[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 64 (Thursday, May 10, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E773]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 IN RECOGNITION OF ALICE WATERS BERKELEY PUBLIC EDUCATION FOUNDATION'S 
                      15TH ANNUAL SPRING LUNCHEON

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BARBARA LEE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 10, 2001

  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in Celebration of a Community 
Treasure, Miss Alice Waters, chef and owner of Chez Panisse restaurant 
in Berkeley, California. I would like to express my sincere 
appreciation for her leadership in educating the public about the 
necessity to incorporate healthy, sustainable foods into their daily 
lives, and her active contributions to the schools, children and 
community of Berkeley.
  Alice Waters is an internationally recognized and respected chef, 
author, activist, and humanitarian. She has brought about a wealth of 
positive changes to her community since she opened Chez Panisse in 
Berkeley thirty years ago. The philosophy behind the restaurant's 
menu--only preparing foods that are ``fresh, local, seasonal''--has had 
a major influence on chefs and restaurants throughout the world and has 
helped to ``redefine the American diet.'' Alice Waters has worked 
closely with local farmers and food suppliers who share her belief that 
food tastes the best and is the best nutritionally when it is grown 
organically and harvested using environmentally responsible methods. In 
this respect, Miss Waters is a pioneer in the sustainable agriculture 
movement that has recently gained visibility now that we are in the age 
of genetically-engineered foods.
  Ongoing advocacy for farmer's markets and sustainable agriculture has 
led Miss Waters and Chez Panisse to support and create programs that 
will educate others through hands-on growing and cooking experience. 
One such program was the Garden Project, which taught organic gardening 
skills to former San Francisco County Jail inmates. This program 
transformed and enriched their lives.
  Most of all we want to recognize and thank Alice Waters for the time 
and effort she has given to Berkeley children. The idea of the Edible 
Schoolyard came to Miss Waters after she noticed the worsening 
conditions at neighboring Martin Luther King Junior High School. She 
presented her ideas for an edible garden at the school in 1995. The 
program has been integrated into the academic curriculum and the school 
lunch program. For years she worked with the school staff, community 
members, and outside supporters to make the garden happen. Today the 
garden is famous, as is the refurbished kitchen where students cook and 
eat its bounty together. Principal Smith credits the Edible Schoolyard 
with helping ``change the culture of the school.''
  Less well known is the time Miss Waters put in as one of the most 
active members of the Measure A Site Planning committee at Martin 
Luther King Junior High School. For two years she worked with parents, 
neighbors, faculty, and architects on plans to rebuild the school with 
bond funds allocated by voters in 1992. Miss Waters' insistence that 
MLK, Jr. High School should strive to be rebuilt as a welcoming, 
appealing center of learning and community pride inspired us all.
  In 1996 she created The Chez Panisse Foundation to help underwrite 
these exemplary cultural and educational programs.
  I thank Alice for dedicating her time and insight for many years and 
for providing the means for financial support for many important 
programs. Alice has planted a seed in a garden that has grown into a 
lush landscape of sustenance from which we all learn and benefit.

                          ____________________