Chef Joe’s Culinary Salon

San Francisco, United States

4.6

21 reviews

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 415-626-4379
Website:
www.theculinarysalon.com
Address:
16 a-b Sanchez St, San Francisco, CA, 94114
Duboce Triangle
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
580 ftDuboce & Church
590 ftDuboce & Church Street
640 ftChurch & Doboce
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Today

Today –
Local time (San Francisco) 05:40 Friday, 29 November 2024

Business hours

Monday –
Tuesday –
Wednesday –
Thursday –
Friday –
Saturday –
Sunday –

Description

Specialties

Whether you a novice or an experienced foodie there is something for everyone at Chef Joe’s Culinary Salon.

Classes are warm, fun, and welcoming with Chef Joe. The classes are limited to 8 people per class (up to 12 for private groups) so you get lots of personal attention.

You can sign up for the whole series or on an individual class basis. You can also book a private class with a group of your friends and/​or colleagues and choose a date, time and menu that work’s best for you.

At the Culinary Salon you will learn some great tips, techniques and methods of cooking. You’ll also get a little food history, anthropology, and some entertaining anecdotes thrown in as well.

History

Established in 2006.

In 2006 Chef Joe launched The Culinary Salon, designed to teach hands on, culinary arts education and immersion in the flavors of various cultures. The courses have been hailed by SF Gate as «the best little cooking classes in San Francisco.»

Meet the Business Owner

Chef Joe W.

Business Owner

Joe Wittenbrook was raised in Cleveland, Ohio, surrounded by the rich culinary influences of his maternal Italian ancestry. He attributes his early experiences with food and cooking to the festive social gatherings at his home where food was always a focal point. As a teenager, he apprenticed under Ivan Simes, a French-​Russian Cordon Bleu chef. From there he honed his craft in a variety of restaurants featuring Classic French, Regional Italian, Mediterranean, Vegetarian, Californian and Nouvelle cuisine. He moved to San Francisco in the late1970s and attended the California Culinary Academy, graduating with honors in the spring of 1979.

Since then, Chef Joe has served in numerous high profile culinary positions in San Francisco’s renowned culinary scene including Chef de partie at the exclusive Huntington Hotel; private Chef for the Swiss Consulate; Chef de cuisine at the Mansion on Sutter Street; and Executive Chef at the San Francisco War Memorial Performing Arts Center.

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21 reviews of Chef Joe’s Culinary Salon

No registration required
Place rating: 5
New York, NY
Chef Joe is incredible. We took a pizza making course on Saturday, 2/​5, but it was so much more than just cooking pizza. We learned how to make amazing toppings (roasted cauliflower brushed with olive oil or fresh cooked mushrooms with wine reduction or eggplant baked w/​splashes of homemade balsamic vinaigrette). And each of these toppings could be used for a pasta or chicken dish. We learned how to make white and red sauce and tips for ensuring that it stays fresh. I would 100% recommend Chef Joe’s cooking classes to anyone.
And at the end… there was enough pizza to feed the city.
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
Love this place. Chef Joe is an energetic, enthusiastic food lover with a huge breadth of experience and the quirks and good humor that make coming here a ton of fun, tasty and educational.
I’ve done 6+ classes here over time and definitely plan to come back. I also like the option to assemble your own group and do a custom class, which I’ve done as well. Big thumbs up. Chef Joe is doing his part in keeping SF the SF I love.
Place rating: 4
Alameda, CA
We went to Chef Joe’s for a team building exercise, where me and nine other co-​workers tried our hand at making an Italian meal.
It sounds kinda like a reality show, doesn’t it?
The whole experience was a lot of fun, with Joe himself really bringing the energy and walking through every step of the process. I wish there was a little bit more hands-​on time with the cooking itself, but I can see why he wants to make sure it all turns out alright. Also, keep in mind that the area is more like an art studio, so be ready to cook with camper stoves and whatnot.
Place rating: 5
Bellevue, WA
I loved taking the Poulet class with Chef Joe! It was a thank you gift from some of my friends. What a great idea! Best present I’ve received in a long time. His salon has a wonderful ambience — it’s very classically San Franciscan with wonderful photographs, gizmos, gadgets, artwork, and cooking paraphernalia all around! Chef Joe himself brings a very fun and charismatic attitude to the class. It was casual and communal, and he was just as friendly as he was informative about how to best prepare the food. I wouldn’t take cooking classes anywhere else in the city. Thanks Chef Joe!
Place rating: 5
Oakland, CA
Awesome and authentic experience!
I went to the Spanish Tapas and not only I did have an amazing time but also I was completely transported back home to Spain.
The recipes, the ingredients, the techniques and the great stories of Chef Joe brought me back to Spain… and the great food was combined with the perfect atmosphere!!!
Thank you Chef!
Place rating: 5
East Bay, CA
For my birthday, I received a gift certificate for the «Tapas» class at Chef Joe’s Culinary Salon. A friend and I both attended the class and from the beginning we were welcomed with open arms. Chef Joe’s classes are held at a beautiful home that he has transformed into a large kitchen. Chef Joe is a passionate and enthusiastic chef and I really enjoyed learning from him. The whole feel of his teaching style and environment is as if you’re learning in someone’s actual kitchen. I learned some cool knife techniques and after the class, I couldn’t wait to go home and make the dishes again. Also, the people who attended the class were genuinely so sweet, fun, and interesting to talk to and it really felt more like a cooking party than a class. We made 4 different tapas and 1 extra that Chef Joe had prepared and they were all amazing. My friend is from Spain and she gave it the stamp of authenticity and deliciousness. I would definitely recommend Chef Joe’s to all of my friends. What a great way to spend a beautiful day in the city! Thank you Chef Joe!
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
I recently took a class in French Sauces from Chef Joe, and would highly recommend it! We learned how to make 4 basic «mother sauces» from which many other sauces can be produced. Chef Joe was very helpful in demonstrating how the sauces are made, how they are used, and how to modify them. I felt like I learned enough in the class to be able to attempt making these on my own. The class itself was a lot of fun, too, and the food prepared was delicious. I like the small, intimate feel of his cooking salon, and he made the time go by quickly with his humor and anecdotes. Would definitely take another class here.
Place rating: 5
Sunnyvale, CA
Chef Joe introduced me to stir fry and how vegetables should taste when cooked. He is very responsive and nice and willing to share his secrets acquired from his days of cooking of teaching at culinary school. Holding weekly classes of a variety, his kitchen décor is pretty interesting since he made many of the artistic items. I would highly recommend it as the class value is pretty great. I await this week’s paella class and ready to taste (driving from Sunnyvale)!
Place rating: 4
San Francisco, CA
A friend of mine arranged a private class (6 of us) for his birthday. The menu was Spanish tapas. I’m a pretty good, experienced cook, and I’ve cooked a fair amount of Spanish food, so although the class wasn’t a revelation for me, I did have a lot of fun. Chef Joe is very personable and knowledgable, and his recipes were absolutely delicious. His assistant, Paula, is great, too. The setting is charming — a storefront in a residential part of the Castro/​Duboce, filled with all sorts of art and cooking equipment. I’d definitely come back for a class with some friends. (FYI, he books private classes for up to 10 people.)
OK, so there was one revelation for me: tossing fried calamari with vinegar and mint is over-​the-​top delicious.
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
What a great experience! We took the knife skills class, and Chef Joe was not only knowledgeable, but entertaining and hilarious, too. He was very good at explaining the basics as well as the more sophisticated knife techniques. We had time to practice and snack on some food. We’re thinking about going back for another class, but can’t seem to choose since he has so many great options!
Place rating: 5
Danville, CA
This is SUCH an awesome cooking school! Chef Joe is really fun to cook with, and it’s a very easygoing atmosphere. It felt a lot like cooking in my own home kitchen! My dad and I went for a vegetarian cooking class, and we made the most DELICIOUS vegetarian meal I’ve ever had. I’m not a vegetarian, but this meal definitely was not lacking anything in its absence of meat. We made stuffed bell peppers, mushroom-​cheese-​phyllo pastries, a really nice fresh salad, and delectable peach crisp for dessert. I’ll definitely be back soon!
Place rating: 5
San Jose, CA
Came here with my coworkers to celebrate out birthdays and had a FANTASTIC time. I LOVED all of the décor and installation pieces Chef Joe has created. It really added to the charm of having a private class to learn how to create dishes.
We came in on a global hot pocket class and learned how to make empanadas, pierogis, and samosas. We were a bit rowdy, but Joe was very patient and pretty hilarious. We learned lots of new techniques and ended up creating really amazing food! It was a blast!
Place rating: 3
Sydney, Australia
The cooking class is inside the chef’s home. It’s just the front end of it. The class is ok. A bit out of order so made me feel confused all the time. the chef tended to do everything for you and you don’t get to learn much yourself. I wanted some customized recipe that has lower fat but he didn’t let me out lower fat.
Place rating: 5
Piedmont, Oakland, CA
Joe created the perfect atmosphere for a fun night of learning, eating and drinking. His personality, experience and practical approach to cooking was refreshing. I’ve taken many cooking classes before from almost all well known cooking schools in San Francisco. So far I can say Joe’s culinary salon is the best in term of class size, structure, attention to details and price! I’m glad I finally found the perfect place to refine my cooking skills!
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
I know how to cook, but didn’t really know much about cookies & pastries. So I signed up for Chef Joes’ COOKIE JAR. A great cookie class! I’ve a better sense of baking details like how to lock the piping bag, another way to do a slow chocolate melt, even add a splash of hot water to the apricot jam before spooning onto the dough. And I will make his ginger ginger snaps recipe w/​white pepper. Brilliant. THANK YOU CHEF JOE!
Place rating: 4
San Francisco, CA
Knife skills! How did I think I ever knew how to chop?
I learned to maneuver & use the entire knife. And own it.
Keep your knifes sharp, learn to properly use a honing steel. Slice, dice, julienne, feather cut, oblique, chiffonade & mince. Learning to mince and purée garlic was the neatest little trick for me.
Class size was intimate & everyone had their own workstation.
Chef Joe is welcoming, engaging, has jokes & a real treat to learn from.
Place rating: 5
Virginia Beach, VA
This was an extraordinary experience. Chef Joe has the great ability to make his class entertaining and fun while ensuring that you understand the historical context of the recipe you are working on. Even a seasoned cook will leave with a new way to approach a recipe – and much stronger skills. I took as many of his classes as I could on my trip to San Francisco. They just got better and better. I’m just sorry we don’t have such a great resource out east. This would be a great company team building event – or a girl’s night out.
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
My husband bought me a class in the Marrakesh Express cooking series that Chef Joe taught in December last year. This was the first ever cooking class that I’d taken and it was a completely delightful experience. I cook on a regular basis and am pretty comfortable working in the kitchen, but there were many useful tips and worthwhile information that Joe shared that made the class a satisfying experience.
The one special thing about The Culinary Salon is the class size limitation and the ambiance of the location, not to mention that Joe is a very likeable person and can set the perfect tone for people to work in a group. He has a quirky and refreshing sense of humor and his casualness belies his serious interest in food. I took a third class yesterday evening, in Turkish cuisine, and not only was the food incredibly delicious, everyone in the room seemed to be having a great time.
Also, just so readers are aware, I’ve never heard Chef Joe utter anything off-​color, or anything that would have offended me. He’s impish and delightful, and he is a master of the double-​entendre, but no aggression or vulgar language. He makes you feel like he’s your best friend from grammar school or your favorite uncle, he’s really so disarming and down-​to-​earth.
I’ll be taking his knife skills class at the end of May and really look forward to that. I’ve actually already picked up a few new techniques in using a knife from the two classes I’ve taken so far.
If you are looking for a fun evening, cooking in a relaxed environment, enjoying camaraderie, teamwork and conversation, delicious meals and good wine, and value for money, The Culinary Salon is the place to go.
Place rating: 5
West Hills, CA
I decided to immerse my fiancé and myself in Chef Joe’s ‘Mediterranean Odyssey’ cooking series. We’re foodies at heart and have decided to expand our cooking repertoire. We’ve dabbled in several cooking schools, primarily in Chicago, however we were pleasantly surprised to find a cooking school that tops them all.
So far we’ve made our way from Greece to Turkey (with a Mediterranean street foods class in between) and have to say that classes are a blast :) Classes have been intimate (8 students fill up each class) with lots of personal attention. His eccentric studio and kitchen create the perfect ambiance for an entertaining dinner with new friends.
We’ve met several corky personalities in his classes. However, there is no match for Chef Joe — he is a no-​nonsense professional chef with years of experience in some of San Francisco’s most prestigious kitchens whose wit and ability to banter will have you laughing: D Just don’t take yourself too seriously!
I’ve learned a great deal in classes — not only how to make yummy Greek/​Turkish/​Mediterranean meals/​sauces, but he also teaches basic knife skills, use of spices and cooking techniques. Along the way I’ve also learned interesting historical information pertaining to food.
I have no qualms giving the Culinary Salon 5 stars. I’ll be back for North Africa and Morocco this month!
Place rating: 2
San Francisco, CA
During busy tax season I got a gift for the class, scheduled dinner but last minute due to the ongoing IRS audit had to stay late and work (fun right?) called to reschedule unfortunately nothing could be done. I feel like I am under circumstances that are out of my control and chef could work out something with me in terms of possible rescheduling at the discounted price, however on the phone I spoke with a «brick wall» — a guy who couldn’t get onto my shoes… It sucks here…
Place rating: 5
New York, NY
Chef Joe is *amazing*. And so is his class.
I was a bit weary about 3-​hours of cooking. But the entire evening was action packed and educational! I am a beginner chef in every way possible (I didn’t even know there was a proper way to chop vegetables). While there were more experienced chefs in our class, I never felt embarrassed or useless. Joe taught each of us to our level– and gave everyone a hand in preparing the 3-​course meal.
The best part was the last hour where we enjoyed our delicious meal. By this time, the wine was flowing and everyone was best friends. It was truly an awesome experience, and I highly recommend signing up for a class!