After nearly three decades of "Alice Waters' Fanny" jokes, the Chez Panisse restauranteur and her brother-in-law/business partner Jim Maser are shutting down west Berkeley's Café Fanny. According to a senior staff member, the San Pablo Avenue mainstay was no longer "financially viable" and will be closing the doors and turning out the lights in the kitchen tomorrow, March 9th. more ›

The Good Food Awards unfurl over the weekend and the Ferry Building is where you'll want to be. (If not for the food and wine, come for the chronic celebrity sightings. Par example: Jake Gyllenhaal perused artisanal goods over the weekend, which you probably missed while getting smashed in Dolores Park.) Where to start? Well, this year's opening reception on Friday, January 13 will be open to the public for the first time. (For a weighty $100, yes; but you're sure to consume that amount in food and booze, so it all breaks even... more or less.) In addition to honored chocolates, preserves, pickle, meats, coffee cheeses and more, Alice Waters and Ruth Reichl will be there to sprinkle their special brand of elfin slow-food personality and magic to and fro. more ›

A handy roundup of notable food news, including: fashion inspired by Alice Waters' vegetables, first looks at a Union Square crudo bar/gift shop, John's Ocean Beach in danger of closing and the always important hamburger news. more ›

Berkeley police were called to the scene on Saturday when a motley assortment of Berkeley residents gathered for a 40th anniversary of Chez Panisse at the Cheese Board Collective next door. more ›

As previously mentioned, locavore high priestess Alice Waters took over the quaint side streets of Union Square today to transform Maiden Lane in to a downtown edible schoolyard. (And also sell charity t-shirts.) Judging by the post-lunch tweets and twitpics coming in this afternoon, the event was an adorable, summery picnic table affair. more ›

Edible Schoolteacher Alice Waters is a charitable person, we know this because she selflessly runs her high-end locavore restaurant as a cover for her secret agenda of sneaking vegetables in to every elementary school playground in the country. She's practically the Mother Teresa of organic vegetables. Now, in some sort of play to become even more Jesus-like, she's going to clothe us as well. In a t-shirt. more ›

You have no reason to toss shade at Alice Waters. You don't. And if you do, you're probably a jealous virgin who can't drive. (Unless of course, Waters continues to refuse to answer your question about her favorite junk food. Sob.) During this My Generation taped interview, the food philosopher oozes charm when talking about the "aliveness" of vegetables (both living and dead/cook, we imagine) and how the Chez Panisse kitchen is "nothing like a noisy, tension-filled reality TV" filled with "yelling and screaming." [Eater] more ›

In an effort to help raise funds for Barack Obama reelection campaign -- which: let's face it, he's a shoo-in for four more years -- First Lady Michelle Obama and delicate-masher-of-garlic-so-as-not-to-bruise-the-clove's-oil maven, Alice Waters, will help host at least two breakfast fundraisers on June 14. Berkeleyside notes: "Tickets to see the First Lady range from $1,000 for general seating at the Claremont to $5,000 for the photo reception to $25,000 to be a 'co-host.' " more ›

While we (and you!) rock back and forth in a near-catatonic state of anticipation for Alice Waters' big announcement -- on Twitter, no less! -- we'll keep you saffron-infused-olive-oil-poached abreast of her updates throughout the day. According to David Prior, director of communications for the Chez Panisse Foundation, Waters is poised to make some sort of big announcement today. About what, exactly? No clue. However, we've got her (or her PR rep's) first-ever Tweet. It went live a little after 10 am. Behold: more ›

In today's Garchick, we learn that Chez Panisse, Berkeley's iconic joint for organic grub, plans on celebrating the big 4-0 in an even bigger way. Behold: "This year's holiday card from 'The Family of Chez Panisse' included a save-the-date note for Aug. 28, for a celebration of the restaurant's 40th anniversary. 'Join us for a procession, a concert, a film, a meal for 5,000 people at the Greek Theatre" (a benefit for the Chez Panisse Foundation).' " more ›

"Beginning with something as simple as the various olives and continuing on, you’d take a bite and realize that never in your life had you ever experienced the particular flavor before. All extremely subtle but orgasmicly great. Take the nettle pizza for instance. I took a bite and after a few seconds, a new flavorful taste hit the back of my throat in the most delicious and unique way." more ›

Many of us expected Alice Waters to call upon the powers of Hell to deal with the 2011 MIchelin Guide's shocking exfoliation of Chez Panisse's one-star rating. Au contraire, sprigs of thyme. Waters is too nice to react with anything other than tact, anything other than carefully plucked words. Inside Scoop has the official response to the Church of Fresh Food Philosophy's dramatic supernova. Behold: more ›

You've seen the legend, you've eaten her philosophically-saturated food, and she's taught you to mince garlic cloves using the tines of a fork so as not to bruise the oil. Now see the Berkeley kitchen where Alice Waters stashes contraband cylinders of Pringles and Costco bags of Pizza Rolls. Yeah, we know this is a week late on our part, but Vanity Fair (via 7x7) published a tastefully-shot photo of Waters' kitchen. And it's worth a look. Bow down before it, plebeians, if the mood should strike. more ›

A daily review of local food-related musings. more ›

Described by OC Weekly as the "quintessential Berkeleyite," Alice Waters visited Los Angeles this past weekend to promote her latest literary effort, In the Green Kitchen: Techniques to Learn By Heart at the L.A. Times Festival of Books. Although this year's Festival of Book was reportedly "weaker than most for food lovers," defenseless Waters had to watch, after "[having] her way with unbelievably high-quality vegetables on stage," as the audience was presented with lunch choices like Carl's Jr., California Pizza Kitchen and Panda Express. Oops. We imagine neither the Donna of organic food nor the audience were none to thrilled. (In fast food's defense, the Double Western Bacon Cheeseburger is a modern marvel to behold.) [via Eater] more ›

Food fight! more ›

While she causes all sort of controversy and needless hand-wringing among the affected, seemingly testosterone-heavy male chefs/TV personalities who, let's face it, can't get over the fact that they work in a predominantly (and fortunately) feminine industry, Alice Waters' philosophy is very simple. Here, tacked up at Martin Luther King Junior Middle School, is her doctrine. more ›

Alice Waters appeared on LA radio station KCRW today as part of their Guest DJ Project. Her play list? Only the finest, most artisan songs, of course. Nina Simone's "I Want a Little Sugar in My Bowl" Radiohead's "Reckoner" ("so rich and so magical," Waters exclaims), David Byrne's "Independence Day," Jefferson Airplane's "Volunteers," and Youssou N'Dour's "Tan Bi" rock Waters' world in a way Taylor Swift simply can't. She explains why at KCRW.com. (via Eater) more ›

Maybe New York chef David "Fist Bump" Chang was right? Scroll down, folks. more ›

We want to prompt our new "Earth to Alice" feature by saying this: we love Waters. We love her hat. We love Chez Panisse. We love Waters as a revolutionary icon. We love the way she uses the tines of a fork to carefully mince garlic so as not to bruise the oil. We love her breathy voice. We love her as one of the most important philosophers of our time. We just love her for being her. (Anthony Bourdain, we should point out, is not a philosopher. He is a Wally George-like on-air personality who cooks things.) more ›

Alice Waters (Chez Panisse founder, slow food movement high priestess, mafia Donna) is set to receive France's esteemed Legion of Honor (). Does she to it? Yes, she does. Maybe even one of those Nobel trinkets too. See, many moons ago, Waters took a plump clove of garlic to the tines of a fork so as not to bruise the oil (or so we like image) and, voila, history was made. Now the famous (and infamous) food philosopher, according to SF Weekly's Meredith Brody, could receive the medal at any moment. "As of this morning, assistant Varun Mehra didn't yet know when his boss would be getting the award or where -- he's been trying to get in touch with the French Consul General in S.F. to learn more," Brody reports. (Other notables who have received the Legion of Honor? Dwight Eisenhower, Douglas MacArthur, Quincey Jones, Giorgio Armani, Clint Eastwood, Steven Spielberg, and-- but of course -- Celine Dion.) Congratulations, Alice. Shark fin soup for everybody! more ›

HuffPo writer and author of TASTE (a cooking blog!) Isabel Cowles has come down on Out Patron Saint of Organic Sprigs Alice Waters. She says what most people are afraid to say about Waters and the slow food movement: it's too expensive. Cowles says, "If Ms. Waters is serious about changing the national food system for all Americans, she needs to get down and dirty on the economic issues tied to her edible ethos. At present, the food Waters espouses--clean, local and organic--is not sustainable to the American wallet." Too true. If Waters can address this issue -- which she really should do; tell us this economic climate is a surmountable challenge to live an organic lifestyle, or just tell us po' folk to stick to our Sonic burgers -- this fresh food philosophy might be a tad more accessible. Until then, we'll be sticking to the 'conventional' produce section at Whole Foods. more ›

Soft spoken Chez Panisse and SFM founder Alice Waters is a genius. Really, who minces garlic with the tines of a fork so as not to bruise the oil? Alice does, that's who. Now Waters can add semi-hero to her resume. At a party for the Art.Food.Hope inaugural event for DC Central Kitchen and Martha’s Table, Waters, according to Eater, "bursts into the room, asking if anyone knows the Heimlich maneuver, as cookbook author Joan Nathan [was] choking." Top Chef's Tom Colicchio, however, came to the rescue, performing the gut-punching act on Nathan. What a guy. That said, chefs and restaurant owners really should be trained in the Heimlich maneuvering arts, yes? Yes. more ›

• Chez Panisse mafia don Alice Waters speaks to Charlie Rose. [Eater]
• Your alt weekly lawsuit word count. [Guardian 796, SF Weekly 1,559]
• SFPD deputy chief demoted. [SFGate]

San Francisco is really behind on the inane most-expensive food item trend. Serendipity-3, a restaurant in New York, just unveiled to the public (well, mainly for the benefit of Guinness World Records) the world's most expensive dessert. The Frrrozen Haute Chocolate was declared the most expensive dessert in the world on Wednesday by Guinness World Records. The dessert is a frozen, slushy mix of cocoas from 14 countries, milk and 5 grams of 24-carat... more ›

The bay area Michelin Guide 2008 is out, and there’s not much changed from last year: the French Laundry is the only place with 3 stars (the most) in the wider bay area. Aqua and Michael Mina are the only 2 stars in the city. Those Michelin guys are so stingy with stars, Chez Panisse’s Alice Waters still clutches her lonely one. Jean-Luc Naret, the director of the Michelin guide, was handing out press copie this morning at a brunch at Bloomingdale’s. He was ebullient. We asked him about last year belly dancers controversy, and he was like, but they were there, the inspector saw them! It was “a writing error,” he added, “not a rating error.” We do writing errors all the time too! We can totally relate. more ›

When you live in a neighborhood overrun by donut purveyors and nail shops, with a fair number of fairly unappetizing Chinese restaurants sprinkled in between, the arrival of a new joint featuring a new regional cuisine is cause for at least a little salivation. more ›

It's the third annual San Francisco Notable Portrait Auction, to benefit Creativity Explored! We love this event. Creativity Explored is dedicated to promoting works by local developmentally disabled artists, and they invite a group of local celebs to sit for portraits by their artists, and then auction them off with the celebs in attendance. Jonathan Richman (!!!!) will also be playing. more ›