Kitchen On Fire, Berkeley
Kitchen On Fire is a privately held, founder-owned Berkeley/Oakland cooking school founded in 2005, offering hands-on public cooking classes, a 12-week fundamentals series, virtual classes, teen camps, and corporate team-building events to Bay Area consumers and corporate clients.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersBerkeley, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Kitchen On Fire, Berkeley does
Kitchen On Fire is a privately held, founder-owned cooking school operating from Berkeley and Oakland, California. Founded in 2005 by Chef Olivier Said (a Bay Area culinary personality with multi-generational French restaurateur heritage and prior stints at La Toque and Cesar Tapas Bar) and co-owned with nutrition consultant Lisa Michelle Miller, the company delivers hands-on cooking instruction to individual consumers, corporate groups, and teens through both in-person classes at its two purpose-built commercial kitchens and a virtual class format launched in 2020.
The core product set spans single-session public cooking classes, a structured 12-week Basics of Cooking Series covering foundational techniques, virtual cooking classes, teen cooking camps, in-person and virtual corporate team-building events, corporate wellness and nutrition programs, gift cards, and a prepared-foods pickup offering (Healthful Chef Menus). Pricing is granular and per-experience, ranging from approximately $165 for a 40-minute nutrition consultation to $556.50 for a 4-guest private virtual cooking experience, with gift cards that never expire. The underlying technology stack is a WordPress website with FareHarbor as the embedded booking and payment platform, supplemented by Google Analytics, Mixpanel, and Pendo for customer analytics; there is no proprietary software, mobile app, or AI component.
The business model is a fragmented, transaction-driven DTC cooking school with a secondary B2B corporate events stream and a small subscription-like nutrition offering. Distribution is direct (own website + FareHarbor) plus organic social, content marketing, email newsletter, and earned media. The company has never raised institutional funding, has 1-10 employees, claims 100,000+ lifetime students over 20+ years, and operates exclusively from the SF Bay Area despite virtual offerings.
Kitchen On Fire, Berkeley firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Kitchen On Fire, Berkeley
- Legal name
- Kitchen on Fire
- Website
- https://kitchenonfire.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Kitchen On Fire is a privately held, founder-owned Berkeley/Oakland cooking school founded in 2005, offering hands-on public cooking classes, a 12-week fundamentals series, virtual classes, teen camps, and corporate team-building events to Bay Area consumers and corporate clients.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Kitchen On Fire, Berkeley is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Berkeley
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Kitchen On Fire, Berkeley business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Cooking Classes: Revenue from public cooking classes including single sessions and the 12-week Basics of Cooking Series program
- Corporate & Private Events: Team building cooking events, virtual corporate events, and corporate wellness programs for businesses
- Gift Cards: Gift certificates sold online that never expire and can be used toward any class, event or tool
- Nutrition Services: Personalized nutrition consultations and virtual nutrition series courses
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Virtual Private Cooking Experience |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Personalized Nutrition Consultations |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Summertime Weeknight Meals Class |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Virtual Nutrition Series |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Kitchen On Fire, Berkeley product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Kitchen on Fire is a recreational cooking school operating in-person classes at its Berkeley and Oakland kitchens and virtual classes online. Its core services include public single-session cooking classes, a structured 12-Week Basics of Cooking Series, teen cooking camps, nutrition classes and consultations, and corporate/private team-building events. Classes emphasize whole-foods cooking, technique-driven instruction from professional chef instructors, and use of seasonally sourced ingredients from local Bay Area suppliers.
Product overview
Kitchen on Fire operates as a cooking school and culinary education center offering a diversified portfolio of in-person and virtual cooking classes, corporate team building events, and nutrition programs. The core offerings include public cooking classes across various cuisines, a structured 12-Week Basics of Cooking Series for skill development, Teen Cooking Camps for youth education, and Virtual Cooking Classes for remote participation. The company also provides Corporate Services including In-Person Team-Building Events, Virtual Corporate Events, and Corporate Wellness & Nutrition programs. Supporting offerings include Healthful Chef Menus (meal prep), Gift Cards, Personalized Nutrition Consultations, and Virtual Private Cooking Experiences. The business operates kitchens in Berkeley (1509 Shattuck Avenue) and Oakland (6506 San Pablo Avenue), with booking handled through FareHarbor.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Public Cooking Classes In-person cooking classes held at the Berkeley kitchen location, covering various culinary techniques and cuisines for general public participants ranging from beginners to advanced home cooks.
- Virtual Cooking Classes Online cooking classes delivered remotely, allowing participants to learn culinary skills from home with live chef instructor guidance.
- 12-Week Basics of Cooking Series A 12-week comprehensive program teaching foundational cooking techniques including knife skills, sautéing, soups, stocks, frying, braising, sauces, roasting, grilling, bread making, and pasta preparation, aimed at amateurs through advanced home cooks.
- Teen Cooking Camps Seasonal cooking camps designed for teenage participants to learn culinary skills in a fun, hands-on environment during school breaks.
- Nutrition Classes Classes focused on nutrition education and healthy eating practices, taught by certified nutrition consultants including Lisa Miller, NC, covering topics such as the four-week Virtual Nutrition Series ($283.55).
- In-Person Team-Building & Group Events Corporate team building cooking events held at Berkeley or Oakland kitchen locations, featuring collaborative cooking activities and competitions for company groups.
- Virtual Corporate Events Remote team building cooking events for corporate groups, enabling virtual collaboration and team bonding activities.
- Corporate Wellness & Nutrition Corporate wellness programs incorporating nutrition education and healthy cooking into employee wellness initiatives.
- Virtual Private Cooking Experience Private virtual cooking experiences with Kitchen on Fire chefs, hosting up to 4 guests for a 1.5-hour interactive dinner party format, priced at $556.50.
- Personalized Nutrition Consultations One-on-one nutrition consulting sessions with Lisa Miller, NC, offered via Zoom or phone, priced at $165.85 for a 40-minute session, providing personalized nutrition guidance.
- Healthful Chef Menus (Meal Prep) Chef-designed meal preparation menus and prepared foods available for pickup at the Oakland location, focusing on healthy, whole-food-based meals.
- Gift Cards Digital and physical gift certificates available in variable dollar amounts, usable toward any class, event, or store purchase; gift cards never expire.
Quantifiable outcome
- 100,000+ students taught since 2005
Companies that use Kitchen On Fire, Berkeley
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Kitchen On Fire, Berkeley technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Kitchen On Fire, Berkeley partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Berkeley Bowl MarketplaceminorLocal produce supplier providing fresh, quality ingredients for cooking classes
- Monterey MarketminorLocal Berkeley produce market supplier for seasonal, fresh ingredients
- Magnani's MeatminorLocal meat supplier providing sustainably sourced proteins for classes
- Monterey Fish MarketminorSustainably sourced seafood supplier for cooking classes
- FareHarborcoreBooking and reservation management platform integrated into website for class scheduling, gift card sales, and payment processing
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Kitchen On Fire, Berkeley competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Cozymeal: Online marketplace for cooking classes, food tours, and virtual culinary experiences with instructors in multiple cities. Comparable to Kitchen on Fire's virtual class and corporate team-building offerings through a marketplace model.
- Classpop!: Online marketplace for in-person and virtual cooking classes, mixology, and team-building events. Direct overlap with Kitchen on Fire's corporate team-building motion and public class scheduling.
- MasterClass: Subscription streaming platform with celebrity-chef cooking lessons. Comparable on virtual culinary instruction and curriculum breadth; competes for the same at-home learner budget, but with pre-produced rather than live interactive classes.
Direct peers
- Sur La Table: National cooking class and kitchenware retailer with in-store cooking schools across major US markets. Directly comparable to Kitchen on Fire's hands-on public cooking classes and curriculum-driven model, with broader physical footprint.
- The Chopping Block: Chicago-based recreational cooking school offering hands-on public classes, team-building events, and a 12-week foundational curriculum. Closest analog to Kitchen on Fire's regional culinary-school model.
Broad incumbents
- Culinary Institute of America (CIA): Premier professional culinary school with public-facing recreational classes, demonstrations, and continuing education. Comparable on culinary training authority and brand prestige, though primarily a degree-granting institution.
- Coursesaver Cooking Classes (Whole Foods): Whole Foods Market runs in-store recreational cooking demonstrations and classes. Comparable as a low-overhead alternative for casual learners; broader grocery reach but less curriculum depth.
- Institute of Culinary Education (ICE): Large, accredited culinary school in NYC and LA offering recreational, professional, and continuing education cooking classes. Comparable on curriculum depth and recreational cooking-class format, but at significantly larger scale.
- Milk Street Cooking School: Christopher Kimball's media-and-class brand offering online and in-person cooking classes in Boston. Comparable curriculum-led model and virtual-class extension; broader media footprint than Kitchen on Fire.
- Airbnb Online Experiences: Marketplace for bookable online cooking classes hosted by independent chefs globally. Competes directly with Kitchen on Fire's virtual class offering on price, distribution, and instructor breadth.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Kitchen On Fire, Berkeley social profiles
Digital presenceKitchen On Fire, Berkeley financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Kitchen On Fire, Berkeley leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
Kitchen On Fire, Berkeley funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Kitchen On Fire, Berkeley M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Kitchen On Fire, Berkeley
What does Kitchen On Fire, Berkeley do?
Kitchen on Fire is a recreational cooking school operating in-person classes at its Berkeley and Oakland kitchens and virtual classes online. Its core services include public single-session cooking classes, a structured 12-Week Basics of Cooking Series, teen cooking camps, nutrition classes and consultations, and corporate/private team-building events. Classes emphasize whole-foods cooking, technique-driven instruction from professional chef instructors, and use of seasonally sourced ingredients from local Bay Area suppliers.
Is Kitchen On Fire, Berkeley a public or private company?
Kitchen On Fire, Berkeley is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Kitchen On Fire, Berkeley founded?
Kitchen On Fire, Berkeley was founded in 2005. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Kitchen On Fire, Berkeley based?
Kitchen On Fire, Berkeley is headquartered in Berkeley, United States, in the North America region.
How does Kitchen On Fire, Berkeley make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Cooking Classes are the primary driver. The others are corporate & Private Events, gift Cards and nutrition Services.
Who are Kitchen On Fire, Berkeley's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Cozymeal, Classpop! and MasterClass. Direct peers are Sur La Table and The Chopping Block. Broad incumbents are Culinary Institute of America (CIA), Coursesaver Cooking Classes (Whole Foods), Institute of Culinary Education (ICE), Milk Street Cooking School and Airbnb Online Experiences.
Does Kitchen On Fire, Berkeley have an API?
No public API is recorded for Kitchen On Fire, Berkeley.