Lulu Peyraud's vineyard cooking significantly influenced Waters's cooking and her menus at Chez Panisse. Olney introduced Waters to Lucien and Lulu Peyraud, owners of the Domaine Tempier vineyard in Provence. She also credits Richard Olney, an American authority on French food who spent much of his life living in France, with influencing her simple, rustic cuisine. Waters counts Elizabeth David, the English cookbook author and writer, as one of her influences. Her travels solidified her love of all things food and French and inspired her to return to California and open Chez Panisse.

įrom Turkey, Waters then returned to France, where she embarked upon a year-long journey. This small act of kindness had an effect on Waters's approach to hospitality and generosity in her own restaurant. In his book Alice Waters and Chez Panisse, Thomas McNamee recounts Waters's experience in Turkey, where a young Turkish boy shared tea and a small bit of cheese with Waters and her traveling companions, even though he had very little. Īfter training in London, Waters next traveled to Turkey, which she credits with influencing her approach to hospitality and deepening her respect for local communities. Principles of the Montessori method, which emphasize practical and hands-on activities for children, are evident in Waters's idea of 'edible education' and her Edible Schoolyard, which engages children in the preparation of fruits and vegetables that they tend to with the supervision of their teachers. Waters eventually returned to Europe, where she first trained at a Montessori school in London. She often cooked for and entertained her fellow campaigners. Waters worked on the congressional campaign of Robert Scheer, an anti-Vietnam War politician. Political involvement ĭuring her time at Berkeley, Waters became active in the Free Speech Movement, which was sweeping across the campus. She claims, enigmatically, that food is a way of life and not just something to eat. She brought this style of food preparation back to Berkeley, where she popularized the concept of market-fresh cooking, using the local products available in Northern California. During her time in France, she says she 'lived at the bottom of a market street' and 'took everything in by osmosis.' While at Berkeley, she studied abroad in France, where she shopped for local produce and prepared fresh, simple foods to enhance the table experience. Alice graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, receiving a degree in French cultural studies in 1967. Waters was born in Chatham Borough, New Jersey, on April 28, 1944, to Charles Allen Waters, a management consultant, and Margaret Waters. 6.1 Edible Schoolyard affiliate programs.6 Edible Schoolyard and Edible Education.

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