I was looking for a work team building event and chose a Pans On Fire cooking class. The team absolutely loved the event. We made ravioli, Cesar salad and tiramisu. The food was great but most importantly, the cooking and learning was the highlight. Bruce and Laura (owners) were fun, attentive, and professional. I highly recommend Pans On Fire for a group event/outing. read more

I took the Shrimp and Grits class. Food turned out fantastic. I took some of the Pimento Cheese home for a friend who was raised in South Carolina and he said it was as he remembered it (they spread it on white bread with the crusts cut off. A Southern delicacy)! Looking forward to attending another class next year. read more

We've been to two classes now and thoroughly enjoyed both. Bruce and Laura are great hosts and the recipes have been fun to make and better to eat. read more

Had the opportunity to take an amazing cooking class at Pans on Fire teaching us how to make Asian cuisine appetizers. It was my first time taking a cooking class. I consider myself to be a pretty decent cook but I learned so many awesome new tricks that I can't wait to try at home. Even something a simple as holding a knife correctly was taught to the class (PS I've been holding my knife all wrong!!). Can I just say it was such a fun time! Chef Linda was witty and funny and made the class extremely enjoyable and approachable for people of all cooking levels and abilities. She is a chef so she runs a tight kitchen at times to keep the food cooking and keep everyone safe. The end result was a delicious meal prepared by all of us that we get to eat and enjoy. How awesome is that!? Well when it's six in the evening right around dinner time, it's literally the best thing ever. The other best thing about this place is the store! It's like a toy store for anyone who enjoys cooking. I could have spent my whole paycheck in there. I also think it's really awesome that they try to support local, women owned businesses and products as much as possible, with over 350 products made in the US. I will definitely be back here again! read more

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Equipment was top notch; instructor's good at getting directions across; safety instructions at the start; amazing class finished cooking right on time. The Tapas were excellent! read more

Another amazing experience...not only was the menu great and recipe easy to follow, but the class was so much fun and I learned useful new techniques and knife skills. I highly recommend this fun experience... there's something for everyone regardless of your cooking level. read more

My sons birthday was a few months ago and so I made reservations for the two of us for a Cooking in Rome cooking class. About a week before the class, I had to cancel due to a sudden hospitalization. First I was told by Linda I should've read the fine print where it says they do not reimburse for your cooking class and that you only have 30 days to rebook. So I dutifully looked for another class for over a month in order to take another class. After a back and forth with Linda I finally found another class which she agreed my prior class would cover. My son and I showed up for that class and she greeted us rather rudely saying she had called me and told me that the class was canceled. She had not called me. She had not emailed me either. Bad attitude, bad business. Adult classes at the school are far and few between. I am ending up eating that money. I think everybody should read the fine print before they sign up with this cooking school. read more

A cute kitchen supply store located near Heritage Bank on Main Street in Pleasanton. For those used to Williams-Sonoma, a lot of the brands here will be unfamiliar. But the great thing about this place is that they really know their products. Don't trust their word? Take one of their great cooking classes stocked with exactly what's in their store, and as you use their knives, measuring cups, pans, etc, there's nothing like first-hand use for you to find out that these work and work well. I really like their Norpro silicone liquid measuring cups that don't burn the hands after coming out the microwave, the USA metal baking pans that have a silicone non-stick coating that turn are excellent at turning bread to croutons, and push-pull measuring things that Alton Brown uses (they really do work well for syrupy things). During my vacation break, I looked everywhere around the Bay Area for cooking classes that were hands-on, seemed approachable, and had great themes. I took two of their classes here and loved them both. The "Cooking with Wine" was great because usually recipes just say "sherry" or "dry white wine" which can be confusing. Our instructor, Linda, was really great at letting us try two different types of the wine before using it in each recipe and explaining the pros and cons of each. Like sweet vs. dry sherry, etc. With her food anthropology history there were great tips and explanations on why onions make us cry and characteristics of certain plant families, why we don't use the leaves of the leeks, etc. The "Julie and Julia" class was watching the movie and re-creating some of Julia Child's recipes in the meantime. Don't worry guys, there are a significant number of men that sign up here too. Age range goes all over from young to old so don't be intimidated. The class usually includes instruction on the steps and demonstration of each step that each group is to do, and then we fan out and do them. So unfortunately due to the number of dishes, everyone gets divided up to do certain parts of one particular dish. The important part is that everyone is usually in pairs, so you can have your partner take over for a bit while you wander around and stick your nose in everyone else's business. Linda is really good at jumping around between group and group and giving everyone some "me" time. At the end of it, we all get to eat and enjoy. Everyone I talked to was really happy with how the class turned out and would definitely come again. Me too. Note: Please make sure to come on time to the class. Also, if there are not enough people in the class they may end up cancelling it. To get an idea on the likelihood of your class making it to the actual date, class size is usually 12-14 people and the website shows how many seats are still available. read more

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Pans on Fire hosted our "team building" event, and even though we just came out of a full day of meetings, POF kept us energized and entertained. Linda described herself as a "Food Anthropologist", so me being a foodie I had to ask her the three critical knowledge revealing food related questions: 1. What is the history if Spam, and what is the EXACT location of the Spam Museum? 2. What is the best way to differentiate Alaea Hawaiian salt and regular table salt? 3. What is the key premise of the 2008 food history book "The Fortune Cookie Chronicles" by Jennifer 8 Lee? To my amazement Linda answered all three fluently and with accuracy! And that was just the start of our evening. Linda and Dana guided us through proper knife holding techniques, plating tips, and even a best practices of "How to smuggle in the best Hungarian Paprika". Great Fun, lots of education, and of course fabulous food. Sam I Am read more

Pros: - very nice selection of some unique and cool culinary tools. - nice basic knifework class. Cons: - staff can be clueless about time - yeah, I've seen them take a very long time to check out a simple order. It's ok to chit-chat, but work on the orders too. - they need to update their website, and everywhere else (Google+, etc.) with current store hours. All sites say they close at 7:00pm, but they seem to close at 6:00 (as I found out when I tried to come by, and confirmed with staff). - update their voicemail to include their hours (none currently). - Linda as teacher - she can come across as abrasive. read more

I highly recommend that you bring your family or group of friends here for a group cooking and eating experience. Linda and Sara did a fantastic job with our family Christmas dinner for nine last evening. We enjoyed our participation, which included prep, and cooking, along with cooking education and pointers. read more

The name of this place is so cute! We were walking around downtown Pleasanton when we stumbled upon this place. They offer cooking classes! We ended up signing up for a class. The instructor was informative and it's a hands on class so come prepared to get your hands dirty! I liked the pace of the class. You cook and then you enjoy your food after. They also provide wine with dinner so it's a night out plus learning some cooking skills! It's a great place to take a date for something different besides dinner and movies! read more

My mom and I wanted to spend some quality time together, so I did a little research and suggested that we take a cooking class at Pans on Fire. We settled on the Brunch Favorites class which cost $50 per person. Thankfully my mom was paying otherwise I probably would have been discouraged by the price. The class consisted of a teacher, an assistant and six students besides me and my mom. As a group we made a frittata, strata, fruit salad, brown sugar bacon and two different cinnamon rolls. We were also taught some knife skills which I found to be helpful. At the end of the class we all sat down to an amazing meal and a mimosa. The food was so delicious and thankfully we were given the recipes. I guess my only wish was that I could have taken some food home for my husband, but he will taste it soon enough at our Easter brunch! read more

Took the Alfredo and Tiramisu class. It was so much fun!

Had a wonderful time cooking Fettuccine Alfredo. I learned so so much and will be coming to more classes. I took the food home for my husband. He loved it! We are going back for another class together. read more

Sarah made our twins amazing cakes for their birthday --Elsa and Jack Skellington. Pans on Fire is always great to work with and get great tips and information. Sarah and Linda are the bomb! read more

Pans on Fire - Cooking Classes Near Me - Pleasanton, California

I love takeing classes here and they have very nice cookware aswell they offer all kinds of food that you can take classes for. could not recomend more read more

It was SO much fun! Even with a big group it went totally smoothly, the instruction was excellent and the food was delicious. This is a GREAT teambuilding or birthday or fun activity with friends. read more

We had a WONDERFUL experience here! They made the experience so much fun and even had kid-safe tools so kids could participate alongside the adults. read more

I was at Pans on Fire for a work event and couldn't have had a better time! From the time we stepped into the door, we felt welcomed and everything was well organized and presented. We had a group of 10 co-workers participating team building class on how to make ravioli with 2 sauces, an appetizer and a dessert. The staff all stressed safety and were very friendly and knowledgeable. Some of us were not comfortable cooking but all were encouraged to learn and participate. A great time was had by all and I would recommend POF to anyone for a great daytime or evening event. Bruce, Laura and team all went above and beyond for us!! read more

I enjoyed a team-building event last week! The staff was very knowledgeable & provided helpful tips on cooking methods/techniques. The staff members are very friendly & fun to work with! They provided clear & simple instructions. All the recipes were delicious and are able to tweak to your preference! The place is very clean & organized. This was a very fun experience & definitely would go back again for a re-match! Thanks for the fun learning experience & I will practice making ravioli at home. read more

The store is nice... Lots of cool gadgets and everyone seems nice. Finally got around to taking a cooking class I purchased last year. The class I wanted got cancelled once and the second time I signed up it got cancelled again... Anyways last night did the Indian class. Overall it was good... I do agree with the other people Linda is abrasive. We are just trying to learn and we don't have the skills she has... I had fun and enjoyed it and would do it again... Just don't take her personality to personally.. read more

My family and I attended a $75 dinner cooking class, hosted by the owner, Linda Wyner, but unfortunately we don't plan to return to this establishment. The Good: The energy of the fun patrons made the class delightful, the food turned out superbly, and the staff assistants were friendly. The innovative products, helpful tips, and coupon on products (given with the class) were a plus. The Bad: Linda W.'s abrasive personality ruined the overall experience for us. From start to finish, she spoke to the students in a condescending uncouth way. The recipes Linda gave us had errors in them, and two sets of the difficult dishes were too similar to each other, which robbed our taste buds of savoring a variety of both flavor and texture. Our class went well over the time scheduled, ending late for a workday. The Ugly: My family and I have medical issues and concerns, so we can't ever finish a plate of food. We boxed up our extra eats (as we always do in restaurants) from the second course, and Linda abusively snarled to the entire room that we were taking food home and it was not allowed. The owner is distasteful, disheartening and discourteous. Sadly, Linda is one of the main cooking class instructors, and the fact that she is also the owner, we will no longer patronize this store. I wish them luck and improvement. "It's not what you say. It's how you say it." read more

What? Why do I have to live so far away from cool places? Cool places that have cooking gadgets galore and then offer really cool cooking classes if you want to learn about them. There is a full demo kitchen in the back! Their next class was all about Sauce. Yes Sauce. Sauce is like taking a class on whats in the deep black depths of space. Its unimaginable. There is so many things you can do with Sauce. I was looking for a dumpling steamer but they didn't have the size I wanted. I was also looking for a pestle and mortar. But the one they had was made of bamboo. I want a stone one. My mom however found a very interesting use for a plastic squirt bottle. The kind that looks like a generic ketchup bottle but clear. Well she needed a new one for her hair dye. Yes my mom found hair dyeing supplies at a cooking store. Also, the cupcake papers they carry are so cute. The cutest collection I have ever seen. They have some Christmas ones left over that are 40% off right now. I have to many cupcake papers left over from Halloween so I abstained from buying a new stock of papers. But I know where to come to stock up and make all my cupcake eaters squeal with happiness because of how cute the paper is. Maybe one day I could come back and take a class with my mom. read more

I signed up for a class for my girlfriend and I to attend (especially after reading the reviews here on Yelp). The class was $150 for the two of us and lasted over 3 hours. It was the Curries 101 class. First, the good ... the recipes demonstrated and prepared were tasty and well selected, for the most part. I believe there were only 1-2 dishes that the group of people didn't feel were up to the same standards for the rest of the recipes. The staff were very friendly, warm, and helpful (when you could get their attention). Otherwise, the class was too large for the limited prep area. There was a single gas cook-top for the class to share. It seemed we were always on top of one another and frantic to make sure all the prep and cooking was moving forward. There was nothing relaxing about the class (it was actually stressful to make sure you weren't falling behind other groups in the class). I believe part of the issue was that there were so many dishes to prepare in such a relatively quick amount of time. There were literally zero breaks in order to make all the recipes happen in the 3 hour time frame. It would have been better to reduce the quantity of dishes slightly to facilitate more people actually cooking rather than assigned purely prep work ... The real kicker and reason I will not be returning for any more classes is how the class was organized. If you didn't speak up or let your thoughts be known, you'd be assigned grunt work chopping garlic, grating ginger, dicing onions ... it was disheartening doing almost 3 hours of pure prep work with no actual cooking taking place. It was about as far from fun as possible. I did manage to cook one item that involved a main protein / ingredient, but because the instructors forced us to use a mortar and pestle (instead of a food processor), our dish finished late and not that many people were interested in eating it as it was one of over a half dozen dishes being served. They could have easily just have given us the food processor from the start to make it more enjoyable in preparing the dish. The idea was to show us how much labor it takes doing it the traditional way ... Regardless, most of the time was spent on prepping ingredients for multiple dishes. There didn't appear to be a well defined system how the duties were assigned among the students. Also, when they say beer or wine will be served with the class ... we were served two beers over a 3 hour period ... including the meal itself. Extremely skimpy in my mind. In the end, we just bulldozed our way through recipes to make sure the group had a meal at the end of the evening. I would have loved to say I learned something or enjoyed it, but I honestly say I walked away not knowing more than I already did by watching Food Network or reading a chapter from a good culinary book. I wish I would just stayed home, cooked Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc roasted chicken on a bed of root vegetables instead of grating a mound of ginger. read more

My friends and I took a class close to thanksgiving at Pans on Fire. The class itself was Thanksgiving themed. My experience with the class was almost exactly the same as many of the other reviewers on this site. While reading through them, I noticed that the oldest class review was from 2011. This means the teaching practice has not changed for four years! The premise of the class was pairing wines with Thanksgiving food. The actual class was cooking an entire Thanksgiving meal (turkey + about ten side dishes) with two bottles of wine for the entire table of 12 people at the end. The class went over an hour later than advertised on a Sunday evening. Seems like this time issue is not uncommon. The recipes were all thoughtfully written out and quite delicious. They ranged in difficulty but all contributed towards a great Thanksgiving meal. The facilities were well maintained, and well stocked. That's the end of the positive. Linda was our instructor for the class and was extremely abrasive from the get go. There was absolutely no room for any of us to supply any helpful input or suggestions. I don't pretend to be a restaurant-trained chef. I cook for myself and my family. I roll with what works. Techniques sometimes get overlooked, ingredients get added out of order, and things don't always turn out shiny and perfect. I think anyone who puts a meal on the table at the end of the day, has done their job. It seemed like many of the people in our class had the same opinion. During the class, no one did anything right the entire time. Knife skills, onion cutting, egg cracking, WALKING (seriously), oven-opening, dish washing, fruit washing, the list goes on. I was lectured on every contribution to the meal. I was told that if I walked behind someone, I needed to shout, "Behind!" rather than politely say excuse me. Sure that makes sense in a restaurant, but at my home? I was reminded of this at least three times. By half way through, I was totally defeated and ready to go home. In fact, I tried to stand to the side and remain as quiet as possible as to not be seen and given another task to fail at. Linda's feedback was abrupt, abrasive and negative. There was nothing enjoyable about her teaching or the preparation process. She was visibly flustered and agitated, and she did not try to hide it from us. Many of us did what we could to volunteer and take on tasks, but that only seemed to add to the problem. After the class, I left a review through their site. As you can imagine, I was negative about the experience. I received a response from Linda where she listed the reasons the class wen't poorly: overbooked, not enough instructors, not enough prep time, etc. Excuses to the customer. Then she offered me a $25 credit towards another class over the next month. I still have to pay $50+ to attend a class? No thanks. Will not be returning here for classes. read more

This happened a while ago: I signed my son up for a cooking class and then the little fritatta refused to go. Literally. I could not get his body out of the house and into the car. I called Linda (Pans on Fire owner) who told me I had caught her before she bought the ingredients for the class. Great. I apologized for the last minute cancellation and asked for a credit for another class. I had taken classes at Pans on Fire with Linda (btw, bechamel is pronounced 'beshamel' not 'bekamel') before and planned to again. Linda refused to give me a credit, even a partial credit. That's not unfair, but it is dumb. It's a dumb business decision, because I never took another class or bought another item from the store. read more

I'm a foodie from the word "Go!" So when I learned that there was a cooking store in Pleasanton that also taught individuals how to make a fantastic lunch in an hour's time...I was so there! And boy, did I have a great time! In fact, the food was so good, Linda W. (the owner), such a rock star, that I brought my board of directors out for a friendly cooking competition and a little lesson on leadership. Now that was a hoot! Not only did the board have a great time, but the boys and girls fought over who would take what leftovers home! In fact, I'm going back one more time for a knife skills class to better improve my skills (since I'm the one who cooks at home, rather than my wife). Once again, I expect Linda will "wow me," surprise me, and make me want to come back to Pans on Fire again! I'm so glad this place is around. And, just got back from the knife class...Grrr! Dana was fabulous. My next move is to get my men's cooking group to do a private grilling class with Dana (who has won prizes for his grilling technique). Bottom line: I'm stoked this place is around! read more

I truly appreciate the customer service and selection of products at this local little gem. Chef Sarah is always so accommodating and personable every time I come in. She ensures that I am educated about the products and always offer additional tid-bits of advice that are relevant to the items that I am purchasing. I DON'T get this type of service at Bed, Bath n Beyond or Macy's when shopping for kitchen items. I've gone in 4 separate times now, and every single time the staff has been VERY helpful and thoughtful. I also took a cooking class with Chef Sarah. It was more of an "observation class" as the instructor did everything and we sat and watched. For $20 I was very impressed. I assumed it was a hands-on class- so my expectations were different- nevertheless Chef Sarah did NOT disappoint. I walked away with some skills and tricks that I now always use in the kitchen. Class ran about 30 minutes over- but to me it demonstrated that Pans on Fire is all about giving knowledge and sharing. They weren't on a time clock. This is rare these days! That being said, if you plan to take a class there... just give yourself more time. Ain't nothin' wrong with getting more information than you pay for! I think they have a true givers mentality and philosophy at this store. It's part of what makes them so great in my book. read more

First time at Pans on Fire. When I first saw the store when they were on Main Street Pleasanton it seemed like they only sold kitchen utensils and tools but in fact they are much more than that. Now at this new location, though small, it's wonderful that they're here to teach everyone from all ages how to make a meal! I came here with my team (from work) for our celebration/team building event. It was great to learn, eat, drink, and talk to everyone on the team outside of the office (away from work). We cooked an Italian meal consist of Caesar salad (vegetarian one w/o anchovies and non-vegetarian), meatballs stuffed with mozzarella, marinara sauce, vodka sauce, spinach-goat cheese ravioli, fresh pasta (linguine & for the ravioli), and bruschetta for our appetizers. There was a lot on the menu, too many people in the kitchen, but lots of fun. I'd wish I had more time to enjoy the food as most of the time was spent cooking, therefore, a lot of drinks (beer&wine) were left unopened. I would definitely come back to Pans on Fire whether it's to learn to cook other cuisines or a small party of friends. read more

I love gadgets. I love food. Therefore, I love kitchen gadgets! When I stumbled upon this place, I couldn't believe what a little gem I had found. Pans on Fire is a gourmet cookware retail store that also offers cooking classes. Located at the tail end of Main St. (or, at the beginning, depending on your directionality), this store feels like your personal Williams Sonoma. The brand names aren't quite the same, but you're apt to find a gadget for almost any kitchen / food situation. The staff is knowledgeable and friendly. They talk to you in an informative manner versus hovering and expecting you to buy something. As mentioned, they offer cooking classes for all ages - for the young'uns and grown-ups alike - teaching technique and various cooking styles. What I find endearing are the themed-cooking classes. For instance, "MAD MEN - A 60'S DINNER", "GIRLS NIGHT OUT: SUMMER APPETIZER PARTY", "CHICK FLICK & DINNER: LEAP YEAR" and "GUYS NIGHT OUT: FINE FOOD/FINE BEER". I don't think the latter are gender-specific, per se; some men like chick flicks and lots of women like a good beer, so I'd imagine they'd be accommodating. I don't come here as often as I'd like. But I enjoy the fact that I a visit here is always an adventure. read more

I took a demo class from Linda and thoroughly enjoyed it. Maybe those of you who are complaining about her are a tad overly sensitive? I didn't find her to be abrasive or condescending at all. She has this thing called a 'personality' and I would rather have someone with a little edge to them than a bland ass-kisser. I'm hardly a professional cook, but I know enough to know when someone knows what they're talking about in the kitchen and her tips were on point. I picked up some good tips and came away with a couple of good recipes, all for only $15. The store itself is cute and has lots of useful products, worth browsing even if you aren't going to take a class. read more

Wanted a device to create noodle like shavings for my zucchinis as an alternative to pasta. They led me to two different clever tools to do this specific task. It was better than I expected and I can't wait to start using it. Fun kitchen shop for cooking tools. read more

This is a fantastic store and very comfortable for private events. To my surprise, my wife surprised me for a birthday gift. A cooking class for my family. Linda, the owner, hosted the event, an Italian dinner. We learned skills and the food was exceptional. While we prepared all the ingredients and recipes ourselves, the meal was fantastic. Skills we learned, from knife skills to how to cut an onion and garlic without crying. I think we will make this an annual event. The food studio is a great size for an extended family of 20. A huge 7 burner gas grill, and 4 additional induction cook tops. I would definitely recommend this food studio for private classes or corporate events. They also offer public courses ranging from Thai food, to Italian, to vegetarian meals. We will definitely go back. Located in downtown Pleasanton, and the is ample parking behind the store. Try it, you'll Love it. read more

I just completed my second class at Pans on Fire, both were taught by Chef Linda. To say I have little cooking experience might be an exaggeration, so I was intimidated to come to my first class (which was School of Fishes). Linda and the staff put me right at ease. The class is very hands on and I walked out with enough technique to begin cooking meals regularly at home. The second class I signed up for was the Chinese New Year feast and again, I came away with a multitude of skills, tips and encouragement. The recipes are easy to follow and I've successfully duplicated them at home. 1. Linda is very knowledgeable and offers all kinds of facts - whether its the history of a technique, the ingredients or how we relate to food. 2. I have found that the menus seem to be specifically designed for flexibility. I'm learning to prepare food that I can easily adjust to meet my family's tastes or that I can expand to other ingredients. Both classes also included at least 5 different types of preparation. As a new cook, this is so powerful! 3. All of the food we've prepared in class is delicious. Things I never knew I liked, well, I'm looking at differently. 4. She includes a lot of vegetables in her recipes and see point number 3.! 5. Make a mistake, she'll let you know and then (which is SO important for someone like me), she'll show you how to fix it. 6. They have a lot of new tools available in their store and they demonstrate them in the class without making you feel that you have to buy them. I would definitely recommend Pans on Fire (and have!) and am looking forward to my next class! read more

My daughter had a blast at their summer cooking camp. Wonderful staff! read more

Pans on Fire - Cooking camp - July 10, 2009 - Cooking Classes Near Me - Pleasanton, California

Pans on Fire has the coolest and newest kitchen gadgets as well as the basics. I usually end up buying at least one thing that I didn't know I needed. The best thing I bought was a wide splatter cover that lets steam escape so you can brown meat. The ladies who work there are also super helpful and informative. read more

Took a Tapas class with Carmen on October 2, 2021. It was a very good, small class size (6 people) for the facility. Anything much more would have been cramped. Carmen kept us very busy, and 2+ hours flew by. The meal selection and preparation was tasty. We had a very nice time and really enjoyed our classmates and Carmen. It is a bit pricey (compared to Sur La Table) but I still recommend taking a class. read more

Wow what a truly amazing store. Every kitchen gadget you could possibly want is there. The staff greeted me with s friendly smile and helped put me at ease with the upcoming Thanksgiving Meal I'll be hosting. The staff tries to stock items made in the USA as much as possible and also carries spices and soaps made here in CA. I spoke at length about their cooking classes. I'm thrilled that have cooking classes for children as well. What a great place read more

Great store full of the usual kitchen stuff but also really interesting items as well. A great place to find a gift with lots of holiday stuff in stock right now. They also have a knife sharpening service. During normal times, their cooking classes are excellent. Their knife skills class is so helpful! Covid safety measures are in place. Great service. read more