So much fun! A great way to connect with friends during CoVid. Chef Olive is a great teacher and cooks with only real ingredients. He taught us knife skills and how to cook with herbs. We loved our evening! Thanks KOF read more

Kitchen on Fire has some great classes & each chef has something unique to teach the students. I had my third class today & Chef Maria was wonderful! If you could please speak with the clean up staff member that would be wonderful. I inadvertently forgot to get some dough off my hands before washing in the sink & was reprimanded. I understand his frustration, but even after I expressed my apology & followed his instruction, he kept lecturing me about the same thing. I expected he would be more understanding & respectful. Mostly enjoy classes here, but would appreciate more clear expectations for clean up & respectful communication. read more

They hosted us for a team building activity for grad students, and it was fantastic! Couldn't recommend it enough, we will definitely be booking with them again in the future. read more

Just attended the 'flavors of the Caribbean' class with chef Kevin and it was a lot of fun. It was our first time; but won't be our last. We were was a small class of 5, which was perfect as we were able to fully participate on all the food prep! read more

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My team of 11 is pretty spread out (even before COVID) so it's not always easy to find team activities. We decided to do a Virtual Class with Kitchen on Fire and had so much fun! We were given the shopping list immediately upon signing up (everything had gluten free, vegetarian, vegan options), plus suggestions on the menu based on our time limit and tastes. We ended up making two delicious Thai dishes. I definitely recommend this as a great virtual team activity! read more

Kitchen on Fire - Thai spring roll and lettuce cups - Cooking Schools Near Me - Berkeley, California

I'm sure this is a great place to take a cooking class...I've been dying to take one since it's inception...thanks to my girlfriend's generosity, I have a gift card good for two classes! Unfortunately, it seems like KOF is really a front for some money-laundering practice b/c it's virtually impossible to register for any of their classes. 1) The website is only as good as it's function. The schedule of classes is posted for several months, but when you go to to click "Register Now" you get an Error Page. 2) No one checks the reservations@kitchenonfire.com email! 3) The website nor the door to the establishment have listed hours of operation...making signing up in person VERY difficult. (I went by twice!!!) 4) I even tried calling and leaving a message to sign up for the class. I eventually DID get a reply... only to tell me that tomorrow's class was cancelled!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAARGH! Perhaps posting a notice online or even on the door and all the calendars visible around the gourmet food court would have been nice. Furthermore, telling me that the Dessert/Wine Pairing class will be available in MARCH (4 months away) is NOT any consolation! Unfortunately, I'm really only interested in taking a course on desserts and pastries...something this school rarely does... so I may never use my gift certificate...and that's $140 my girlfriend wasted! -FRUSTRATED AND PEEVED IN BERKELEY! read more

Review for FARMERS MARKET FRESH class held on 12/27/08. My bf bought us this class for my birthday -- just something fun to do and couldn't hurt to learn how to cook a bit. MikeC and his 2 helpers were really kind, nice, and helpful. MikeC is knowledgeable when it comes to picking out fresh produce, kitchen safety, and knowing what flavors go with what. We started off the class picking out produce and fruits at the Monterey Market. He taught us how to pick out good, ripe oranges, apples, etc. We proceeded to buy a ton of veggies and he introduced us to the truffle! Man that aroma is amazing but there was one I smelled that smelled of butt, or something to that nature. We finished buying all the groceries we needed at Monterey Market and headed back to their kitchen on Shattuck. Here's what I liked about the class: 1. New and clean kitchen aids (knives, bowls, spatulas, pots, etc.) 2. Well-kept kitchen 3. Big mirror on top of main cutting area to see what the chefs are doing 4. Had a pretty big menu for us to cook 5. MikeC explains the science behind cooking as well 6. Easy to find location but parking can be a tad hard 7. Reasonable priced cooking class that lasted almost 5 hours! $65/person Here's what Kitchen On Fire can work on: 1. We had almost 20 people in the kitchen. THAT'S WAY TOO MANY. If you think about safety, that's a big no no since there were pots of hot oil, knives, etc. If people ran into eachother, that would be a disaster. 2. Organization. We picked stations to work at, then hopped about whereever we wanted and sometimes when we got to the other station, there was nothing left to do except stare at what was done. 3. We cooked two soups and the broth was already pre-made for us. That's the essence of the soup and if we can't replicate this, I doubt we can replicate the soup we learned how to make. Overall, this cooking class was nice because it was very hands on. The food that ended up being cooked was mediocre. Maybe I wasn't too excited about it since there was only 1 dish with meat the rest was vegetarian but we should have known since we signed up for a Market Fresh class! Here are the dishes we cooked: 1. Citrus Salad 2. Braised Bok Choy 3. Brussel Sprouts w/ Pancetta 4. Potato Leek Chowder 5. Vegetarian Curry 6. Vegetable Tempura w/ garlic lemon aioli 7. Apple Crumb w/ vanila bean ice cream I think I might want to come back for the knife class but as far as the Farmers Market Fresh class, I would only recommend it for vegetarians! (Pictures to be loaded) read more

My wife and I took the 12 Week Basic Series together, and she couldn't be happier with the result. Put it this way: Patrick - Pre KOF: Did dishes, critiqued wife's efforts in kitchen, provided wish list of meals for the week, occasionally messed around with meals until banned by wife. Patrick - Post KOF: Goes to grocery store without wife, chides her for improper mis en place, rearranged kitchen for efficiency, has made every meal since completion of the class, makes fancy butter, flambes...you get the picture. I went from being totally inept in the kitchen to reading Food 52 and trying to think of interesting things to make. Now she complains that we don't eat out enough, polar opposite of before the course. This course is perfect for people who want to understand "the why" behind cooking. I never got into cooking before because I don't like executing tasks. I have to understand what I'm doing and why I get the result I do (which prior to the course was usually certain disaster). This class gives you that. I understand many different cooking techniques and how they all come together. I experiment with tying them together and playing with different flavors. Now to be fair, I'm not a world class chef yet and still have mishaps here and there. But, I actually enjoy cooking and also enjoy doing it together with my wife. I can honestly say that I have gotten consistently better and am continually learning and trying new things in the kitchen since taking this class. Chef Mike C. and Chef Mark were great, and always helped you think through problems without giving you the answer directly. And, they will get on you for improper mis en place... It is a big commitment, and I didn't always feel like showing up every Saturday. But I can honestly say that I'm glad that I did, and there were breaks here and there with holidays and whatnot. As I pointed out to my wife, the only other thing worth the money like this would be Sleep School (if such a thing existed) because that's the only other thing that we do as much as eat. Totally recommend the crew at KOF, and especially the 12 Week Basic Series. I will be signing up for the mini series in the future and probably some more advanced courses as they become available. read more

Fun, educational AND there's an option to drink! I have been here a couple times for corporate "team building" events and have had a blast each time. It's hands on cooking low on pretension, high on clever tips and tricks. You get to cook food that you actually want to eat. Chef Mike C. and Chef Olivier Said are both charming and funny, they each have their own approach andd there's lots to learn. They will help you find wine pairings for your dishes, they have minions do most of the actual prep work and all of the clean up... so you get to have all the fun and enjoy the meal. highly recommended. read more

Did two classe here. The first, a knife skills course was great. At least 4 of 5 stars. Lots of learning and fun. The second class, however, was a different story. It was a couples cooking class where we were to be taught 5 dishes. They booked so many people that no couple got to take a stab at more than 2 dishes before the ingredients ran out. We took it easy, not wanting to compete with the crowd, and prepared about 1.5 dishes. And then we more-or-less stood around for another 60-90 minutes while things cooked. Huge disappointment, especially or the money. The facility is awesome. The people are great. The knowledge is solid. They just seemed to forget that for some customers a key part of the cooking class is being able to cook. read more

I've used Yelp for years, but have never written a review. Until now. These guys really earned and deserve all five stars. I took Kitchen on Fire's 12 week Basics of Cooking series because I had just graduated from college and decided I should learn how to cook properly as I start to live on my own. The series certainly did not disappoint, I now feel very comfortable cooking food in various ways, and am excited about the endless amounts of dishes that my newfound skill set will allow me to create. I took the series with my Mom and brother. It was a learning experience for all of us- even with our different amounts of cooking experience- and we also had a lot of good quality family bonding time along the way. Chef MikeC and Chef Olive really know what they're doing, and both have a great sense of humor, which is always a plus. I can't recommend these guys enough! read more

This Kitchen's on Fire!!!! (Okay, I could not resist paraphrasing Alicia Keys.) A Berkeley City College student told me about a free six-week cooking class being offered at Kitchen on Fire (and I guess they needed more people in the class). It was free of charge. Free, me like free. It was part of a special program of teaching people how to cook. (I forgot how this program works, it was some special arrangement with one of BCC's educational programs.) Kitchen on Fire is located near Berkeley's famous The Cheeseboard/ Famous for cheese and pizza (the pizza of the day). The founders are Mike C. and Oliver Said (of Cesar Restaurant) aka Chef Olive, and their slogan is, "If these two clowns can cook, so can you!" I got there early and explored. I was quite surprised, the facilities are the kind one sees on either Food Network or on PBS. Nice and red coloured interiors . . . Ma Mere said that food looks better in red. More information: http://kitchenonfire.com/ There is a ton of humour on their website. When the program began and I saw who are instructors were, Chef Olive and an assistant chef, whose name I forgot, I had to ask, "Are these the two clowns who are going to teach us how to cook?!" My fellow classmates looked at me as if I had made a snarky, snide remark. Chef Olive said that they were the clowns who would teach us how to cook. (He knew I had already done my research on KOF.) It was six weeks of fun cooking except Chef Olive would not let me record his lectures. I wanted to because he was so funny and made moi laugh. He was also working on a book, heck, he could have used those recordings to recall what he told the class. Unless he is the type who could not tolerate the sound of his own voice . . . We had the pleasure of meeting Mike C., who hosts his own cooking show. He is just as funny and a barrel of laughs just like Chef Olive. We made many kinds of food: principal courses such as vegetarian burritos, roast chicken, spaghetti, tortas, salads, stews, etc. We had a notebook/cookbook that was required for the six classes. Chef Olive and Co. would do a demonstration and then we would do the cooking. I went around and back and forth between doing prep work and cooking. There were times I had to encourage my classmates to utilize their elbow grease in stirring the pot. We went grocery shopping at Berkeley Bowl West. The best part was being given a shopping bag of organic produce and food ingredients to recreate at home after every class . . . the bag had to be reused though, so we had to bring the bags back to get our groceries from class. I do not know if this particular program is still going on at Kitchen on Fire. I would love to take more classes with them. I hear they offer many kinds of classes. I do not know if they still offer the baking class and the cupcake class. That would be totally cool to take, the cupcake class which emphasizes decorating. That would be a cool class to do at Kitchen on Fire. . . perpetually on fire and hot! http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=J91ti_MpdHA Fresh Review #8 of 100 Yelps! for 2013. read more

Visited for the first time for the "Big Night" themed Italian cooking class with Chef Rick and Chef Olive. At first, we were pretty nervous about our barely-there cooking abilities for such ambitious-sounding dishes (risotto, timpano, whole fish, etc). But there's assistants and recipes at each station in case we had questions, and we found the experience both relaxing and enriching. Especially loved the cooking/cutting miscellaneous tips we received from the chefs. Also enjoyed the BYOW tidbit. Kitchen on Fire was an unique and memorable date night experience and I would definitely recommend! read more

My husband and I just returned from an evening of Spanish tapas with Chef Olive and about 18 other people...who started out strangers but ended up being a terrific group of people to create with. We had a BLAST. Chef Olive spent about 20-25 minutes going over the six dishes we were going to make, giving us some tips and tricks on prep before setting us loose. It wasn't the most structured of prep and cooking processes, but that meant you had to just jump in at a table set up for any dish and dive in - and had the chance to move around and try your hand at different things in the prep and cooking process. Chef Olive was everywhere at once, answering questions and helping everyone at the level they needed. This is NOT the class for people who have no idea how to cook; a basic knowledge of prep and cooking is required, given the rapid pace of it all. But if you can cook a basic meal, you can keep up. Chef Olive made the evening really fun and high energy - and was really inspiring because of his commitment to the larger community. His work with St. Vincent de Paul and low income families (showing them how to use as little as $50 a week to feed a family with healthy food - hands on, from shopping with them to cooking with them) has inspired my husband and I to pursue volunteer work in the same vein. How often do you get to learn new techniques and terrific new recipes, make new friends, taste incredible food that you actually helped make, AND come out inspired to do good in the world? We will be back - and we'll bring friends with us so they can get all that goodness too! read more

I took Kitchen on Fire's 12-week cooking class with hopes of learning the fundamentals, and came away with so much more. The instructors here are not only masters of their craft, but they never once made me feel intimidated, overwhelmed or confused. In fact, I was empowered by newfound culinary insight, and overjoyed by the contagious enthusiasm and passion that filled the class, week after week. There's so much I could write about my time working with the chefs, preparing (and eating!) the incredible food, and organically learning each sophisticated technique -- but ultimately, taking this course was one of the best decisions I've ever made in my life. In fact, I'm thinking about doing the whole thing over again! Whether you're a total rookie or an experienced home cook, you'll fall in love with Kitchen on Fire. It's truly an unforgettable, one-of-a-kind experience. And yes, it's worth every penny. read more

I decided I wanted to learn some real cooking techniques. Cooking for family and friends totally inspired me to learn how to cook the real way. After much thought of wanting to go to cooking school and realizing that it was not only costly and time consuming I decided I wanted something in a more relaxed setting. Of course, after turning to Yelp* I found just that!!! KoF is GREAT!!!!! I started attending classes here on Sundays and I love it!!! I sooo look forward to Sundays now :) Chef Olive and Gabby are to die for. Chef Olive's sense of humor is great. I love him. Their sense of humor is just what a nervous learner needs. The class seemed pretty big but everyone is super friendly and cozy that it seems like we're already family. My class is 12 weeks long and I can't wait to see my remarkable skills at the end :) FYI - Don't be alarmed...Chef Olive cusses. LOLOLOL read more

Having attended many cooking classes, this particular one I attended at KOF was just o.k. I probably picked the wrong class to go to as well. If it had been a different topic maybe it could have been a better experience. It was the "Basics of Roasting" class and there were probably 20 people in the class. If it is a class for the basics of roasting, I think it is important we actually learn to roast the food at the right temperature and for the right amount of time. Given there were so many teams and so many dishes to roast, and there were only two ovens, it was chaotic to say the least. The same oven door was opened and closed by different hands numurous times. Sometimes the person who put one dish in the oven later forgot about it as he was busy doing other dishes. Eventually the instructor was standing at the oven checking all the dishes in the oven for all teams and taking stuff out when they were done. Also I never got to do one dish from start to finish as there were so many people on the team, and everyone wanted to try something. If the team you are in are good at coordinating tasks, then that's fine. But the team I was in, there was a couple and they did things so quickly they were trying to take over everything. And while I was searing the chicken, the wife of the couple on our team was watching and trying to tell me what to do. Her tone of voice was commanding and I felt like she was bossing me around. Then the other guy at my team was not really working together with me on our dish. He took off to do stuff by himself. What I liked most about that class was the demo part. Here is where you learn the tricks and "simple" secrets that make the dish better. We are all used to doing things the same way once we get into a routine. Looking at a chef cooking, I can always pick up little things that I did differently but never knew would make a difference in the outcome of your cooking. So I enjoyed watching the chef instructor show us how to cut a whole chicken cleanly and easily. He also showed us how to make a simple and quick roasted chicken breast dish with gravy using the oil/juice from searing the chicken breast. I do think they offer good cooking classes and a nice facility, but they need to figure out a way to make the class more organized. Also they need to make sure the time alloted for the class is enough to finish cooking the dishes on the menu. read more

Kitchen on Fire amazed me. I was expecting for my 10 year old son to be able to safely open a can of refried beans, and toast tortillas without burning down the house. Instead, after a couple of hours in the kitchen with master chef Rick Berman, he came into the garden with a tray bearing: fire roasted chile salsa fresh guacamole with lemons from our tree roast chicken, roasted to perfection, Mexican style tortillas just so - it made me feel I was in Oaxaca - not burnt, but not American style bland beans with a kick, but not over the top rice so fluffy it could float. My 10 year old son was glowing with pride as he served this to my singing group, all of us totally suprised. Then the real shock: the kitchen was cleaned by him and Rick! Wow. I cannot recommend this service more highly. Absolutely awesome. read more

SInce the original review, I've taken "Thanksgiving Training School" and Mike C. did a private knife skills class for my husband and I. The turkey, thanks to his brining technique, was the best I've ever had. Olivier and Mike C are tremendously patient, available, and I love how hands-on it is. As for the knife skills class-at the end, Mike C. took all of our handiwork and demystified the stock making process, which I'd always assumed to be way over my head. We're signed up for pastamaking next month. If you're looking for a style test drive, Mike C. also hosts a show on public access tv called "Hippy Gourmet." Recipes are taped and posted to YouTube. These are two busy guys. read more

I recently took a class at Sur La Table and was disappointed that I didn't get a chance to do a lot of cooking. I was complaining to my friend about this and she suggested taking a class at KOF. We took the Sushi and Nigiri 101 class with Chef Chat Mingkwan. It was great because we all had our own sushi-making station and we were able to follow along with Chef Mingkwan. I also liked the fact that we got to eat our creations throughout the class, instead of waiting until the end of class (which was almost 3 hours long!). Chef Mingkwan was informative and entertaining. After teaching us the basics of rolling sushi and nigiri, he allowed us to be creative with our ingredients. My rolls were disasterous-looking, but tasty! KOF also encourages students to bring their own wine/alcohol, but for some reason, my friends and I were the only ones who did. We stayed after class, drank some wine, and chatted with Chef Mingkwan, who was very sweet. Definitely would take another class there...I think he's teaching a dim sum class in a couple of weeks...hmm... Classes fill up FAST so I would definitely register early! read more

Last night, a couple of friends and I took a knife skills class at Sur la Table on Maiden Lane. I know what you're thinking: "Damn fool, this aint Sur la Table! This is Kitchen on Fire!" Well, shaddapayouface, because I'm reviewing the instructor, who happens to be an owner of this place. I didn't mean for that to rhyme, but it sort of does, so I'm going with it. The whole thing was very humbling. I also totally bitched up my middle finger, while simultaneously remarking that I was not following instructions. I am awesome. The first thing I found out is that I have been holding knives incorrectly for the last nine thousand years. The second thing I found out is that I do not know how to sharpen, hone, care for, look at, or think about knives. I learned that "the claw" is your friend, and you never push food towards a knife. The class was excellent. I learned! I joked! I laughed! I bled profusely! The instructor, Mike C. (what the C stands for is anyone's guess) can best be described as a love child of Sonny Bono and a rubber chicken. It sounds terrifying, and it is. I also learned that a dude that knows how to handle a knife is probably one of the hottest things I have ever seen. I've crushed on painters, musicians, writers, actors, and even an amateur magician in my life, but nothing compares to a man (or woman) that knows how to wield a big sexy knife at super speed. He also stood behind me and held my hands (the full "Hungry Eyes" treatment) as I honed my mighty blade. I got the vapors! (Note to husband: Hi. I do not wish to boff the knife skills guy. Promise. Love, Your Wife) I've recently thought that I was pretty good in the kitchen, but the reality of the knife skills class was that I most likely know jack shit about what you're actually supposed to do in the kitchen. I'm good now, but maybe I could be great! I see lots of classes in my future. **A note about the Sur la Table staff: When I sliced open my finger, they were super nice about it, and brought me several band aids and a rubber glove. They also checked up on me several times. Mike C. was nice enough to pretend not to notice and publicly ridicule me. Gentleman! read more

I recently completed the 12 week basic series and I will tell you my Thursday evenings will never be the same. Let me put it to you this way: It is worth every penny! You get a whole buttload of recipes, you get a very entertaining Chef Olive (and staff) giving you little tips and tricks, you get hands on experience to boost your confidence in the kitchen, you get to eat your own creations and sample the offering of your fellow classmates, you get a cookbook, you get to meet and enjoy the company of your fellow classmates as you learn together. On the 12th week there is a Iron Chef competition where you are assigned mystery ingredients and you and your team have 90 minutes to demonstrate what you have learned. We had a blast! If you are at all interested in polishing up your cooking skills and gaining some very handy knowledge this series is an absolute no-brainer. Take it! It's worth the 12 week commitment. Trust me on this one. read more

To use our gift certificate, we were holding out for the paella class (which I think is offered only once or twice a year) taught by Kevin Hogan of The Spanish Table. The school has a big kitchen space, and the class itself has a touch of pandemonium (hmm, maybe that's why the class is actually called a paella party?), but somehow works well for making communal paella. You make the class what you want as it's informal. You can help in making the paella and/or the tapas (that we munch on while waiting for the 45 min paella to cook) or you can simply sit on your haunches and observe. There's sangria and Spanish wine to partake in as well. The highlight is eating the finished product - fresh, aromatic, and delicious homemade paella. http://www.yelp.com/biz/kitchen-on-fire-berkeley To be a good student and get the most out of class, take notes and ask questions! Or, you can be bad student and just slosh around and eat. Both are actually ok. read more

Kitchen on Fire - Finished paella! - Cooking Schools Near Me - Berkeley, California

My husband and I recently took a knife skills class at Kitchen on Fire so we could really hone our skills and learn some tricks of the trade. The class was a good balance of watching the instructor while he explained the techniques he was using and hands on with our own veggies. The instructor was engaging and funny and because the class size was relatively small (15 people) he was able to answer individual questions and provide one-on-one instruction. There were also about five kitchen assistants that roamed the classroom during the hands on time and provided input and help. We are knife nerds and decided to bring our own knives from home to class so we could get feedback from the instructor. We were the only people to do this and it proved to be a good thing to do because the instructor had his professional knife sharpener with him and we were able to sharpen all of our knives and learn how it's done first hand. The setting of the cooking school was relaxed and inviting, the class size is perfect and the three-hour session was the right amount of time to learn classroom style and get a chance to put the things we learned to task. The kitchen assistants were busily baking homemade pizzas and keeping us well fed while the instructor taught and we took home all of the items we chopped, sliced, diced and practiced on, which we in turn made a wonderful veggie soup out of at home. All for $65 which seemed like a great deal to me. I'm looking forward to the meat butchering class so I can learn how to break down a whole chicken in two minutes. Ok, maybe two minutes is a lofty goal. read more

The price is right, the instruction is entertaining, the food is great, and the take home recipes are 100% reproducible. Even when you do things wrong they make you feel like you're doing a great job, they are very good at complimenting you on your efforts. They also give you a great amount of tips and tricks. This is the second time we've been to Kitchen on Fire for a company outing and it was just as good as the first. Looking forward to attending more of their various classes. read more

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My husband and I received gift certificates here so we decided to see what they had to offer. We chose to go with Burmese cooking- something we know nothing about. We actually don't know a lot about cooking in general, but were assured there would be no problem. Let me just list out my pros and cons: PRO: -BYOB! It was nice to imbibe -take home recipes so you don't have to memorize it -Chef/ staff very thorough -Delicious food -We were encouraged to check other stations out but ours was so behind we had to call in for help CONS: -I thought we'd learn to cook everything. I realize now there was no time to learn everything and so we got put on the dumpling station with a bossy lady -Burmese food has too many ingredients for our casual kitchen, so I don't see us making these dishes in the future -The first hour was him telling you about the ingredients/ how to chop. While I realize this might have been necessary, I was getting antsy in my seat- let's cook already -pricey (not something in my regular allowance budget) -several dishes were served undercooked- that's what happens when you're at the mercy of amateurs Will we be back? Probably? read more

If you are looking for culinary education or experience but don't have the time to commit to doing a whole year or two of culinary school, look no further than Kitchen on Fire. Oh, so far my boyfriend and I have only taken a smattering of classes in working with dough, bread making, pie making, and pizza making. For $153 you get three or more recipes and hands on kneading/shaping experience. It was oh so fun, the only downside is b'c the class is only a day long ( think 3.5 hours,) it feels artificially rushed and you can't actually see the whole process from start to finish. The next step would be to read up on it or ask the Chef of the day in charge how you'll finish a loaf of bread correctly. I liked the original location above Chez Panisse a little better, but only because it was a larger kitchen and closer to my house. The administrative side may need some organizational help, but what company doesn't need help? I will take one more set of classes and then pass my baton on to you. read more

Fun fun fun! Chef Olive is SOoo French! I apologized to him for being greedy for eating three of the incredible cookies we made instead of one and he pointed out that the pistachio nuts sprinkled on top are healthy so it's okay TICKLING me everytime I went to grab for more! Not in a serious hanky panky in the kitchen way , just mucking around! Why is it good to do this: a) You're messing up someone's kitchen, instead of your own b) You can learn better kitchen habits and tips and tricks (cooking ones) c) Stop making the same old, same old that you do at home. d) It's more fun than going out to dinner and very social e) Vegetarian food is delicious f) Cooking for the people you love in your life is the nicest thing you can do. read more

I almost don't want to write this review because I want to keep this place all to myself and not have it become more crowded than it already is, but these guys are so full of fun, joy and love that I am forced to give them a stellar review and recommend it highly!! The class I took was "How to impress your date with your cooking", it was so much fun and the recipes were so easy with minimal ingredients even a complete duffer like me can muster up the requisite skills! Both Mike and Frenchie were great! I am DEFINITELY signing up for their "cooking for beginners" series soon. read more

We decided to have a holiday company party at kitchen On Fire. We were a small group of 12 food loving people who thought that this would be a good way to celebrate our year and build harmony in our staff. What our evening turned out to be was a great party! Mike C and Olive began the evening with very informative and entertaining lessons about the preparation of each dish we were to prepare. We then teamed up and sliced, sauteed, stirred, whipped,sampled and laughed our way to a wonderful meal. In process, several of our group, who are known for their quick wit, traded barbs and jabs with our hosts only to be met with equal wit and kind humor. What was really surprising was the amount of technique, method and the science of cooking that Olive and Mike C gave us throughout the preparation. From those of us who were new to slicing vegetables to those of us who have worked in professional kitchens, we all took away new technique and a finer understanding of the chemistry of cooking. As we left several of our group were saying that it was the best holiday party we have ever had. I recommend it to any business that is looking for a fun team building experience. read more

I took the 12 week course at the West Berkeley location but decided to write my review here. Its the same team, so it makes sense to do so. The course was fantastic! There were people of all different experience levels and goals in my group and we all got better and had a lot of fun in the process. The textbook was a great guide too (I skimmed it after each class, and I'm sure I'll reread it many times). I'm definitely going to come back to KoF and I recommend you give it a shot too. read more

Just had the most incredible Valentine's Night class and dinner. Not only was the meal exquisite, but I learned so much about cooking, technique, and tips than I ever have watching HGTV. Chef Gabby and Beth were overcome incredible instructors....informative, helpful, and FUN! read more

Kitchen on Fire - Cooking Schools Near Me - Berkeley, California

Never took a cooking class? Have seen it in the movies and would like to try? Kitchen on Fire is the place to go! I received an Italian cooking class with Chef Mike and Chef Olive as a gift, and it was so much fun! I was the only person who came alone for the class (felt like a pre- and post-wedding convention), but I never felt left out. We prepared 5 or 6 menu items, and I got to take part in cooking each. The instructors' sense of humor definitely makes everything very entertaining. Basically you just move around the stations if you'd like, or keep rolling those delicious tomato cheese gnocchi for the whole 3-something hours if you'd like. I attempted cooking everything at home later on, and it worked, including the incredible Chocolate Boudini (the best and lightest chocolate dessert I've ever had)! Now that's real magic. Thank you Mike and Olive. Tip: they allow you to BYOB. read more

The banana flambe was really fun to make - I definitely want to try this at home...impress some dinner guests, perhaps? It's way less scary than I thought it would be, and I never would have tried it on my own without having done it in a class-setting first. All of the food was great, and we learned how to cook mussels too (and to know how to buy them and know if they are ok to eat), which is another thing I'd been wanting to learn. The endive situation was extremely easy, but it looked pretty and tasted wonderful. Smoked chicken, you are my new friend. I will buy you all the time from now on. Yum. I highly recommend these guys. The class was really fun, and it's a great deal for the money - you not only get a class, but also a delicious, gourmet meal made from fresh and mostly local ingredients. In our case, it was a 5-course meal with seafood and lamb! Such a deal! Did I mention it was a lot of fun? My one complaint is that they spent more time than (I thought) was necessary explaining everything at the beginning, and I wished we could have had more time to do hands-on cooking instead. Maybe smaller classes would help? It was kind of difficult to move around to try cooking at each of the the different stations, even though you were allowed/supposed to. That said, I would definitely go back here again! read more

I've been here for both a team building event and for cooking lessons. Great as a team building event for a group of ~20-25 people. Cooking classes: I've taken the Knife skills class, a Thai cooking class, and the Sauce class. Here is what I got from each: 1. Knife class - I've been holding the knife wrong for a long time, I'm much better at slicing and dicing now. It is nothing "magical", but I'm definitely better from the instruction. I say this is worthwhile. It seems like this would be easy to pick up from watching web-youtube videos, but it isn't. Being at the class worked, videos didn't. 2. Thai cooking class- I did get comfortable with the ingredients used with Thai cooking. I really wanted to spend time learning how to make Curry, but so did everyone else. The team split up what they worked on (much like a team building thing) and I never got the chance to do the curry like I wanted to. We were suppose to rotate among stations, but my group never rotated due to having to wait for meat to marinade, so I only got to do stir fry which is beyond easy. So I ended up slicing meat and veggies, took a turn at the wok (something I've been using for decades) --- So I was a bit disappointed I didn't get to do more. But now that I am comfortable with the ingredients I'm sure I can find what I need in an Asian market and succeed in making everything we made that night. The food, by the way, was fantastic. 3. The Sauce class--- I had this class tonight -- 11 of 10 stars- - FANTASTIC. This was the exact opposite from the Thai class as far as hands on time goes. The beginning of the class Olive goes over sauce after sauce, describes how to do things, how to correct flavors, etc. The rest of the time (2.5+ hours) is spent doing what ever you feel like. They are there to help. I made a garlic and parsley aioli (I made my own mayo!), a roux which turned into a basic bechamel, which I then turned into a dijon cheese sauce (nothing like experimenting.) After that I did a port reduction sauce then finished the night doing a Madere sauce that was fantastic. They provided a ton of bread, chicken, potatoes, and pasta to have with all your sauces. People were making all sorts of sauces, the sky was the limit there. Now that I had some classes and am familiar with the classes, I belatedly wish I would have signed up for the basic series I spent some talking to Mike and I think I should have done so. Now isn't the time for me, but I may go back for that. Mike said they can work with the numbers as I already took two of the classes in the series (coolio.) Currently I'm looking at taking one or two more on the side classes though. I highly recommend this for a beginner or "experienced" home cook. These are the first cooking classes I've ever taken so I have nothing to compare them to. However, I think it is a fantastic value for the price. I was going to give KoF a 4 star based on my second class, but the first and third carried it through. For the inexpensive 65 bucks for a 3 hours of class that also feeds you, you really can't go wrong. Mike and Olive are also fun and energetic instructors who really make you feel at home in their kitchen/school. (oh, and you don't have to do dishes!) read more

My girlfriend and I did the "Salads: Fulfilling Summer Meals" class just this past weekend. It's worth noting that there are tons of classes available and certainly something up just about anyone's alley - we just tried to select a class with some recipes and cooking skills that we would consistently use. Anyways, the class was highly enjoyable. Chef Olive is very knowledgeable and made the class fun and informal. The apprentices and entire kitchen staff were very nice and extremely helpful as well. Kitchen on Fire also has a "bring your own beverages" policy which was cool, so you can bring a little vino or beers to enjoy while you're cooking. The salads class was pretty neat and exposed me to some new techniques in cooking and salads. In a nutshell: a very fun, educational, and delicious experience and I highly recommend trying it. read more

What an awesome experience! Chef olive is a true professional and an incredible teacher. His wholistic approach to food, ingredients, and preperation teaches students how to capture the natural flavor of ingredients while explaining the benifits of each ingredient to the body. I would have easily paid the price of the couples cooking course for the meal we prepared at an upscale resturant, but having prepaired it ourselves was priceless. Thank you Chef Olive! read more

Kitchen on Fire - Chef Olive explaining how to deep fry fritters. - Cooking Schools Near Me - Berkeley, California

I have attended three classes at Kitchen on Fire and think it is one of the best all around ideas for an evening of fun, food and learning in the Bay Area. The setting is charming and each time there has been an interesting mix of people of all ages and backgrounds. You eat what you cook so think of it as going out for dinner but it being a "hands on" experience. My most recent class was Pizza. Wow, did I learn a lot tricks. Thank you Kitchen on Fire! This would be fun by yourself, as a couple, on a date or with several couples. It is a fun social setting as well as a quality learning experience. read more

I brought my wife here for the Israeli Street Food class and we loved it. Mat was a great chef and we will definitely come back. The kitchen is in a great location in gourmet ghetto so get ready to spend a memorable night! read more

Kitchen on Fire - Cooking Schools Near Me - Berkeley, California

I've been meaning to write this review for a while. I took the Knife Skills class back in September. This class totally opened up a whole new world to me. I had no clue how to handle a knife or any sharp object in the kitchen. And who knew there were so many creative ways to cut a carrot?! I walked out of there feeling like a knife snob. Chef Mike C. is a great intructor and his enthusiasm is infectious. Their facilities are lovely and Chef Mike allows students to try out a variety of knives. Class is very relaxed, instructional and fun! Can't wait to take another class there! read more