Culinary Adventure: Argentinian Classics at Berkeley Kitchen

Duration

3 hours

Location

Berkeley Kitchen - 1509 Shattuck Ave. Berkeley, CA 94709.

Summary

Embark on a culinary journey through Argentina—a country where food is a celebration of family, tradition, and bold, rustic flavors. In this immersive cooking class, you’ll explore the heart of Argentine cuisine, shaped by European influences, indigenous traditions, and a deep love for grilling, fresh herbs, and seasonal produce.

Menu

• Beef Empanadas
• Churrasco Steak
• Chimichurri sauce
• Papas fritas (hand cut fries)
• Little gem salad, heirloom tomatoes, Persian cucumbers, purple ninja radish and avocado

Class Format:

Each class will begin with a lecture from the chef about the day’s theme and recipes. After this introduction, the group will break up into smaller teams, and start working on the recipes in the class menu. A snack will be served at the beginning of class, and you will be eating the dishes you make at the end of class. You are welcome to eat as much as you’d like in class, though unfortunately, our zoning permit does not allow us to have students take food home.

What to wear/bring to class:

• Close-toed shoes are mandatory. High heels, open-toed shoes, sandals, flip flops are NOT allowed in the kitchen. • Shoulder-length hair or longer needs to be worn back and away from your face; we have plenty of hair ties in the kitchen for you to use and keep. • Feel free to bring a favorite apron or a knife you want to practice with but know that we will supply aprons and all the tools you need for use during class.

Allergies:

Please take a look at the class menu. If you think you might be allergic to anything on the menu, please indicate it on your class registration and if you have a concern, get in touch and we can double check the ingredient list classes@kitchenonfire.com.

Wine and Beer:

We whole-heartedly invite class participants (who are 21 and older) to bring any wine or beer they would like to enjoy during class for personal consumption. Kitchen on Fire employees cannot open or serve beverages you bring into the kitchen. We cannot sell or distribute alcohol and we uphold ABC regulations. No minor can drink and we cannot have intoxicated students attending a class.  

Chef's Bio

Jimmy Jardin Chef James Jardine was raised in an Argentine-Salvadoran household. By age four, he was helping in the kitchen, preparing empanadas, handmade pastas, and other Argentine specialties with his mother, grandmother, and aunts. At age 17, Chef James’ career took off at Caffe Venezia on University Avenue in Berkeley, where he began his apprenticeship under the Executive Chef. He later studied at the Sorbonne University in Paris, after which he met Chef Olive, who hired him to run the kitchen at his restaurant, Texas Coyote, near the Louvre Museum. In 2002, he was appointed Executive Chef at the Hotel Rex, near Union Square. There, he opened Cafe Andrée, introducing “Franco-Latino Cuisine”—a fusion of his love for French cooking and the Latin American flavors of his childhood. After four years, he moved to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico as the opening Executive Chef at Casa Cupula, a luxury hotel. In 2011, James founded his own successful catering company, JJardine Catering & Events. In 2024, a visit to Kitchen on Fire cooking school rekindled an old partnership—Chef Olive, bringing his journey full circle.

Olive One of the East Bay’s popular culinary personalities, Chef Olive Said, is the founder of Kitchen on Fire cooking school, located in the heart of Berkeley’s culinary district in North Berkeley. Chef Olive has been part of the Berkeley culinary neighborhood for over 20 years, first as one of the original owners in Cesar Tapas Bar and then moving on to open the cooking school in 2005. The cooking school was a place to share his passions for good food, nutrition and community through teaching students of all ages and backgrounds in a warm and inviting environment.

Born and raised in France, Chef Olive is the descendant of at least five generations of restaurateurs dating back to the early 1750s in France. He began his career at the age of 15 in his mother’s Paris restaurant. He moved to Los Angeles in the early 1980s and worked at Ken Frank’s La Toque, one of the first restaurants in the country to feature California nouvelle cuisine. In 1987, he returned to Paris and opened his own restaurant, the very popular Texas Coyote. Soon after his return to the states, he rooted himself in the Berkeley culinary world.

Happy Cooking!