A Profile Of Alice Waters

Her Restaurant

Chez Panisse, located in Berkely, Calif., opened its doors in 1971. Named after a trilogy of classic films by Marcel Pagnol, the restaurant was founded by a group of idealists, including, of course, Alice Waters. The menu changes daily, as you can only order a 3-4 course prix fixe menu. With reservations only, the restaurant is designed to feature seasonal and locally grown foods. Prices also vary by night of the week, ranging from $55 Mondays to $85 Saturdays, per person, before tax and gratuity. In 1980, an affiliated Cafe opened upstairs to the restaurant, to provide an a la carte alternative to the downstairs restaurant.

Originally French cuisine, much of Waters’ inspiration behind the menu comes from France. Her affinity for locally grown organic produce came from the practices she saw in France upon visiting, and she made it her goal to capture and master that way of cooking back in California. She exceeded her goal by not only bringing a different way of eating and thinking to the Western world, and West coast for that matter, but by creating a new sort of cuisine altogether: California cuisine.

In 2007, her restaurant was among...