Olive Said, Kitchen on Fire
Saturday, April 13, 2024, 12:00 pm - 12:45 pm
Stop by the Foodwise Classroom for a cooking demo featuring the seasonal bounty of the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market.
One of the East Bay’s popular culinary personalities, Olivier Said is the co-founder of the acclaimed Kitchen on Fire cooking school, located in the heart of Berkeley’s culinary district in North Berkeley. Prior to opening KoF in March 2006, Olivier Said spent eight years as an owner and bar manager for Berkeley’s popular Cesar Tapas Bar. He has also co-authored three books: Cesar: Recipes from a Tapas Bar, named one of the Top 10 Cookbooks of 2003 by Food & Wine magazine; The Bar: A Spirited Guide to Cocktail Alchemy; and the last, Kitchen on Fire: Mastering the Art of Cooking in 12 Weeks (or Less).
Born and raised in France, he is the descendant of at least five generations of restaurateurs dating back to the early 1750s in France. Said began his career at the age of 15 in his mother’s Paris restaurant. He moved to Los Angeles in the early 1980s and worked at Ken Frank’s La Toque, one of the first restaurants in the country to feature California nouvelle cuisine. In 1987, Said returned to Paris and opened his own restaurant, the very popular Texas Coyote, which included three sprawling bars and a night club.
All demos take place in the Foodwise Classroom (under the tents in front of the Ferry Building) and are free to the public, with recipes and samples for all.