easy
3 hours
No special fitness required, just comfort in the kitchen
Discover the flavors of the Mediterranean with Chef Olive in Berkeley. This hands-on class combines fun, learning, and authentic recipes — perfect for any food lover.
Berkeley • Fri, Aug 15
Join Chef Olive for a delightful three-hour Mediterranean cooking class in Berkeley, where you'll learn to create mouthwatering dishes like Grilled Eggplant and Turkish Pide. Experience the joy of cooking with friends, filled with laughter and stories, while mastering techniques that make entertaining effortless and enjoyable.
3 hours
Berkeley Kitchen - 1509 Shattuck Ave. Berkeley, CA 94709.
Let our resident Mediterranean Master, Chef Olive, teach you how to entertain with ease! Join him for all the tips, tricks, and techniques as you make a delicious meal, exploring the cuisines of the Mediterranean region where entertaining friends and families with food and drink is a daily celebration! These times are filled with laughter, stories, dancing, and always tasty treats. Recreating these meals for your own guests doesn't have to be a labor of love, it can be simpler than you've ever imagined.
*Veg option available **GF option available
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.
• Masks are optional • COVID protocols are subject to change to reflect local and state mandates.
• 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.
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.
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.
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 of 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.
Having your own tools can make the experience smoother and more comfortable.
Getting there 10-15 minutes early ensures you’re ready to start on time.
You'll be moving around the kitchen preparing dishes hands-on.
Engage with Chef Olive and ask questions to get the most out of the class.
Berkeley has a long-standing reputation as a hub for innovative and diverse cuisine since the 1960s.
Kitchen on Fire emphasizes minimizing waste and using locally sourced ingredients whenever possible.
Protect your clothes while cooking and add to the fun.
A good quality knife helps you handle ingredients precisely.
Jot down recipes or tips for later use.
Bring home leftovers and ingredients.