Barbara Boxer: “I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Alice Waters, groundbreaking chef, restaurant owner, author, and…”

“I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Alice Waters, groundbreaking chef, restaurant owner, author, and activist who was recently awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Obama for her pioneering role in the sustainable food movement. As a student at the University of California, Berkeley, in the 1960s, Alice developed a passion for social activism. While studying abroad in Paris one semester, she began to realize the impact food can have on our daily lives. Exposed to lively discussions over fresh, locally sourced home-cooked meals, a simple yet revolutionary idea took root, and in 1971 she and a group of friends opened Chez Panisse in Berkeley. It was a concept that took off almost immediately: fresh, local, and organic food that changed with the seasons. As the restaurant's success grew, Alice and her staff created a network of local farmers and producers whose dedication to sustainable agriculture supplied Chez Panisse's fresh ingredients, helped to pioneer farm-to-table-cuisine, and served as a model for future generations of restaurant owners. Alice's influence spread far beyond the kitchen. In 1996, she created the Edible Schoolyard Project to help schools develop community gardens, so students can better understand the origins of their food and how to create fresh, local, and healthy meals.…”