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).

I highly recommend taking a sourdough class at Saffron Studio! Athena is incredibly knowledgeable…read moreand a wonderful teacher for all experience levels. I walked into the artistic scoring class with zero experience and left with an adorable (and delicious) Miffy bunny loaf! I also love that you get to take home something you've created at the end of class. Their weekly preorder loaves are fantastic as well, so many imaginative and delicious flavor combinations. Always a treat!

Had an amazing experience at the sourdough inclusion workshop with Athena. It was personalized with…read moreingredients to our own preference and we got to learn helpful tips and techniques. Had a lot of fun. Thanks Athena!

Had the most amazing time! The food was delicious (not to mention the redstripe) and the incredibly…read morecharming instructor didn't hurt either ;) We took the "Jamaican me hungry" class, which I absolutely recommend to all! And since its so affordable, I can look forward to my next! :D

I'll give a more in depth review later, but this guy is really, REALLY awesome. Smart, helpful, and…read moremakes some EPIC food. Totally kicked ass.

Loved the different varieties of pretzels! Also the variety of mustards, chocolate and cheese!…read moreThe beer was delicious! The garden is full and beautiful! Can't wait to go again

The beer making class was a lot of fun for our multiage friend group. Beer drinking and non beer…read moredrinking participants in their 20s-70s were engaged with fascinating information about Bavaria, beer, gardens and even gnomes-lol! Thank you Pedro and Hans for taking us to Bavaria while never leaving Alameda.

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).

Kalimah is so awesome to work with. I actually hired her for my boss and I've yet to try her food,…read morebut my boss is always talking about how tasty her meals are and enjoys sharing with friends. What I love about Kalimah is that she is super professional and understanding. She is very clear about how she works and overall is super pleasant to work with.

I am a vegetarian and it has been very difficult to find a good chef that can accommodate my…read morespecial needs and actually taste good. Chef Kalimah is absolutely awesome! She is able to cook various different types of cuisine and everything and I do mean EVERYTHING is delicious!! I highly recommend her... Dr. Kimberly Smith

Five stars all the way to the amazing Chef Sara!…read more I have decided to treat my wife (who loves Indian/Pakistani food) to a cooking class, and I can honestly say that I can't think of anything that would have brought her more joy than these three wonderful hours with Sara. She was super friendly, hospitable and funny, and she even surprised us both by baking a birthday cake!. I must confess, I've never liked Indian food, but after tasting the chicken tikka masala with naan that we made, I changed my mind! My wife said that this was by far the best meal she's had in her life!!! Thank you Sara for making this the best birthday gift ever! Gabriel.

My sister had the brilliant idea of arranging a cooking class for my birthday. After a few internet…read moresearches of East Bay Area options, we settled on learning the art of Indian cuisine with Chef Sara. We couldn't be happier with our experience! Due to the winter holidays, when I booked the class, there was no group schedule posted online. After a quick email exchange, I was able to pick a date that was convenient for us. This worked out great for us because we ended up having a private lesson (we were unsure if our date was advertised and were pleasantly surprised when we learned it would be just us). When we arrived, Chef Sara gave us some warm Masala Chai tea (which was delicious). She picked out 3 main dishes for us: Chicken Korahi (Pakistani dish, a tad spicy due to our request); Cauliflower Curry; and Chana Dal (lentils). To top it off, we had chopati (similar to naan) and fried Pakora Dal dumplings (common to eat when it rains). Chef Sara was very pleasant, informative, and flexible to our interests. At the beginning, she asked if we preferred to watch her cook or help along the way. We chose the latter, although she did most of the leg work. The result was amazing - we were hungry by the end, but not starving because she gave us some tastes along the way. We learned some great tidbits, which was a treat for me since I love to cook, but haven't ventured into the world of spices and techniques that Indian cooking offers. The only downside for us was having to travel to the Hercules location (we were hoping for Berkeley or Oakland), but it was worth the trip. All in all, cooking with Chef Sara had a very homey feel (partially because we are in her home, but also because of her down to earth style). Highly recommend signing up for a class! We hope to return with our significant others, perhaps for a special occasion.

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.

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!

My children love the School of Rock! No matter their mood coming into their lessons / rehearsals,…read morethey always leave beaming, inspired, and excited for their next visit! The staff are friendly, helpful, kind, and on top of everything; the teachers are intelligent and fun and are great at accommodating the needs of all the students no matter their age or level! The concerts the kids put on at the end of each season are fantastic! I'm so thankful for this place, and I can't recommend it high enough!

From the owner: School of Rock Alameda is the leader in performance-based music education. We provide in-person…read moremusic lessons and group rehearsals (bands) for students ages 6+ through adults. Our bands rehearsal weekly to put on seasonal live performances at local venues. Reach out to schedule a free lesson!