In explaining their choice of recipient, Joe Warwick, Editor of Restaurant magazine said: “The founding mother of modern American gastronomy, Alice Waters’ influence is felt well beyond US shores. Her local produce-focused,
environmentally conscious approach to gastronomy is still influencing the thinking of chefs worldwide.
At a time when we have become more obsessed about local sourcing and the quality of what goes on our plates, the seasonal-sustainable-local agenda that Alice set when she opened Chez Panisse in 1971 has never seemed more groundbreaking.”
Over the course of three decades, Chez Panisse has developed a network of mostly local farmers and ranchers whose dedication to sustainable agriculture assured Chez Panisse a steady supply of pure and fresh ingredients.
In 1996, in celebration of the restaurant’s twenty-fifth anniversary, she created the Chez Panisse Foundation to help underwrite cultural and educational programmes such as the one at the Edible Schoolyard that demonstrate the transformative power of growing, cooking, and sharing food.
Alice will attend The S.Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards on Monday 23 April, where she will be presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award. She and her peers from around the world will hear the annual roll call of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants as voted for by 650 panellists worldwide. Chez Panisse was placed at number 20 in the list for 2006.
The previous winners of the Lifetime Achievement Award have been Michel Roux Sr. and Albert Roux in 2006 and Paul Bocuse in 2005.