… now that I have your attention, let me tell you all about it. Last week I had the rare privilege to attend an intimate conversation with Alice Waters of the famous Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkley CA. This was an event with only 100 some people hosted by the Hudson Union Society in NYC. My friend, KW, is a member and that’s how I got invited.
Alice Waters is a pioneer, an activist, a believer, a forward thinker and a fabulous chef all rolled into in one petite, beautiful frame. I had first heard of Alice a couple of years ago when I first started food-blogging. The farm to table, organic farming, support-local-farmer type movements that are taking center-stage right now - were pioneered by folks like Alice back in early 1970’s.
Alice had lived in France for a few years and was deeply impressed by their lifestyle. A lifestyle where folks went to the market twice a day - once to buy lunch ingredients and once for dinner. The idea was that they would buy the goods as soon as they arrived at the market! Freshness was paramount. Optimal flavor and quality were its subsequent result. When Alice returned to the USA, she had a strong desire to create that utopia back home. And so Chez Panisse was born.
Alice believes that a family sitting together at the dinner table helps fight obesity. It fosters conversations and allows kids to learn about the bigger world beyond. She feels that in today’s world when everyone is always in a rush - kids don’t feel “loved” like they used to. Kids are on the move all day and are resorting to “grazing” food.
“The Edible Schoolyard Project” is a fabulous brainchild of Alice Waters. Read all about it here, you are bound to be blown-away like I was!
Alice is a deep believer in “taking care of the land”. She promotes and follows wonderful ideas to support the local farmers and their farming efforts. To put care in what we grow and eat. To spread that joy and knowledge to our younger generation and hence start a movement that grow bigger and bigger.
Not a fan of any diet, she believes in eating seasonally and not eating each ingredient in moderation. She is trying to fight the production of processed foods in our country. She admits that its not an easy fight….too much bureaucracy in the way. Her tactic is to connect with influential people (from all walks of life) and ask them to join her struggle. Prince Charles is her #1 fan, and he is doing his part to make this world a better place.
Finally, it was very interesting to hear Alice make a comment that I strongly believe in myself: she said that she likes to go to restaurants where the owner is “present”. “Where someone is home”. Simple statement, yet pretty thought provoking. I totally connected with it, because I always feel turned off by establishments where the primary goal is to make money. Smaller restaurants where the owner/chef is always present - just creates a different more satisfying dining experience. Take the major celebrity chefs for instance - most of them are so busy building an empire, stretching themselves so thin that it is impossible for them to be everywhere at the same time. Why would I want to eat and pay through my nose at a celebrity restaurant if he/she is not cooking that meal for me personally? I’d rather go to a small mom and pop place and have the meal cooked by them. Do you agree?
Oh! yes. I really DID shake her hand. Caught her off-guard on our way out. I think she was looking for someone, and I just grabbed her hand and mumbled a few sentences, whatever I could manage while still being totally awestruck from her talk! Um…. I may not be washing that hand for a long while! 
Alice Waters | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_Waters
