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 enlarge | Author: Thomas Mcnamee
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Category: Book
List Price: $15.00
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Avg. Customer Rating:  22 reviews
Sales Rank: 8743
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 400
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.9
ISBN: 0143113089
Dewey Decimal Number: 641.5092
EAN: 9780143113089
ASIN: 0143113089
Publication Date: February 26, 2008
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| Customer Reviews:
 Open, frank; one of the best... November 8, 2007
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I was bowled over by its open, frank depiction of Alice Waters' life and the history of Chez Panisse.It is a compelling story, very inspiring, all laid out in the true-to-life detailed depiction of the misadventures, pecadillos, successes, tragedies and varied personalities that made this restaurant possible.And make no mistake about it, Chez Panisse has had a deep influence on American, if not world, cusine.The purity of Ms. Waters' vision shines through it all.I once met met Alice Waters and told her she needn't write another cookbook; what she needed to write was a book explaining how she managed to get so many creative people to buy into her vision and work so hard for her and the restaurant.This book explains some of that.For foodies, restauranteurs, food lovers, corporate management, feminists, those interested in how an enduring institution was built and sustained.One of the best and most truthful books I've read.
 Interesting overview of the not-so-intentional leader of California Cuisine October 8, 2007
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
Any foodie worth her sun-dried sea salt knows the name Alice Waters. Waters was the person who spearheaded the move to fresh, local produce that's grown sustainability and locally, and Chez Panisse is probably the most famous restaurant that most of us have never visited.
So I was particularly interested in Waters' story. I'm glad I read it, as I feel like I now know things that I ought to know... but I can't say that this is a Wow book. If you have the opportunity to read the book, do; but I don't think you have to drop everything to put it on the top of your Must Read pile.
Yes, Alice Waters created a revolution in the way that Americans, or at least food-conscious Americans, think about food. But she didn't set out to do so as though she was on a lifelong mission... she just wanted to open the sort of one-star Michelin restaurant that she had encountered across France. Through a set of remarkable happenstance (which makes me think simultaneously -- if oddly -- of both Forrest Gump and Connie Willis' Bellwether), Waters was always in the right place at the right time. The right person always showed up in her life, at the time needed. And -- here's a lesson far beyond foodiehood -- she repeatedly took disaster and turned it into opportunity.
For example, after she brought Italian wood fired pizza to the States (oh geez, she started *that* trend, too?), an oven started a huge fire. The restaurant had to be renovated in a hurry, so instead of recreating the small door between kitchen and dining room, she made a big open area... and began a trend towards the "open kitchen." Waters was just solving a problem, but her innovation started a trend.
This is all interesting stuff, and it's interwoven with the events of Waters' own life (such as a procession of lovers, her marriage, motherhood), as well as the strong personalities who have been associated with the restaurant (many of whom have become celebrity chefs or written cookbooks, too). Much of this is from quoted interviews. It's interesting, and the author does a good job (though not dispassionately, as it's clear that the author *likes* Waters). The result, though, is that I felt informed and educated, rather than blown away or inspired or fascinated. That is: I liked this book. I didn't adore it.
 Saint Alice - hagiography of a restaurateur September 25, 2007
9 out of 10 found this review helpful
McNamee's book is an excellent read, no doubt. The story flows, the characters build, the plot thickens. I've been fortunate enough to often eat at Chez Panisse, particularly in its first 5 years, and had seen more than a few of the scenes the author, or one of his correspondents, describes. Alice's determination and pursuit of the best possible ingredient have always been remarkable. She's a Taurus, isn't she!
My only quibble is the rather overly respectful view McNamee takes of her. She's more a flesh and blood person than a saint, and the author might take that into account if he continues to plumb this vein of research.
All in all a fairly well researched and well written tome. Perhaps not as evocative as the chapter on Chez Panisse in David Kamp's, United States of Arugula, but a good book to open to any page & foster a laugh, a sigh or an hurrah!
Life altering September 6, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Adored this book. It will change the whole way you look at food, from farming it to eating it. It also helped hone my palate and I am still running about buying ingrediants mentioned in it. Have bought three additional copies for friends.
Fine history of fascinating people and a wonderful place to eat July 5, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The background and history of Chez Panisse is a grand addition to the good meals I've eaten there over many years. Thanks to the author for capturing the early years with such vitality.
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