We just got home from the Rome class with Chef Mat in Oakland. Everything was well organized and he made 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. read more

Such a fun experience. We took two classes in January, one for Ramen and the other French Bread making. 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. read more

Kitchen on Fire - French bread making - OH LA LA - Caterers Near Me - Oakland, California

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I had to keep a few dietary restrictions in mind for some of our attendees and Terry, my main point of contact, was so helpful and accommodating during the entire process from start to finish. I was provided a large menu with food items to choose from that followed our summer picnic theme, and everything we ended up going with earned the praise of everyone in attendance. read more

Knowledgeable instructor Mat, super-hero support staff, Nick who found my wedding ring that dropped out of my pocket. A fun evening all round! I'll 100% be back for other fun learning experiences. read more

It's fun! You will get great pieces of advice and will get more confidence in your cooking skills. I will be back for more !

Definitely 6 stars to the KOF team. We celebrated a birthday here, amazing experience. Chef Kevin with Chef Philip are so great, we cooked, drank and laughed. The results were just so delicious. read more

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A friend of mine told me about Kitchen on Fire for cooking classes and I still have plans to book them in the future for that, but this is a review for their catering services. I was put in charge of planning a mid-sized company gathering and reached out to several local caterers in the early planning stages. We ultimately picked Kitchen on Fire because of their prompt, friendly, and informative communication, reasonable pricing, and consistently good reviews. The serving trays, dishware, and utensils were also compostable or reusable which aligns with my company's values of environmental sustainability and helped immensely with cleanup at the end of the event. I had to keep a few dietary restrictions in mind for some of our attendees and Terry, my main point of contact, was so helpful and accommodating during the entire process from start to finish. I was provided a large menu with food items to choose from that followed our summer picnic theme, and everything we ended up going with earned the praise of everyone in attendance. There was a bit more salad than we ended up eating the day of, but we gladly took that and other things home. I'm surprised there aren't more catering reviews for Kitchen on Fire but I cannot recommend enough calling them for your future events. read more

Phenomenal in every way. I surprised my wife with a class in Italian cooking on Mother's Day, and words fail to approach what a spectacular time we had. In three hours we learned priceless fundamentals about cooking and made some of the tastiest food you can imagine. Chef Olive is a true gem, his support staff are excellent, and we'll certainly be back for more. read more

This place is way too cool. 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. read more

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I've taken two classes at Kitchen on Fire over the years, both with Chef Mat, and they were both super fun and informative. Definitely take the Knife Skills class if you're always worried about cutting your fingers! read more

The cooking basics course is an absolute MUST for anyone learning to cook!!! I have always been incredibly nervous around cooking (re: could barely follow a recipe) and have spent my life living off of sandwiches and cereal... so I decided that it was time to finally learn. I live in a different state so when I found the virtual option for the basics series I was a bit apprehensive but enrolling was the BEST DECISION! Chef Olive is great at breaking down each dish to our level while still empowering us to be able to move away from recipes and create things we love. Every week turned out delicious and I now feel so much more confident in my abilities (I've actually started cooking for fun)! I cannot recommend this course enough!!! read more

Kitchen on Fire - I loved being able to finally get comfortable using my own kitchen - Caterers Near Me - Oakland, California

Hands down my favorite cooking class. the chefs were professional (and fun!), the food was fresh and organic, and I left the class having a solid baseline, a confidence to use various knives, and a playbook for a 4-course meal. Best Bay Area 'value-for-money' activity I've done, and good for a solo experience, a date night, or family activity (I went with my brother and my mom!) read more

My husband surprised me with a cooking class for my birthday. I was excited when I found out it was French Baking Basics with chef Michael Kalanty. I've been teaching myself how to bake over the last couple years, but struggle with making doughs. The class size was small and intimate. Only five students total. We had plenty of space to spread out at our respective workstations. Chef Michael was friendly and engaging keeping the class moving along at a speed that allowed people to keep up, but wasn't boring. We learned how to make a tart dough, lemon curd filling and frangipane filling. Each process was hands on. Chef Michael demonstrated and then we each made it ourselves. It was especially helpful working through each process with Chef Michael's guidance. He would point out if our dough was too cold, too shiny, etc. and make suggestions on how to correct it. I learned a lot about finessing ingredients like adding a little bit of water to eggs to make them mix better. I also learned how to roll dough, which has been a big challenge for me trying to learn from blogs and YouTube videos. I'm happy to report that all of our tarts turned out beautifully and taste delicious and I have a lot more confidence to try my hand at pie crusts this holiday season. read more

Kitchen on Fire - Final product: lemon curd tart with strawberries and raspberries - Caterers Near Me - Oakland, California

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Product: The food "we" cooked was actually really good and really fresh! Service: We came as a group for work bonding. I think that Kitchen on Fire overestimated how many people they could handle, that and we had a lot of people who wanted to do it, so in combination with each other meant there were literally too many cooks in the kitchen. Most of us just stood around, learned nothing, and then ate the food afterwards. It was fun, I suppose, but definitely not the experience most of us were wanting. The very little that I did do didn't turn out that great and the chefs were not very helpful. Area: Small building but cozy and a nice kitchen. Honestly I would give this place three stars overall, but I feel like it wasn't entirely their fault that they wanted to accommodate all of us, but they should definitely be more prepared next time. read more

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I attended the Puerto Rican Cuisine class on Ocotober 8th with Chef Ansarys and loved it! Chef Ansarys is wonderful, she has really good energy and the ability to explain all the 'how to' so that it's all easy to understand and fun to do! She makes sure that everyone in the group is engaged and understanding the process and she takes time to explain the details, such as the importance of holding your knife and your hands correctly so that your able to safely and quickly chop veggies, explains the different types of seasonings, veggies and meats used in Puerto Rican cuisine and has you take part in the different cooking methods used in preparing the meal. I learned so much!!! And in the end we all enjoyed a fabulous 5 course Puerto Rican meal. Definately a 5 star class and I look forward to taking more classes with her! read more

I took my SO here for his birthday, and we had a fantastic time! Chef Mat led the fresh pasta making class, where we learned how to make fresh pasta and actually got to make our pasta dough, learn to use the pasta rollers, and shape the different kinds of pasta. We made tortellini, ravioli, linguine, pappardelle, and bow tie pasta, although he certainly showed us how to make more! We then got to cook the pasta we made, and added it to the sauces that were mostly cooked -- we just finished them but did get to take their recipes home with us! We had plenty of amazing and delicious food. Chef Mat specifically was great. He had a very fun personality and some great jokes. He made sure we understood some kitchen safety rules regarding knives and cleanliness, and was attentive to all of the students, of which there were about 10 so there was plenty of one-on-one instruction! I would certainly return here for another birthday/Valentine's/anniversary etc. gift. The price was decent for an excellent, fun meal, and this was a great twist on a date night. I will suggest that you wear the most comfortable closed toe shoes you have, as standing for that amount of time can be a little tiring! read more

Kitchen on Fire - Our handmade pasta before we cooked it! - Caterers Near Me - Oakland, California

I would highly recommend Kitchen on Fire for a team building event! It was definitely an engaging and fun experience for our staff to be able to cook together and eat our creations. Chef Gaby and Lev really knew their stuff and brought humor to their lesson. They were very informative, attentive and uplifting to us all. I now have a lamb recipe under my belt and found some kitchen gadgets that I need to own in my own kitchen. I would in a heartbeat do this again. Parking is also available, which is a plus! read more

Yummmazing!!!! We took the pasta making class. The instructors were professional and fun. Clear directions, very straight forward. We started off with some small bites, (that they already made) then the instructors kicked it off with some ground rules and kitchen etiquette. Right after that we dove into pasta making. The class was amazing, you get to eat whatever you cook, sadly you cannot take any of the food home after cooking it. Also, remember that it's a group class, I felt that some people weren't mindful of that. Ie: sharing utensils, cooking time, asking personal preference questions. But in all I loved it, would love to do it again and for sure recommend it. read more

My sister in law and I took the Night in Southern Italy class with Chef Lev and it was amazing! The class was well organized and timed nicely. A word to the wise: choose a food station you'd like to cook at early on, or you'll get left at the salad table or something. Unless that's your jam. read more

I love Kitchen on Fire. My husband and I have taken many classes in person with both Chef Olive and Chef Mat and they are both great teachers. This used to be our favorite date night together! We love classes with Chef Olive especially - he is hilarious and very knowledgeable. With the changes due to covid, we initially ordered food from them to be picked up and the food was excellent with great reheat instructions. We have also taken two virtual cooking classes with Chef Olive - the first was just us and the second was with two other couples. Both were excellent with clear instructions, great visuals (he has a really good camera set up) and the food came out delicious even though we weren't in class in person. We are excited to take more virtual and in-person classes in the future! read more

I've taken a lot of cooking classes at a lot of different places, and this was one of the best. We took Hot & Spicy Southern Cooking with Chef Mat and it was great. This is not a technique or knife skills class. Instead, it's a laid back party in the kitchen where you get to learn some SPICY recipes. He threw in just enough tips and tricks to make it educational but enough jokes to make it lighthearted and fun. BYOB and come with a good attitude. You can rotate through whatever you're interested in working on rather than being stuck working through every step of every recipe. Chef Mat prepped a lot of the stuff in advance so the meal came together super fast. read more

Our Finance Team had a great Holiday/Team building event here this week. The Chefs are outstanding, patient, and have great sense of humor. Everyone raved about how fun it was learning how to cook our meals, and the food itself was stupendous!! Bulgogi Sliders #1 FAV! I highly recommend for any event, I would go back in a heartbeat. read more

The cooking class that I took with Chef Gaby was great (French cuisine). You are encouraged to bring a bottle of wine but EVERYTHING else is provided. Chef Gaby sets the tone immediately that everyone is going to work together and the atmosphere is lively and fun. The chef gives tips and advice while encouraging you and at the same time teasing you with a faux cliched mean Frenchman shtick. He is French and funny but he's clearly enjoying himself and you can not help but get swept up in it. More important though he knows how to convey the art of cooking a great meal (do not over cook the meat, here's a better way to hold a knife, tear lettuce don't cut it...). Along with the rest of the class you easily prepare some really amazing dishes that are complex but not too fussy. And then guess what... you get to eat an amazing meal at the end. All of the dishes are cleaned by Chef Gaby's helper who curiously was able to negotiate the entire evening without ever saying a word. Tres bien. read more

My review is based on the Oakland location. We were there for the Sausage lesson. First, I felt really hungry till towards the end of the class considering we didn't have lunch. They only served cheese, crackers, and water. We didn't get to eat till 1pm of the first sausage Chef Lev made. Secondly, I think having one Chef and one assistant is not enough to teach 14 people. There were no preparations (cutting) techniques given to us. My husband and I were constantly looking and waiting for the Chefs for questions. The assistant didn't have any knowledge at all preparing the Tomato sausage we were making. He was guessing most of the time. They have a new grinder machine that the Chefs spent long times troubleshooting. Towards the end I heard that they didn't test it prior the class. We're just disappointed and will not be coming back to this location. My friend went to Berkeley and she said there were 4 staff during the class she attended. Were over fed the entire time. And learned a lot especially on techniques. read more

We had a 50 th Birthday party. The chefs rock. Our group worked with Chef John who took his time to explain. Learnt how to cut basil chiffon style holding the blade of the knife. Thank you guys for all you do for the community. read more

I am so happy for the new location, which is closer to me than the Berkeley location. I recently finished the nutrition mini series with Lisa Miller and had a great time. I learned how to add protein into every meal to achieve a well balanced diet. I definitely plan on taking a cooking course in the near future. read more

We spent an enjoyable evening with Chef Gaby assisted by Chef Matt making French soul food (Louisiana). The chefs were knowledgeable and entertaining, the food was delicious, and the kitchen is well-appointed. Highly recommend. Come hungry! read more

The "cooking lesson" was a total let down. You do not get to cook each of the courses. They provide stations and you prepare appetizers, main, dessert etc... BUT if you don't get to the station quick enough you end standing around. We chopped few veggies and got to fry French fries for $250. My girlfriend and I brought a $50 bottle of wine since they only provide food so it ended up being $300 date night. I could have taken her to a Michelin star restaurant for that price and the food would have been superb. I would never go back to this establishment. Here's the kicker, they sent me an email asking me to write a review and they will give you $1 for our next visit. This is not a joke a 'dollar' towards your next visit. Are you kidding me???? Come on! Skip this place, not worth the money. read more

We had a corporate event here and it was fabulous. Great chefs to work with and food was just so yummy!!

Had the best work event of my life here. Chefs olive and mat are amazing. Highly recommend!