Alice Waters & The Chez Panisse Foundation
I’m a new writer here at Growers and Grocers, and I wanted to introduce myself with a simple post about Alice Waters and The Chez Panisse Foundation. She’s one of my favorite people ever, and along with Ruth Reichl, she’s who I want to be when I grow up. I can pick two, can’t I?
Alice Waters opened her first restaurant in 1971 in Berkeley, California and still retains the same philosophy - fresh, seasonal, sustainable organic foods served with intent. Seems simple, is actually far too complicated in today’s commercialized, “fast paced” world.
The foundation is the quintessential growers and grocers dream - it brings growing, cooking, and appreciating the value of food and food culture into public schools. In the words of the foundation, “[it] supports an educational program that uses food to nurture, educate and empower youth.”
Isn’t that just about the coolest thing ever? Alice, if you get a program going in Missoula, Montana, I will send my son to the school and donate my time to make the program work.
Visit the foundation here: http://www.chezpanissefoundation.org
Photo courtesy of Chez Panisse Foundation.
Heard about Alice Waters’ involvement with the Ameya development in Livingston, Montana?
http://www.ethicurean.com/2007/11/18/alice-waters-ameya/
I’d like to know what you think, since you are a resident of Montana. I admire Alice Waters, too, but she has become controversial because of her methods of raising money for Slow Food. I’m not sure what I think about all this.