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"I have no idea what I was feeling, except an urgency to make things right for the opening," Alice Waters recalls in her new book about the day in 1971 when she launched her seminal Berkeley restaurant, Chez Panisse. Forty Years of Chez Panisse follows the visionary chef-turned-activist as she spreads her philosophy about local, seasonal eating "the Alice way"—tracking down rare Himalayan flowers to present to the Dalai Lama, for instance, and placing a beautiful peach in Bill Clinton's hand as he exited a fund-raiser. "I was sure if I fed the president a perfect peach," Waters writes, "it would bring him to a new understanding of the politics of food." Here, F&W's Grace Parisi creates fast recipes with peaches—"the most delicious food," Waters says.
Peach Primer
Saturn "doughnut" peaches have sweet white flesh.
White peaches are very sweet and super-juicy, with not much acidity.
Yellow peaches are a little tart and very flavorful. Ideal for baking.
Photos (l-r) © Stewart Waller, Pasmal/Amanaimagesrf, American Images Inc.
Alice Waters: A Timeline
The Launch
Waters in front of the redwood sign for Chez Panisse in 1971.
The Job
In the restaurant's early days, Waters worked mainly as a waitress.
The Garden
Waters pioneered the edible schoolyard garden movement in 2006.
The Book
Chefs, academics, artists and farmers contributed to Waters's book, Forty Years of Chez Panisse.
Video: Cooking with Peaches
More Amazing Summer Fruit Recipes:
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