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Spend three hours at Berkeley Kitchen learning French techniques for a holiday meal with Chef Alain Bourgade. This hands-on class teaches velouté, clarified butter, poultry mousseline and trussing so you leave with skills—not just recipes.
Spend three hours at Berkeley Kitchen learning French techniques for a holiday meal with Chef Alain Bourgade. This hands-on class teaches velouté, clarified butter, poultry mousseline and trussing so you leave with skills—not just recipes.
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Operated by Kitchen on Fire · Berkeley, California
Berkeley Kitchen at 1509 Shattuck Ave in Berkeley hosts a focused, three-hour hands-on class that refines Thanksgiving into a lesson in French technique. In Thanksgiving, The French Way with Chef Alain, Chef Alain Bourgade walks participants through velouté and milk-foam finishes, clarified butter, and a poultry mousseline that keeps turkey breast tender while producing neat, restaurant-style slices. The location is straightforward—Berkeley Kitchen on Shattuck Avenue—so travelers can pair class time with a quick stroll through the neighborhood’s food shops. The menu balances comfort and precision: Butternut Squash Cappuccino with clarified-butter croutons; Roasted Turkey Breast stuffed with poultry mousseline, braised chestnuts, garlic-and-parsley green beans and a short poultry jus; Cranberry & Pear Clafoutis with lightly whipped vanilla cream.
The class structure is efficient and practical. A short lecture sets expectations, Chef demonstrations show book-style turkey-opening, stuffing, rolling and trussing with butcher’s twine, then students break into small teams to practice knife technique, mousse formation and jus-making. Stations rotate so every guest handles key steps; the emphasis is on transferability—mise en place, timing and how to scale recipes for a home table. Classes supply tools and aprons, and a snack precedes the communal meal when you eat what you’ve prepared. Local zoning prohibits taking prepared food home, so the real takeaway is skills and confidence.
What distinguishes this workshop is Chef Alain’s lineage and career. Born in the Cévennes to a multi-generation culinary family (restaurant history dating to 1720), he pairs farm-forward sensibility with high-level technique developed in Monaco, New York and as Executive Chef at the French Embassy in Washington, D.C. His approach in Berkeley blends respect for seasonality, full utilization of ingredients, and clear, repeatable technique—clarifying butter to concentrate flavor, coaxing pear and cranberry balance for the clafoutis, and precise temperature and timing control for poultry.
Practical details are straightforward: close-toed shoes are required, shoulder-length hair must be tied back, and guests may bring a preferred knife; 21+ participants may bring wine or beer for personal consumption but staff cannot open or serve beverages. For Bay Area visitors looking to lift their holiday cooking beyond recipes and into practiced technique, this class is a concentrated, chef-led way to turn Thanksgiving into a deliberately executed meal rather than a scramble.
Classes meet at Berkeley Kitchen — 1509 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley, CA 94709.
No — local zoning does not allow students to take prepared food home; you will dine on the dishes in class.
Yes — the kitchen supplies aprons and all necessary tools, though you may bring your own knife.
Yes, guests 21+ may bring wine or beer for personal consumption; staff cannot open or serve beverages.
Close-toed shoes are mandatory and long hair must be tied back; avoid open-toed footwear.
Indicate allergies on your registration and contact [email protected] to confirm ingredient details.
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.
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