Teen Observer Archive

BERKELEY, Calif. — It is 10 in the morning and while in some parts of town the day is just beginning, the day at Chez Panisse in the “Gourmet Ghetto” here is in full swing. Chefs are unloading whole lambs and pigs off trucks and running them in through the back entrance; others are inside chopping red peppers and sorting fresh blackberries.

Meanwhile, the bartender is washing and organizing wine glasses and the florist is cutting and arranging wildflowers. Dozens of the 115 staffers are also are setting the tables for the day ahead of them: The fixed-price dinner in the dining room, and the lunch and dinner meals in the café. Over the last 44 years, Chez Panisse has got its morning routine down to a science.

The 500 customers a day who dine at the restaurant are meant to experience a restaurant meal that feels like at-home dining. However, in order to make it all happen, General Manager Jennifer Sherman says that the establishment needs all hand on deck to make the “wheels turn.” Employees have a passion for food and wine and are hardworking, Sherman said.

Founder Alice Waters and friends opened the restaurant in 1971. The first four-course meal costed $6.25, including wine. Now, an average meal can cost $100, excluding wine.

When the restaurant first opened, Waters had recently come back from studying abroad in France, where, according to Sherman, she is said to have fallen in love with the daily shopping for ingredients and the long dining experiences.  A student of the French culture, Waters was inspired by French restaurateurs, who made dining at their restaurants feel like a community passionately coming together over food.

Another special aspect about Chez Panisse is its practice of only using ingredients that look the freshest at the market each day. Since freshness is key, there is a new menu daily. Sherman said, “The food is different twice a day, every day.” The restaurant is open Monday through Saturday.

Chez Panisse takes pride in serving dishes that are never frozen, never artificial and always organic. Sherman, who was a chef at Chez Panisse before becoming General Manager, said that they also use only ingredients that are in season.

Thirty years ago, Chez Panisse had a bad kitchen fire, which destroyed the wall between the kitchen and the dining room. Sherman said, “[Alice is] always someone to look at something as an opportunity rather than a hurdle.” She saw the openness from the front of the house to the back of the house as yet another way to make diners feel that they were at a dinner party in someone’s home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With more than 500 customers a day and a menu that changes depending on what’s freshest, Chez Panisse proves to be on the cutting edge of farm-to-table dining. 

BERKELEY, Calif. — When entering Chez Panisse, one is instantly transported to a cozy, European atmosphere. The homey restaurant opened its doors in 1971 when Alice Waters and friends decided to bring the French ideals of fine dining to what later became the “gourmet ghetto” of Berkeley. Jennifer Sherman, general manager, spoke admirably about Waters (who was not at the interview), advocating for her mindset: “She felt the United States had lost the tradition of actually talking at dinner,” she said, when she first opened its doors years ago.

Back then, the tables covered in red- checked tablecloths and assorted flea market chairs, and for $6.75 per person, diners could order a three-course meal that included wine. Today a four-course meal at Chez Panisse costs approximately $100 per person — not including wine.

A recent menu indicated the wide variety at the restaurant: wild herb and cured ham agnolotti in yellow tomato consommé; halibut with black truffles; quail with grapes, carrots and polenta; Flavor King plum galette with fennel flower ice cream, to name a few.

Preparation is essential 

The idea behind Chez Panisse is farm-to-table, gourmet food. The menu revolves around what is fresh at the market that week. The downstairs dining has a price-fixed menu, and at the upstairs cafe, restaurant goers can order a la carte.

The freshest produce in California included peaches, cucumbers and strawberries, when the Teen Observer staff toured and talked to the staff.  Sherman described the early weeks of the month as “luxurious” because of the abundance of produce.

Pastry chefs spent the morning sorting raspberries to pick the best ones to use on the ice cream.

“We spend a lot of time sorting fruit,” said one of the pastry chefs. All berries are picked and used within one or two days. There is also a room devoted to making pasta and washing lettuce.

Chez Panisse is celebrating its 44th anniversary on Aug. 28 with live music and a special dinner.

 

BERKELEY, Calif. — In this bustling college town is the world-famous Chez Panisse, which will celebrate its 44th anniversary later this month.

The restaurant is known for fresh, local produce and its menus hat change daily to reflect that.

Teen Observers staff got a preview of a typical day recently on a tour with General Manager Jennifer Sherman, who describes their preparation time as a constant effort to create a “dinner party” atmosphere.

Founder Alice Waters and friends opened the restaurant in 1971 after she returned from a trip to France, and said she felt that Americans had lost the art of talking with each other over dinner.

In addition to her unique idea of only making dishes based on fresh produce brought in that day, it is “classic Alice” to “look at things as an opportunity instead of an obstacle,” Sherman said, noting that the reason diners can see through from the front of the house to the back of the house is because of a fire 30 years ago that destroyed the wall separating them.

Sherman said Waters’ response on seeing the damage was, “Isn’t that wonderful, I can see all the way to the kitchen!”

While waiting to write the daily menus until chefs know what’s freshest “makes for a lot of extra work, it’s really worth it,” said Sherman. From the wildflower arrangements to the grilled quail, from the posters to the reclaimed redwood porch, Sherman said, “It’s really important to Alice that when you come to a place, you have a sense of things being made by hand.”

Pastry chefs scrutinize fruits, which is used within a day or two of being picked. They looked closely and picked through raspberries, blackberries and strawberries on a recent weekday and decided what to use in desserts. The less-than-perfect pieces would be puréed or used in sauces.

Whether an employee is washing lettuce or setting up the bar or making an ice cream crepe with peaches, Sherman said they look for staffers who are “hardworking and reliable with an interest in food and wine.” They also want people who have other passions and interests outside the kitchen, she added.

She said “everyone’s opinion matters” at the restaurant, where they strive to create a collaborative work environment.

One of Waters’ and the restaurant’s greatest accomplishments, Sherman said, has been the connection that developed over the years between farmers and ranchers, and between those who are growing the food and those in the kitchen turning that food into three-course meals.

“All of her passions are about food, but it’s really about connecting people,” she said.

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