Kitchen on Fire

Kitchen on Fire has taught cooking classes on Shattuck Avenue in Berkeley since 2005. The kitchen was built for hands-on cooking, and every class follows the same rhythm. Recipes arrive by email before class. You're greeted with an appetizer, the chef walks through the dishes, then you cook in teams and sit down to eat. Classes are capped at 12 to 16 people, and you can bring your own drink. Ingredients come from local shops like Berkeley Bowl, Monterey Market and Monterey Fish.

The calendar leans toward Italian and Asian cooking. Chef Mat teaches many of the evening classes, from Fresh Handmade Pasta and A Night in Florence to Fresh Ramen and Pho Workshop. Chef Alain teaches French cooking, Chef Kalanty runs pastry classes like brioche and cream puffs, and Chef Sara covers Indian, Burmese and Afghan food. Intro to Knife Skills runs several times a month.

If you want to build skills steadily, the 12-Week Basics of Cooking Series meets once a week and covers everything from knife skills to sauces. Teens 12 and up can join multi-day camps during school breaks. Live virtual classes run over Zoom.