How long is the class?

The class runs three hours and includes a lecture, hands-on cooking in small teams, and time to eat your dishes.

Can I take food home?

No; zoning restrictions prevent participants from taking food off-site after class.

Adults 21+ may bring their own wine or beer for personal consumption, but staff cannot open or serve it due to ABC regulations.

Yes—aprons, utensils, and equipment are provided, though you’re welcome to bring a personal knife or apron.

Wear comfortable clothing and closed-toe shoes; tie back shoulder-length or longer hair (hair ties are available).

What if I have food allergies?

Indicate allergies on registration and email classes@kitchenonfire.com to have the ingredient list double-checked before class.

Hands-On Father's Day Brunch with Chef Ansarys at Berkeley Kitchen | Cooking Class | Workshop

On Father’s Day — Sunday, June 21 — Berkeley’s Kitchen on Fire invites families and home cooks to a hands-on brunch workshop led by pastry chef Ansarys Andino. The class meets at Berkeley Kitchen — 1509 Shattuck Ave. Berkeley, CA 94709 — and runs three hours, a focused session designed to teach frying, emulsifying, baking, and flavor layering while you build a full brunch menu.

This special Father’s Day menu includes Buttermilk Fried Chicken and Waffles with Homemade Breakfast Pancake Syrup, Cobb Salad with Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing, and Cornbread Muffins with Caramelized Peach Butter. The class format combines a short lecture from Chef Ansarys with small-team work at well-equipped stations; a snack opens the session and you’ll eat the dishes you prepare. Note that zoning restrictions prevent taking food home, and close-toed shoes and tied-back hair are required in the kitchen.

Ansarys Andino’s background traverses New York pastry kitchens and Bay Area ingredient-driven baking; her trajectory informs the class’s practical techniques and confident attention to seasonal produce. Expect concrete, repeatable skills: pan-frying crisp chicken to a golden crust, tempering batters and doughs for reliable muffins, and building emulsions like a stable blue cheese dressing. The pace is approachable for confident beginners and curious improvers wanting to upgrade weekend brunches at home.

Berkeley’s long-standing food culture — a neighborhood where farmers’ markets and independent food schools intersect — makes this a natural place for a cooking celebration. Kitchen on Fire’s downtown space is compact and professional, giving the class an intimate workshop feel: you’ll work side-by-side, trade tips, and leave with recipes and a clearer sense of timing and technique. Adults 21+ may bring their own wine or beer for personal consumption; staff cannot open or serve alcohol due to ABC regulations.

Practical details: plan for three hours, wear comfortable closed-toe shoes, and if you have a favorite knife or apron bring it along; the kitchen supplies equipment and hair ties. Allergies are taken seriously—register notes and an email address is provided for ingredient questions ([email protected]). Whether you’re honoring Dad or sharpening your brunch repertoire, this class offers a direct route to hands-on skills, convivial tables, and a few chef-level tricks that translate to the home kitchen.

Ansarys trained in pastry beginning in 2006 with an internship at Town, working under Pastry Chef Vandanda Nyk, then worked at The Water Club, Babycakes NYC, La Fonda del Sol and Crave Fishbar. When the pandemic closed kitchens she launched Sip n Ice, teaching baking and cake decorating with an emphasis on using tools people already own. Featured in TimeOut’s “New York Pastry Chefs are creating underground pop-ups,” Ansarys moved to the Bay Area and brings professional technique plus patient explanation that suits cooks who want reliable results without intimidation.

About Kitchen on Fire

Kitchen on Fire is a hands-on cooking school and event producer that offers a broad calendar of culinary workshops, multi-week series, camps, and virtual classes. The school presents technique-driven, chef-led experiences ranging from single-session workshops to 12-week fundamentals courses. Classes focus on regional cuisines, baking, pastry, vegetarian and seasonal cooking — examples include Italian pasta and breads, Indian and Burmese dishes, Middle Eastern street food, Mexican and Latin specialties, and classic bistro techniques.

Chef-led offerings feature named instructors and visiting chefs, with programs such as multi-week Basics of Cooking series, themed nights like A Night in Florence and A Night in Rome, specialized workshops including ricotta and doughnuts, and seasonal pie and baking classes. Kitchen on Fire also runs teen camps, school-break day camps, and virtual workshops to reach learners at different levels and schedules.

Instruction emphasizes hands-on practice, practical skills like knife work and recipe fundamentals, and communal dining of the dishes created during class. Many classes run three hours or longer; multi-week series provide progressive skill development. In addition to in-person workshops, the organization publishes virtual classes and instructional series led by its roster of chefs.

Kitchen on Fire’s program diversity — from single-session craft workshops to immersive multi-week courses and teen camps — reflects a commitment to accessible, skill-focused culinary education. The school’s transparent class descriptions, named instructors, and recurring series offer prospective students clear expectations and opportunities to build lasting cooking skills. Class sizes vary to prioritize engagement, hands-on practice, and personalized instructor feedback for students.