corn goodness, and I'm now inspired to host my own tamale fiesta! At $40-60 (sliding scale), the investment for two meals, fun times and tasty education is outstanding. I want seconds! Mole, you haven't seen the last of me...

Can you saw AUTHENTIC, Yummy, tasty and amazing all in one sentence?!....well, I just did and that…read moreis what Becca and Edible Explorations IS! It is an exploration into another world of Mexico that I had no idea was there until i started taking classes from Becca. The unique chicken tamales we did with amazing mole sauce were to die for. We made rice once with a sprig of mint in it! who would have thought that rice could be so flavorful?.... The most amazing thing I have eaten would have to be these things called MEMELAS They are fresh prepared masa (what you make for corn tortillas) hand flattened out, grilled on each side, then topped with her amazing refried black beans, home made verde (green) salsa and Queso fresca (fresh cheese) and topped with avocado....ok, i'm drooling now. oh! and we made fresh chile rellenos!!! with an amazing tomato sauce. She also teaches you about the culture (which she tends to specify to Oaxacan) which I knew nothing about until taking some of her classes. All organic food and local and great as a gift for someone (catering) or for a class to take and improve your friends and loved ones with tastes from Mexico that they have never tasted before!

This place is way too cool…read more I took my girlfriend here recently and we had a TON of fun. The Kitchen on Fire that we went to is the one located on Shattuck. There was mainly just street parking all around. When we arrived, both us were already pumped. We signed in quickly and immediately gazed out into the Kitchen. There were multiple tables that had the ingredients already set up for us. We technically didn't have to bring anything because they had aprons and everything already there!! We of course HAD to bring wine though. It's always fun having some wine while you are cooking right? The whole experience was amazing. Our Chef(Kevin) gave us a brief history of the origins of the Paella and then after that, they treated us to a appetizer. Then finally it was time for the main course. The Chef and the assistants carefully walked us through every step of the way and at the end, we all ate our Paella's together. It was suppppper fun. I definitely can't wait to try another class and recommend this experience to anyone who wants to learn that special dish you love but always have been curious to learn how to make.

We just got home from the Rome class with Chef Mat in Oakland. Everything was well organized and he…read moremade it all easy to understand and follow. The whole process involved teamwork and a lovely communal meal (family style) at the end. Each food item we made was delicious, and there was plenty of food! We enjoyed getting to know some of the other students too. We would return for another class.

I attended Bauman College back in 2019 for the in-person holistic culinary program. It opened my…read moreeyes to a whole culinary world beyond flavors and techniques, feeding my love for food, igniting my passion for cooking, and teaching me concrete knowledge about how to use these culinary skills to support health and wellbeing. Holistic Chefs are needed so greatly now as more and more people need support with specialty diets to feel their best while living with various health conditions. After graduating, I had the skills I needed to start my own personal chef business and saw great demand for these services. If you're passionate about food and using it to support wellness, this is the place to up-level your knowledge and skills to reach your goals and make a positive impact in your communities. I enjoyed my time at Bauman so much that I returned to the program once it transitioned to be fully online, first as a Teaching Assistant and then as a Culinary Instructor to stay immersed in the culture and keep connecting with other people passionate about cooking for wellbeing. It's a diverse community of folks with a wide array of backgrounds and perspectives, that is inspiring to be a part of!

I graduated from the NC program in 2009 and have indeed transitioned to a career in nutrition since…read morethen, but definitely not w/ the recommended business model. Reflecting on the experience 15 years later: It was very powerful to meet so many people with the same passion for food I have; I came away with a solid understanding of human digestion, supplements, how cooking and processing affect the nutrition of foods, and exposure to a world of unfamiliar dishes and ingredients. On the other hand I recall feeling skeptical about so many things ESPECIALLY the "professional development" pieces re: how to make a living in the field. They pointed us down a slippery slope of selling supplements on commission, weight loss for rich people, and promoting dubious food fads. It does not surprise me that Bauman grads have produced myriad "restrictive diet" cookbooks (Paleo! Keto! Vegan! ...name your trend). I went down this path for three years as a nutrition coach and finally decided I just hate putting people on diets, and having to combine health advice with some sort of sales pitch, and gave up. I have worked now for the past 10+ years in culinary education for people with limited resources, helping folks take the stress and pressure out of eating well. It's been a long road of low-paying nonprofit jobs for which my Bauman degree held no currency whatsoever. I'm definitely glad I did the course because of how much I learned about food; but for anyone expecting to build a career in nutrition, I'd recommend getting an MPH in Public Health Nutrition instead.

Laney's culinary art program was such a delightful experience…read more In the two years of being apart of Laney Culinary Program it taught me mandatory skills about the cooking industry while learning exotic skills and safety techniques. Here's the rundown: If cooking is something you enjoy, the 2 year program will go pass so fast! Each morning we had to be at school in the kitchen fully dressed in our uniform ready for breakfast service, usually before sunrise. In the first semester we learned a variety of sanitation safety skills while also being introduced to the first semester main kitchen and lunchroom. First semester focused on teaching sanitation safety, utensil knowledge and knife skills. Second semester was a little different . Students focused on measurement and learned the difference in weights of food in standardized recipes. Also skills obtained were portion control as well as hospitality management. Learning how to work together in the busy lunch room fixing lunch to the hungry faculty helped gain teamwork and communication skills. Third semester however was much more complex. You are transferred to the other side of the school with a whole new kitchen. In third semester you cook fresh exciting exotic new dishes for the schools bistro restaurant. Third semester taught people skills and was much more hands on. Focusing more about culture and discovering new cuisines around the world. Also in third semester you are introduced to cooking and serving as a waiter in the Bistro. You get an trial run of cooking and working in the industry hands on. Fourth semester of Laney Culinary is a breeze it's everything your have learned all wrapped up. You get to run and invent your own full course recipes with classmates and execute it at the end for final completion of a passing grade. In the end of the two years you graduate with an A.S degree, Food handling Certificate, and a Safe Serve certainly; not to mention wonderful new friends and mentors and a great experience. Mandatory kitchen accessories and certificates as well as books are required. It's Nothing to worry about until fully settled in class.

From the owner: Laney College offers two majors in the Culinary Arts. These two-year certificate programs provide…read morestudents the practical knowledge, skills and experience to succeed in creative and rewarding careers in the restaurant and hospitality industry. Classes are led by trained and experienced professionals and approved by industry organizations like the Retail Bakers Association (RBA) and the National Restaurant Association (NRA).

Over the years, I've been lucky enough to take several of Rosetta's classes. In fact, I attended…read moreher first class at Paulding & Company's kitchen several years ago when her article in the Chronicle was published. Several years passed, and I was still thinking about the two classes I took when she first started, so I decided to see what classes she offers now. We attended several last year, and plan to continue as long as she introduces new recipes/techniques to learn. Her menus always sound delicious, and her classes are casual, informative, and fun. Keep in mind her menus reflect what is in season, and much of the produce she uses in class comes directly from her own home garden. Awesome! I cannot wait until we take another class! The following have been a few of my favorites: (Check out her website for class and menu descriptions. I wouldn't be able to do them justice.) -A Taste of Calabria -A Night in a Neapolitan Pizzeria -Risotto -Making and Using Ricotta - From Appetizer to Dessert

I love Rosetta's cooking classes. They focus on Southern Italian cuisine, particularly from her…read morenative region of Calabria, but also from nearby regions such as Sicily, where her husband is from. So far I've been to two of the classes: Taste of Sicily and Night in a Neapolitan Pizzeria, both at Paulding and Company. I really enjoyed them and hope to go to more next year. In particular, the pizza class really improved my pizza technique, and I have been reproducing the delicious, super thin crust pizzas at home ever since. Rosetta usually starts the class by giving a relaxed 20 minute summary of her background (she is a former chemical engineer who now writes cookbooks and gives cooking classes to share her native cuisine). Then she goes around to all the tables and explains in detail what to do at each station. Once the cooking starts, it's up to you whether you want to focus on one dish or move around to try different things. Each station has a few people, so you work together. Rosetta is very friendly and you can ask her any kind of question. She also gives very useful tips, such as using quarry stones for pizza instead of expensive pizza stones. Her recommendations are very reasonable and economical, but she doesn't cut corners where it matters, for example in quality ingredients many of which she makes herself (red wine vinegar, ricotta cheese, candied orange peels, etc.) or grows in her own garden. After the mad rush of cooking is done, everyone sits down to nicely set tables to socialize while being served the fruit of their labors. As I mentioned, the ingredients are top quality, so the food is delicious. There is also always an ambitious and varied menu with everything from appetizer/salad to dessert (we even had dessert pizzas... and the ice cream made from her homemade ricotta cheese was amazing!). Many people bring their own wine to drink. There is no rush to finish at the end, and you can enjoy a leisurely dinner with plenty of chance to meet the other participants.

Fresh graduated from their Berkley location. It was truly an amazing experience. I got to learn all…read moremy hands on and textbook skills in an engaging environment, with an amazing teacher who ensured you knew what you were doing. All the instructors I interacted with took pride in being good at what they did and making sure you were not only able to perform the skills but also be confident in doing so. Both me and my sister graduated from this program and both of us very highly recommended. I feel ready for my NREMT and know I can come to them for help as I move forward in my career. If you are hesitant at all about entering the medical field and or not sure what to do after, they are willing and able to guide you through the steps. As well as talk to you about what kinds of doors that programs like this can open for you.

From the owner: American Health Education is dedicated to providing high-quality, hands-on training to those who…read morewish to start or advance their healthcare careers. Train to become and EMT with our weekday or weekend courses in emergency medical services. We are committed to preparing our students with the knowledge, skills, and competencies necessary to excel in their field, and are proud to foster graduates who go on to save lives and serve in their communities.