The Gourmet Ghetto is a colloquial name for the business district of the North Berkeley neighborhood in the city of Berkeley, California , known as the birthplace of California cuisine . Other developments that can be traced to this neighborhood include specialty coffee , the farm-to-table and local food movements, the rise to popularity in the U.S. of chocolate truffles and baguettes , the popularization of the premium restaurant designed around an open kitchen , and the California pizza made with local produce. After coalescing in the mid-1970s as a culinary destination, the neighborhood received its "Gourmet Ghetto" nickname in the late 1970s from comedian Darryl Henriques . Early, founding influences were Peet's Coffee , Chez Panisse and the Cheese Board Collective . Alice Medrich began her chain of Cocolat chocolate stores there.
55-473: The neighborhood, anchored by Alice Waters 's Chez Panisse, became the center of farm-to-table food sourcing, using selected locally grown produce, especially naturally and sustainably grown—preferably organic —ingredients. Waters and a loosely organized left-leaning coterie of friends and colleagues actively promoted the idea of socially conscious eating. Many former staff at Chez Panisse have gone on to start their own restaurants, bakeries, and food shops in
110-431: A table d'hôte ( French: [tabl.dot] ; lit. ' host's table ' ) menu is a menu where multi- course meals with only a few choices are charged at a fixed total price . Such a menu may be called prix fixe ( [pʁi fiks] pree-feeks ; "fixed price"). The terms set meal and set menu are also used. Table d'hôte contrasts with à la carte , where customers may order any of
165-834: A Montessori school in London. Principles of the Montessori method, which emphasize practical and hands-on activities for children, are evident in Waters's idea of "edible education" and her Edible Schoolyard, which engages children in the preparation of fruits and vegetables that they tend to with the supervision of their teachers. After training in London, Waters next traveled to Turkey, which she credits with influencing her approach to hospitality and deepening her respect for local communities. In his book Alice Waters and Chez Panisse , Thomas McNamee recounts Waters's experience in Turkey, where
220-481: A fixed-price menu ( menù a prezzo fisso ) at lunch on weekdays. In the United Kingdom , the format is often seen in casual dining restaurants or pub restaurants alongside an à la carte menu, where it is frequently used as a low-price alternative to entice more customers at quieter times (e.g., weekday lunchtimes). The format is also often found in the use of children's menus or on special occasions, such as
275-404: A chocolate and dessert shop named Cocolat on the same block as Chez Panisse and Pig-by-the-Tail. Medrich's chocolate truffles were somewhat larger and lumpier than their French cousins; these became known as California truffles. Wise says that the arrival of Cocolat was a catalyst, that it "cinched the whole Gourmet Ghetto thing." In 1980, Chez Panisse opened a more casual dining room upstairs from
330-483: A farmer's market in San Francisco. In 1973, Victoria Wise, a former philosophy student and Chez Panisse's first head chef, opened Pig-by-the-Tail, a French-style charcuterie , across the street from Chez Panisse. In December 1973, Alice Medrich began selling her chocolate truffles out of Pig-by-the-Tail; after quickly running out of her first small batch, Wise asked Medrich to deliver 25 dozen every day. This
385-501: A friend. She claims that food is a way of life and not just something to eat. During her time at Berkeley, Waters became active in the Free Speech Movement , which was sweeping across the campus. Waters worked on the congressional campaign of Robert Scheer , an anti-Vietnam War politician. She often cooked for and entertained her fellow campaigners. Waters eventually returned to Europe, where she first trained at
440-564: A homemaker. Waters graduated from the University of California, Berkeley , receiving a degree in French cultural studies in 1967. While at Berkeley, she studied abroad in France, where she says she "lived at the bottom of a market street" and "took everything in by osmosis". She brought this style of food preparation back to Berkeley, where she opened her first Provence-style restaurant with
495-449: A main course (a choice between up to four dishes), a cheese, a dessert, bread, and sometimes beverage ( wine ) and coffee all for a set price fixed for the year between €15 and €55. The menu du jour , a cheaper version with less choice, an entrée and a main course, the plat du jour ("dish of the day") changed every day, is usually between €9 and €15. In Belgium , restaurants in the medium to high price range tend to serve menus where
550-574: A new relationship with food by making a healthy, fresh, sustainable meal a part of the school day. The School Lunch Initiative is a collaborative project with the Center for Ecoliteracy , also in Berkeley, and is also the topic of a series of studies through the Center for Weight and Health, at UC Berkeley. The School Lunch Initiative is focused on bringing wholesome school lunch to the 10,000 students in
605-442: A pasta. Salad buffet, bread and butter and beverage are included, and sometimes also a simple starter, like a soup. In India , the thali (meaning "plate") is very common in restaurants. The main course consisting of rice or roti (flat bread) and assorted side dishes and vegetables is arranged on a large plate. This may be followed by dessert. There may be more than one kind of thali—vegetarian, tandoori, deluxe—the name signifying
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#1732780633584660-732: A political consultant who has worked for Al Gore and Bill Clinton, sees Waters as "the George Washington of the movement and Northern California as the 13 colonies ... If you're going to pick a figure who's responsible for it all, it all comes back to her." In addition to the Edible Schoolyard in Berkeley, there are five affiliate Edible Schoolyard programs around the country. These include Edible Schoolyards in New Orleans, New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Greensboro, North Carolina . As of 2010 , Waters
715-797: A replicable model of simple, sustainable and seasonal food for other like-minded institutions, and which operates an internship program. Since 2002, Waters has served as a vice president of Slow Food International, an organization dedicated to preserving local food traditions, protecting biodiversity, promoting small-scale quality products around the world. She was drawn to the Slow Food movement because of its work in passing food knowledge and traditions to future generations. Waters has received numerous awards for her cooking, environmental advocacy, and other achievements. Chef and restaurant awards: Advocacy awards: Other honors and achievements: Table d%27h%C3%B4te In restaurant terminology,
770-575: A set meal at a collective table became the most common way of dining in public in Paris until the development of the restaurant . Places which offered tables d'hôte sometimes also allowed à la carte ordering. The term continued to be used with the advent of the restaurant, expanding to include service at individual tables. Many restaurants in the United States convert their menus to prix fixe only for special occasions. Generally, this practice
825-400: A student of the French language, a political activist, and a world traveler. The restaurant opened in an Arts and Crafts-style home on Shattuck Avenue, and featured French-style dinners but made with locally grown ingredients. Waters very actively promoted the idea of an alternate network of food suppliers working together to create flavorful meals. At first, Waters used ingredients bought at
880-500: A young Turkish boy shared tea and a small bit of cheese with Waters and her traveling companions, even though he had very little. This small act of kindness had an effect on Waters's approach to hospitality and generosity in her own restaurant. From Turkey, Waters then returned to France, where she embarked upon a year-long journey. Her travels solidified her love of all things food and French and inspired her to return to California and open Chez Panisse. Waters counts Elizabeth David ,
935-419: Is a 1-acre (4,000 m ) organic garden and kitchen classroom. Students at the middle school are involved in growing, harvesting, and preparing the foods from the garden, with the aim of promoting the environmental and social well-being of the school community. Waters's work at the Edible Schoolyard has also developed into her School Lunch Initiative, which has the broader goal of bringing school children into
990-463: Is a national public policy advocate for universal access to healthy, organic foods. Her influence in the fields of organic foods and nutrition inspired Michelle Obama 's White House organic vegetable garden program. Waters was born in Chatham Borough, New Jersey , on April 28, 1944, to Charles Allen Waters, a Rutgers University graduate who was a management consultant and Margaret Waters,
1045-409: Is limited to holidays where entire families dine together, such as Easter and Thanksgiving , or on couple-centric holidays like Valentine's Day . In France , table d'hôte refers to the shared dining (sometimes breakfast and lunch) offered in a vacation named chambre d'hôte (similar to "bed and breakfast"). Every guest of a chambre d'hôte can join this meal, cooked by the hosting family. It
1100-469: Is not a restaurant, there is only one service, the price is fixed and usually included in the vacation. Everyone sits around a large table and makes small-talk about the house, the country, and so on. What is closer in French to the meaning of table d'hôte in English is a menu ("lunch special" or "fixed menu"). It usually includes several dishes to pick in a fixed list: an entrée (introductory course),
1155-421: Is what Julia Child did for French cuisine. The Shree Thaker Bhojanalay is where Waters is reported to have eaten a jowar bhakri for the first time. In 1971, Waters opened Chez Panisse , which she named for a favorite character in a trilogy of Marcel Pagnol films. From the beginning, the restaurant was a collaborative effort. One notable collaboration was with Jeremiah Tower , who helped create some of
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#17327806335841210-628: Is working to extend free school meals to all public school children in the United States. She hopes to expand programs like the Edible Schoolyard and the School Lunch Initiative in order to reach schools across the US. She supported the 2010 Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act , and believes that providing all public school students with free food in school would build the foundation for a healthier and more sustainable food culture in
1265-529: The Berkeley Co-op and at smaller markets around Berkeley. The staff foraged for ingredients such as wild blackberries, and neighbors brought produce grown in their backyards. David Lance Goines , Waters's boyfriend and a skilled artist, created posters for the restaurant and other Gourmet Ghetto businesses. With her friends including film scholars Aratow and Tom Luddy , Waters effectively ran a culinary salon at Chez Panisse, to advocate social change with
1320-624: The Berkeley Unified School District. In 2005, the Chez Panisse Foundation provided a grant to Berkeley schools to hire Ann Cooper as the director of Nutrition Services for the district. Cooper and the foundation eliminated almost all processed foods from the district and introduced organic fruits and vegetables to the daily menu, all while staying within the district's budget. Waters's vision is to teach subjects such as history, science, and art through
1375-707: The CBS television program 60 Minutes , and made a public call for President Obama to plant an organic garden at the White House to catalyze change in the US food system. Michelle Obama, in conjunction with her anti-obesity campaign Let's Move! , planted the White House organic vegetable garden that year. An article in the San Francisco Chronicle states that: Obama's Let's Move campaign, which replaced her predecessor's literacy drive, addresses much of what Waters has been preaching ... Chris Lehane,
1430-702: The English cookbook author and writer, as one of her influences. She also credits Richard Olney , an American authority on French food who spent much of his life living in France, with influencing her simple, rustic cuisine. Olney introduced Waters to Lucien and Lulu Peyraud , owners of the Domaine Tempier vineyard in Provence . Lulu Peyraud's vineyard cooking significantly influenced Waters's cooking and her menus at Chez Panisse. In her foreword to Olney's book, Lulu's Provençal Table , Waters wrote: "Lucien and Lulu's warmhearted enthusiasm for life, their love for
1485-705: The US. In 2003, Waters helped create the Yale Sustainable Food Project , which aims to make sustainable food an important part of university-level education. The project maintains an on-campus organic farm and integrates organic, local products into the university's dining program In 2006, Waters oversaw the creation of the Rome Sustainable Food Project at the American Academy in Rome , which aims to provide
1540-756: The books Chez Panisse Cooking (with Paul Bertolli ), The Art of Simple Food I and II , and 40 Years of Chez Panisse . Her memoir, Coming to my Senses: The Making of a Counterculture Cook , was published in September 2017 and released in paperback in May 2018. Waters created the Chez Panisse Foundation in 1996 and the Edible Schoolyard program at the Martin Luther King Middle School in Berkeley. She
1595-414: The courses). Wine and other beverages are almost always excluded. In Sweden , almost all restaurants—from the simplest diner to the finest luxury restaurant—serve Dagens rätt ("the daily dish") during lunch hours (on weekdays) at a much lower price than the same dish would cost at other times. Most commonly, there is a choice of two or three dishes: a meat/fish/poultry dish, a vegetarian alternative, and
1650-452: The customer can compose a menu from a list of entrees, main courses and desserts. These dishes can be ordered separately and all have a different pricing depending on the ingredients used. However combined in a three-, five-, or seven-course menu, they will be served at a fixed pricing that is usually €10–15 cheaper than when ordered separately. Also in many cases, if a menu is chosen, it will be accompanied by amuses (little side dishes between
1705-430: The essential element necessary to create delicious food. Waters's effort to promote fresh, sustainable food grown by local farms has extended into her work as a food activist and humanitarian. Waters has always been an outspoken supporter of the restaurant's approach to food, cooking, and supporting the local community, but has more recently formalized her efforts through the Chez Panisse Foundation. In celebration of
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1760-672: The food being prepared. Though the open kitchen plan used to exhibit the preparation of food had been used in several other premium restaurants (such as Johnny Kan 's in San Francisco's Chinatown in 1953, Fournou's Ovens in San Francisco in 1972, and Depuy Canal House in High Falls, New York , in 1974), Chez Panisse's implementation of the concept influenced chef Wolfgang Puck , who brought it much wider acceptance beginning with his Spago restaurant in Beverly Hills . Until
1815-510: The goal of making locally sourced food economically viable. In February 1973, Waters hired Jeremiah Tower as head chef. Tower increased the focus on salads and local food. Tower says that a turning point in the focus on locally sourced food came in October 1976, when he prepared a regional menu including cream corn soup made in a Mendocino style, oysters from Tomales Bay , cheese from Sonoma , and California-grown fruits and nuts purchased at
1870-619: The late 1980s, the Berkeley Co-op grocery store offered natural foods to residents and chefs of the Gourmet Ghetto. Next door was the French Hotel cafe, which featured cappuccino and espresso coffee. According to the North Shattuck Association, the Gourmet Ghetto business district runs primarily along Shattuck Avenue , with some shops on Walnut and Vine streets, and is roughly bordered by Rose Street to
1925-448: The later extended use, now more common, dates from the early nineteenth century. In France, the term began in inns where guests ate at a common table, called the "host's table" (though the host typically did not sit with the guests). By the end of the seventeenth century, similar meals were being hosted by other eateries ( cabarets and traiteurs ), and were initially known as "inn's tables" ( tables d'auberge ). This practice of serving
1980-462: The most typical fixed-price menu is called business lunch ( бизнес-ланч ) or fixed lunch ( комплексный обед ), taken in the daytime. In Japan , a similar practice is referred to as teishoku ( 定食 ) . This has a fixed menu and often comes with side dishes such as pickled vegetables and miso soup . Typical prices can range from ¥ 800 to ¥1,500. In Korea , table d'hôte is also known as han-jeongsik ( 한정식 ). In Italy , many restaurants offer
2035-417: The north and Delaware Street to the south. The "Gourmet Ghetto" moniker became controversial in 2019 when Nick Cho , co-owner of a new coffee shop in the neighborhood, remarked in an interview with Berkeleyside that he thought it was an inappropriate, offensive name. The North Shattuck Association, which had been using "Gourmet Ghetto" in its marketing, deliberated and decided to drop the phrase and remove
2090-444: The original. The second floor cafe operated almost as a second restaurant, with an à la carte menu featuring pasta, pizza and calzone rather than the table d'hôte / prix fixe style downstairs. In the cafe, one of the first California-style pizzas was made in a prominent wood-fired brick oven, using unusual toppings such as goat cheese and duck sausage. The cafe was built around an open kitchen plan so that patrons could watch
2145-535: The pleasures of the table, their deep connection to the beautiful earth of the South of France – these were things I had seen at the movies. But this was for real. I felt immediately as if I had come home to second family." In addition, Waters has said that she learned Chinese cooking from Cecilia Chiang , and the two became lifelong friends. Waters has said that what Chiang did to popularize Chinese cuisine in America
2200-400: The prix-fixe items as well as the price. In Spain , there is the menú or menú del día , which usually includes a starter, a main dish, bread, drink and choice of coffee or dessert. It may range in price from €8 to €30, with €10 being the average price. In Romania , the most typical fixed-price menu is called daily menu ( meniul zilei ), taken in the daytime. In Russia ,
2255-565: The project called Edible Schoolyard was organized in order to make an environment for the students to learn how to grow their own food and prepare it. Central to the operations and philosophy of Chez Panisse is Waters's and the restaurant's dedication to using organic ingredients. Waters has become a crusader for organic foods, believing that they are both better for the environment and for people's health in addition to tasting superior to commercially grown, non-organic foods. Waters became an organic devotee almost by accident, claiming that what she
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2310-468: The recipes that she later published under her name. Tower took the organic ingredients and melded them into a more refined menu. Chez Panisse was intended to serve primarily as a place where Waters could entertain her friends. Realizing the difficulty in sourcing fresh, high-quality ingredients, Waters began building a network of local farmers, artisans, and producers, and continues to source the restaurant's ingredients through her local network. Waters opened
2365-509: The restaurant's 25th anniversary in 1996, Waters founded the Chez Panisse Foundation, whose mission is to transform public education by using food to teach, nurture, and empower young people. In particular, the foundation has worked with the Berkeley Unified School District to develop a public school curriculum that is integrated with the school dining services and incorporates growing, cooking, and sharing food at
2420-404: The school curriculum, in addition to overhauling the school lunch program. Although the work of the Chez Panisse Foundation has focused primarily on the Berkeley Unified School District, Waters has become a vocal and familiar advocate for school lunch reform and activism at the national level, as well. She encouraged President Bill Clinton to plant a White House garden. In 2009, she appeared on
2475-420: The separately priced menu items available. Table d'hôte is a French loan phrase that literally means "the host's table". The term is used to denote a table set aside for residents of a guesthouse [ fr ] , who presumably sit at the same table as their host. The meaning shifted to include any meal featuring a set menu at a fixed price. The use in English is documented as early as 1617, while
2530-524: The street-side banners that used it. 37°53′N 122°16′W / 37.88°N 122.27°W / 37.88; -122.27 Alice Waters Alice Louise Waters (born April 28, 1944) is an American chef, restaurateur, food writer, and author. In 1971, she opened Chez Panisse , a restaurant in Berkeley, California , famous for its role in creating the farm-to-table movement and for pioneering California cuisine . Waters has authored
2585-469: The table into the school day in order to build a humane and sustainable future for the school's students. The Chez Panisse Foundation is a publicly supported 501(c)(3) organization. The primary work of the Chez Panisse Foundation has been to establish and sustain the Edible Schoolyard program at Berkeley's Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School. The Edible Schoolyard was established in 1995 and
2640-561: The trend toward consumers buying pre-packaged meat in a grocery store. Into this mix, catering to European tastes in the manner of Peet's, the Cheese Board was founded a few doors down from Peet's in 1967 by academics Elizabeth and Sahag Avedisian, who wanted to sell fine cheeses while they studied. The success of the business interrupted their studies, so the Avedisians sold the store to their six employees in 1971. The new enterprise
2695-440: The upstairs Chez Panisse Café, a concept championed by Tower, in 1980. Café serves an a la carte menu for lunch and dinner. In 1984, Waters opened Café Fanny, named after her daughter, between the wine shop of Kermit Lynch and Acme Bread . Café Fanny, which served breakfast and lunch in a casual, European-café setting, closed in 2012. Then Waters mainly focused on the importance of organic farmers. Through Chez Panisse foundation,
2750-749: The vehicle of food. In September 2010, the Center for Weight and Health at UC Berkeley, Center for Ecoliteracy, and Chez Panisse Foundation released an evaluation report on the School Lunch Initiative. The report tracked elementary and middle school students over three years to determine the effects of the School Lunch Initiative on children's eating habits and knowledge. The report found that students in schools with highly developed School Lunch Initiative components ate more daily servings of fruit and vegetables than students in schools with lesser developed programs, and that they scored higher on food knowledge assessments. Schools with highly developed School Lunch Initiative components integrated kitchen and garden classes into
2805-431: The wider San Francisco Bay Area. The Gourmet Ghetto can trace its origins to April 1, 1966, when Dutch-born Alfred Peet opened the first Peet's Coffee location at the corner of Walnut and Vine. Peet's was the first coffee retailer in the U.S. to feature specialty beans from around the world, with darker roasts such as French roast . The store initially sold only whole bean, fresh roasted coffee for home preparation—coffee
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#17327806335842860-469: Was brewed only to enable customers to sample the product. Peet had a fiery and temperamental character; he insisted that his patrons follow specific instructions for the preparation of European-style coffee at home. Peet's Coffee kicked off a nationwide trend in specialty coffee . The activist-oriented Berkeley Co-op grocery store was already in the neighborhood, focusing on natural foods. Also nearby were several neighborhood butcher shops which had survived
2915-591: Was formed as an employee-owned collective and renamed the Cheese Board Collective. The Cheese Board also offered local cheeses, and they baked bread because the combination of bread and cheese was a classic. The sourdough baguette was introduced to the U.S. at the Cheese Board in 1975; it sold very well along with soft cheeses. Chez Panisse was founded in 1971 by U.C. Berkeley film studies professor Paul Aratow and Alice Waters, who had been
2970-506: Was originally after was taste. She says: "When I opened up Chez Panisse, I was only thinking about taste. And in doing that, I ended up at the doorstep of [organic farmers]." Waters's current organic food agenda includes reforming the USDA school lunch program to include organic, local fruits and vegetables and changing the way America eats, but her passion for organics started at her restaurant, where she discovered that organic ingredients were
3025-582: Was the start of an American craze for chocolate truffles. Seeking a larger space in July 1975, the Cheese Board Collective moved into the retail space next to Wise. Down Shattuck a couple of blocks was Poulet, a gourmet restaurant which featured the work of Bruce Aidells , who would soon be known for his novel sausage flavors. Later, Aidells founded his own sausage company. Another co-op, the Juice Bar Collective, opened in 1976. In 1977, Medrich opened
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