Regulars here possibly remember that I’m a foodie. Well, this last weekend, many bay area foodies converged on the Berkeley wine importer Kermit Lynch’s parking lot, because the immortal Alice Waters, blessed be her name, was there to sign cookbooks.
For anyone interested, Alice Waters is an American chef of major importance. She has owned and operated the wonderful restaurant Chez Panisse in Berkeley since the early ‘70’s, and has been instrumental in bringing the concept of country French/Mediterranean style cooking to America. She has also strongly influenced, if not personally brought about, the springing up of farmers’ markets throughout this country, and has encouraged people to adjust their cooking to reflect the availability of seasonal and local produce.
Well, I got to meet her and another French cookbook writer, Patricia Wells, on Saturday, and chatted a few seconds while they signed my books. Alice had a basket of fava bean pods in front of her, and between fans, she was rapidly shucking beans. I was itching to help; cooks think alike!
There was also an outdoor meal prepared by the Chez Panisse staff: a nice Provencal beef and olive stew, crusty garlic bread, potatoes and salad. The crowd was fun, the wine was plentiful, and a great time was had by all. Especially me!