Alice Waters eats salad with her fingers
...and so should you
You know it…it’s podcast time! And we’re kicking off 2025 with a series of interviews with culinary icons: the women and men who have shaped the food culture in America…and around the world.
And so you will not be surprised to find out that my guest on this week’s show is the only and the one, Alice Waters (who I got to celebrate with at the Julia Child Award in October!)
Alice opened Chez Panisse more than 50 years ago. It was a place where her friends, mostly Berkeley bohemians, gathered to eat simple and delicious food. But it soon became one of America’s most famous and beloved restaurants…and the launching pad of a new vision of American food and agriculture.
Alice is an elegant, soft-spoken woman. But her ideas are big and infectious. She is more determined than pretty much anyone I’ve ever met. Even me…and that’s saying something!
In our interview, the legendary founder of Chez Panisse and the Edible Schoolyard Project talks about beauty, our senses, and the trip that changed everything. We also share our love of a most delicious fruit—and where you can buy it right now.
I once ate pea shoot salad with green goddess dressing and ripped at a roasted chicken and grabbed at fresh green beans at a restaurant with my hands. Unbeknownst to me the chef was watching and as I asked for the check and another glass of vouvray he sent me a slice of cake and came to the table and told me only someone being true to themselves eats with such unabashed joy by not giving a fuck who's watching. I will take that to the grave because I really do eat with joy and my hands. LoL
She is a legend. But I find chopsticks the best for salad… 😎