Food - Drink
The Famous Restaurant Samin Nosrat Got Her Start In
By JEN PENG
Famous chefs come from all kinds of backgrounds; you may not know that Gordon Ramsay only became a chef after an injury ended his budding career as a football player, Samin Nosrat, author of "Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking," never planned to become a culinary expert, until one restaurant changed everything.
Chez Panisse, a Berkley restaurant founded by chef Alice Waters over 50 years ago, has been called "arguably the most influential American restaurant in history" by Bon Appétit. While Nosrat was studying to become a writer at the University of Berkeley, she and her boyfriend saved up for a meal at Chez Panisse, an experience that changed her life.
Nosrat was so moved by the meal that she wrote a letter to Waters and landed a job as a busser, and climbed the ranks from there. Chez Panisse inspired Nosrat to get serious about food, which became her chosen career field; now, she's a James Beard Award winner for both her "Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat" book and the Netflix show of the same name.