The Restaurant That Pioneered California Cuisine

When you think about the current scene of American dining and the buzzwords that surround it, like farm-to-table, local and seasonal produce, and sustainably grown or humanely raised meat are ubiquitous. The idea of eating what's around you doesn't seem groundbreaking, but in a time of factory farming and monocropping, restaurants differentiate themselves (and justify their higher prices) by ensuring that their ingredients are sourced locally from farmers and producers who pride themselves on providing the highest quality available. Diners have grown used to this philosophy and often seek it out, however, dining in the United States has not always focused on these priorities. It all started about 50 years ago, thanks to one innovative chef in the Bay Area who pioneered California cuisine.

If you're unfamiliar with the term California cuisine, it centers around utilizing and celebrating the amazing ingredients that come from California. It emphasizes cooking with products that are in season and sourced as locally as possible, including an immense respect for and building a relationship with farmers and other producers. As the Golden State is full of diverse people and cultures, California cuisine incorporates the population's international cooking techniques and knowledge of seasonal ingredients.

Although Northern California is now a world-renowned destination for extraordinary dining thanks to places like The French Laundry, this wasn't always the case. Chef Alice Waters opened Chez Panisse in August 1971 and set the restaurant industry on a path for the better by revolutionizing where her ingredients came from. 

Located in Berkeley, California, Chez Panisse evolved to stray from the highly-prized French cuisine of the mid-20th century and focused on utilizing the best of local Californian produce, products, and proteins. Ironically, Waters' philosophy was inspired by dining in France in the 1960s. "The trout had just come from the stream and the raspberries from the garden. It was this immediacy that made those dishes so special," Waters recalled, per California Museum. Alice Waters' vision for a locally-driven menu spurred growth for the adjacent farming and ranching communities as well, making her one of the women who changed the American food industry for the better. 

Chez Panisse's tasting menu changes daily, and there's a more casual café upstairs for à la carte dining, but every item on both menus reflects local sources that epitomize California cuisine. Recent early fall menu items include grilled Monterey Bay squid with a Meyer lemon vinaigrette, and Sonoma County duck breast with haricot verts persillade. For a brilliant fall dessert, try this warren pear and berry crisp recipe from Chez Panisse. 

Numerous influential chefs around the world credit Waters and Chez Panisse as essential to their knowledge, career growth, and overall approach to cooking. The list includes veteran industry titans like Los Angeles chef Suzanne Goin, a proponent of California cuisine since the late 1990s, and Dan Barber, founder of Blue Hill at Stone Barns in New York. Darlings of the modern food world like Samin Nosrat have also been inspired by Chez Panisse, who attributes her food philosophies and trajectory of her careers to Waters and the birth of California cuisine.