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.

Superb. I have taken the 12 week series and individual classes at KOF and taken courses at other…read moreschools. KOF is head and shoulders above all the others. Chef Olive told the class that his students don't eat out because they realize that, "I can make this better at home"; which I thought a bit exaggerated, but then I thought more about it and realized, based on my experience, he is right. These courses are so well thought out; you will learn a ton, will be taught by well qualified, energetic chefs, will begin to eat healthier and better, and you will absolutely have fun. Enjoy.

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.

Love the Berkeley store but their online customer service is lacking. Bought a defective porcelain…read morebaking pan (sur la table brand) and the bottom is uneven, causing it to "rock", secondly it developed a crack inside. their online customer service won't help me unless i come up with a receipt.

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!!

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 :-)

My kids just finished a week with Tracy et. al. at Camp Cookin (not the real name) and it was…read moreamazing and I was not even there! I did show up for the Friday demonstration that really showed me what a great operation they have going on there. These kids made some awesome munchies. Three savory bites and two desserts for us to try. Fish cakes with mango salsa. Veggie tapenade on puff pastry topped with mashed potatoes. THE BOMB. The space is incredible. They have it all. I cannot wait to have a cooking party there. Check it out.

Excellent food, excellent ambience , great people!!! Teachers are awesome they really care for the…read morestudents and I'm proud to say that my kid is part of that great team (family).

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.

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.

Such a fun experience. We took two classes in January, one for Ramen and the other French Bread…read moremaking. Both were such great and unique experiences. Each instructor has their own style and way of teaching their craft which lends to the fun, and they clearly have a passion for cooking or baking. The focus was very hands on, which I loved; so often in cooking classes you are separated and given a "task" so you may miss something you have not done before. Not here, everyone gets to experience each process and that makes it so much more meaningful. I also came away with very specific knowledge I could actually use. Highly recommend to amp up your kitchen game or gift to that special someone.

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.

5 stars with no hesitation…read more I have worked with Ann's when I was in a department. The food was always consistent and always arrived on time. Now I only get it when its ordered and consider myself lucky when I do. Today I feel inspired to praise the fresh ingredients. I love meat and I still chose the avocado hummus sandwich over the turkey. The hummus is absolutely delicious paired with the crisp cucumbers and fresh soft focacia bread. Always delicious

I recently attended a conference at UC Berkeley, and they featured breakfast both days and lunch…read morethe second day catered by Ann's Catering. It was all so good! I've never had such tasty food at a conference event before, much less food brought in by a catering company (rather than prepared by the on premises dining services)! It was definitely way better than any food prepared at my own university. And looking at the current menus offered by Ann's Catering, it also looked like their pricing was extremely reasonable and competitive too! I especially enjoyed the fresh focaccia bread on the lunch sandwiches, and the quinoa and wild rice salad was a revelation. I originally only took one small scoop, and only because it looked healthy. But then I went back for seconds and took leftovers home because it was so darn tasty! And the chicken satay and beef teriyaki sticks were also really delicious and tender! We had more than enough food for everyone to be well-fed, but there weren't many leftovers either, which I think is a testament to how tasty everything was. I would not hesitate to work with Ann's Catering if I am ever looking for a catering company provider in the East Bay.