How long is the class?

The class runs three hours with a lecture, team cooking and a communal meal at the end.

Can I take food home?

No—zoning restrictions prevent participants from taking prepared food home; you may eat as much as you like in class.

Participants 21+ may bring their own beer or wine for personal consumption; staff cannot open or serve beverages.

Are children allowed?

Age minimums are not specified; check with booking if you plan to bring minors as classes involve hot oil and sharp tools.

Close-toed shoes are mandatory and long hair must be tied back; aprons are provided.

What if I have allergies?

Indicate allergies on registration and contact classes@kitchenonfire.com to verify ingredient details before attending.

Hands-On Vietnamese Cooking in Berkeley with Chef Mat | Cooking Class | Workshop

On a busy evening in Berkeley, step into a classroom that smells of charred scallion oil, coconut milk and toasted sesame—Berkeley Kitchen - 1509 Shattuck Ave. Berkeley, CA 94709 is where Chef Mat Wertlieb leads a hands-on Vietnamese cooking class that stretches three hours and ends with a communal feast. The menu is a concise, confident tour of Vietnamese flavors: Banh Mi Nuong Tom (shrimp toast), Ca Tim Nuong Mo Hanh (charred eggplant with scallion oil), Bo Luc Lac (shaking beef over watercress), Com Chien Toi (garlic rice with egg), and Che Thai (Vietnamese fruit cocktail with coconut milk and jelly).

This is not a passive demo. Each session starts with a short lecture from Chef Mat, then the group breaks into small teams to prep, cook and plate. Expect hands-on technique work—searing and deglazing for the shaking beef, care with hot oil for the shrimp toast, and the delicate char that makes scallion oil sing on eggplant. The class is both culinary skills clinic and cultural primer: Mat draws on a career that includes the Culinary Institute of America, an externship at One Market Restaurant, and years teaching with Kitchen on Fire to frame Vietnamese dishes in the Bay Area context.

Practical details matter: classes run three hours, close-toed shoes and tied-back hair are mandatory, and students are welcome to bring a favorite knife though tools and aprons are supplied. Note the zoning rule—while you eat as much as you like in class, food may not be taken home. Adults 21+ may bring their own beer or wine for personal consumption; the staff cannot open or serve alcohol.

What makes this class a standout in Berkeley’s food scene is its combination of rigor and conviviality: precise technique taught in a lively communal kitchen. It’s a great stop for travelers who want a tactile, social way to learn about Vietnamese flavors while visiting the Bay Area. The class pairs neatly with a walk through the nearby gourmet neighborhoods, a visit to local spice shops or a trip to the farmers’ market to see the produce that inspires the recipes.

For cooks who want to sharpen skills and expand their repertoire, this is a practical, joyful entry into Vietnamese home cooking—rooted in tradition but taught with modern Bay Area finesse. Whether you want tighter knife work, better control of a hot pan, or simply a delicious meal you helped create, Chef Mat’s class at Berkeley Kitchen delivers clear techniques, lively instruction, and an evening that tastes like travel.

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.