Education & Classes in San Bruno

Stepping behind the bar at a nightclub typically results in being escorted off the premises. For students of San Francisco School of Bartending, however, it often results in a job. The school complements its 35-hour bartender certification course with mini shifts at a nightclub, where students learn to manage a crowded bar without responding “no” to every order. In classroom sessions, meanwhile, students learn the tricks of the trade, such as how to set up a bar, blend drinks, and free pour. Beyond directly drink-related skills, they also learn to properly handle money and craft compelling resumés. The flexible class times accommodate all schedules, and graduates can return to the school for unlimited job-placement aid.

Students swirl the wine in their glasses, scrutinizing the legs that form and inhaling the fragrances before taking slow, calculated sips. They hold the wine in their mouths, blindly matching the wine's notes and overtones to the 70–80 international wines they've tasted during the 30-hour advanced Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) certification course. In classes such as these, the instructors at Discover Wine & Spirits Academy—many of whom hold DWS (Diploma Wine and Spirits) and WSET certifications—foster a supportive but challenging atmosphere, either by sparking complex discussions or slowly filling the room with wine. For those not training for certification, they helm a Wine 101 class that unveils the basics of wine history, tasting terminology, and food-and-wine pairing. They also lead daylong classes on specific regions to uncover the varied flavors of Argentinean wines, explore the Old-World winemaking traditions of France, or try to relate to the fatalistic neorealism of Italian wines.

An alumna of New York City’s Actors Studio, Shelley Mitchell won acclaim for her one-woman performance of Talking with Angels: Budapest 1943, which Los Angeles Weekly lauded for its “leisurely, lifelike timing” and “excruciating beauty.” Shelley draws on her extensive teaching and acting experience at institutions such as The Dublin Fringe Theatre Festival to teach dramatic acting to film, television, and theater thespians at the Arts Center of San Francisco. Three-hour classes develop individual concentration and emotional response through sense memory exercises before students partner up for scripted scene work or practice tumbling into the orchestra pit. Eight-week courses introduce pupils to acting fundamentals, while three or ten-month intensive training grants unlimited studio access, weekly or biweekly lessons, and private sessions with Shelley to dedicated participants.

Housed in a venue that was constructed in 1919, Broadway Studios augments special events with an extensive offering of amenities, services, and staffing options. A grand ballroom with two bars sits beneath towering 30-foot ceilings, with professional sound equipment, concert-style seating capacity, and large wooden dance floors lit entirely from the power generated by troupes of performers doing the Electric Slide. Neoclassical décor adds a touch of the past to performance spaces that have played host to famous entertainers such as Dave Chappelle and Dead Kennedys, along with providing the setting for numerous television and film tapings.

During Simmer and Sear’s themed cooking classes—which won fifth place in SFGate’s 2010 Best of the Bay—chef Anna Hadley unravels the secrets and steps to creating quality cuisine. By combining choice ingredients and time-tested methods, she demonstrates that proper technique and flavor balance can transform any ordinary dish into a culinary delight or beautiful fruit hat. Working out of professional kitchens a variety of locations, including her own home in Nob Hill, as well as nearby loft spaces, converted firehouses, and suburban mansions, classes can include everything from creating swordfish kebabs from Morocco, India, and France, to culinary competitions where students design their own meals from surprise ingredients.

Chef Anna’s work at Simmer and Sear fulfills her decades-long search for the perfect career. After working for 10 years in the highly competitive world of fashion design, she merged her creative whims with her passion for cooking, eventually opening her own business where she helps others unleash their own culinary talents. Her fun, food-focused classes have even earned attention from the New York Times for their popularity among bachelorette parties, as well as other group events such as birthday parties and loosely interpreted square dances.

Owen Walker has been teaching the Action Theater method for more than 15 years. Originally a visual artist, Owen found a more immediate medium—the human body—and began to experiment with physical improv as a method to further explore his creative impulses. He studied extensively with Ruth Zaporah, the guru of the Action Theater method, and he is now one of the method’s six designated senior teachers.

The Action Theater method approaches physical improvisation and theater from three angles: language, voice, and movement. Classes give special attention to being fully present, connecting with a scene partner, and urging students to focus on how they do something, rather than what they do. The end result not only can transform a student’s performance on the stage, it can also enhance everyday skills such as empathy and spontaneity. Thus, though the technique is rooted in the theater, it can also benefit non-actors, much like a playhouse’s cell-phone-activated trap door.

Though Action Theater sometimes features a discounted price online, this Groupon still offers the best deal available