Culinary Skills at Kitchen on Fire: 12-Week Series

Join us for our award-winning Basics of Cooking Series!

Location

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

Duration

• 12-week series, every week on the same day & time
• Date & time of each class depends on the session you choose.
• Each class is 3 hours in length
• Some class dates may be skipped due to National Holidays, please contact us with any questions ** Friday classes run from 11 am to 2 pm**

Summary

Whether you’re an amateur or beginner in the kitchen looking to progress beyond boiling water or an advanced home cook wanting to take your cooking to the next level, the 12 Week Basics Series is just right for you.

In this cooking program, we go beyond merely teaching you recipes to explore the cooking techniques that are the foundations for all recipes. Understanding what’s “under the hood” of a recipe (what makes it work) helps you pull it off to perfection every time. You’ll learn the basic science and proper cooking methods that will make all cooking a breeze, from quick weeknight family meals to entertaining for a crowd!

During the class, you will cook along with a chef, who will demonstrate and support you step by step, learning the basics of cooking over the course of 12 weeks.

SCHEDULE & TECHNIQUES:

• Week 1: Knife Skills & Mise en Place

• Week 2: Searing, Sauté & Stir-Fry

• Week 3: Stocks, Soups & Poaching

• Week 4: Frying & Confit

• Week 5: Stewing, Braising & Steaming

• Week 6: Art of Sauces & Condiments

• Week 7: Roasting, Baking & Broiling

• Week 8: Grilling Indoor & Out

• Week 9: Yeast Breads & Doughs

• Week 10: Quick Breads & Batters

• Week 11: Pasta, Starches, & Grains

• Week 12: Culinary Celebration Dinner

*All class dates are consecutive with some exceptions. To see the specific dates for a series you would find them in a class schedule grid on our dedicated 12-Week Basics page on our website

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.

Healthy and Safety:

• Masks are optional • COVID protocols are subject to change to reflect local and state mandates.

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

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.

Happy Cooking!