Chez Panisse – Teen Observer Archive

August 10, 2015August 11, 2015

Preparing Chez Panisse starts early each day

BERKELEY, Calif. — Jennifer Sherman, general manager of Chez Panisse, gave the Teen Observer staff insight into the restaurant’s life, where the menus change daily in both the fixed-price restaurant and the more informal cafe, where diners can order a la carte.

It’s early on a Monday morning, and at 1517 Shattuck Ave here, not from the University of California, Berkeley, campus, employees at Chez Panisse are beginning their fresh food preparations before the lunch crowd arrives.

The entrance to Chez Panisse. Photo by Hannah Kinson — The exterior of Chez Panisse features handmade work and was redone after a fire in 2013. Photo by Hannah Kinson

Sherman said when Alice Waters and friends opened the restaurant in 1971, she wanted to create a place where customers could feel as if they were visiting a friend for a dinner party. Waters’ travels to France on an exchange program in college, provided the inspiration. She fell in love with the practice of shopping locally and daily, preparing meals that were based on what was freshest that day, and lingering over long conversations.

Today, she and the staff go to markets but the food also comes to them from local ranchers and farmers. Meat arrived when we did, at 10 a.m., from a local farm; fruits were carefully picked through for the best in freshness and appearance for desserts that would be started that morning, too. Pasta was being made in the back; lettuce was being washed.

The oven fires in the open kitchens both upstairs and downstairs were lit for pizza baking as well as squid, roast and other items. And before any of these staffers came to work, a group arrived at 6 a.m. to start the day by taking inventory.

Sherman, who still thinks of herself first and foremost as a cook, said the restaurant is “a wonderful place to work because there are a lot of opinions, and everyone’s opinion matters.”

A la carte pastry dough. Photo by Hannah Kinson — A chef prepares sheets of pasta before all the lunch guests arrive. Photo by Hannah Kinson

One of the chefs prepares food for the dining room. Photo by Hannah Kinson — Preparation in both the dining room. Photo by Hannah Kinson

The restaurant and Waters, who is now vice president of Slow Food International, have gained fame for their use of local and organic produce.

“We only buy from farmers we know,” Sherman said, noting that Waters has forged connections between farmers and ranchers and the restaurant — and along the way, she helped to change grocery stores as well.

Sherman said that while today shoppers take for granted that many stores have fresh fruit and vegetables on display, it wasn’t always that way. She said Waters used to push stores nearby to carry certain items in season and told managers if they stocked them, she’d buy them.

The restaurant will celebrate its 44th year on Aug. 28 with a special menu and live music.

August 8, 2015August 8, 2015

Chez Panisse: more than just a restaurant

Employees always hand-pick the best produce to ensure that it is fresh. Photo by Makena Huey — Pastry chefs begin sorting fresh fruit to use in desserts and sauces hours before the restaurant opens. Photo by Makena Huey

This month marks the 44th anniversary of Chez Panisse. General Manager Jennifer Sherman recently gave a behind-the-scenes tour of the restaurant to the staff of the Teen Observer.

When creating Chez Panisse in 1971, Alice Waters was inspired to have her customers feel as if they were going to a “dinner party” where “generosity and attention to detail” would radiate.

Waters has a strong “passion for food and bringing people together,” Sherman said.

And for almost 44 years, her goal has been to provide people with a “Slow Food” experience, which emphasizes the importance of fresh, organic food as well as bonding with friends and family.

“It’s really important to Alice that when you come in, you have a feeling that everything is made by hand,” she said. This not only includes the food, but also the interior and exterior features of the building that make Chez Panisse so much more than just a restaurant. “All of her passions are about food, but it’s really about connecting people,” she said.

The restaurant, which serves about 500 people per day, was the first of its kind to have a visible fireplace and an open-floor plan, so diners can see the chefs doing what they love from their tables. This concept is ideal for small, intimate groups of people. Sherman said one table seats 10 but they recommend that no more than eight eat together.

The menu changes daily based on what is fresh and looks best at the markets, and the restaurant maintains a strong relationship with many local farmers to ensure that only the best and most seasonal foods are served. “We go look at the things and decide what’s really best,” Sherman said.

“We would not be who we are without farmers who are beyond organic,” Sherman said. When Waters first opened the restaurant in 1971, a three-course dinner was $6.25 including a bottle of wine. Today, the average price for a four-course meal is $100, not including wine.

Waters decided to take out the wall separating the two areas after a kitchen fire 30 years ago.
Photo by Makena Huey

The staff is a very tight-knit community, which is unique considering there are over 115 employees. Sherman describes the restaurant as a collaborative work environment where “everybody’s opinion matters.” When hiring people, she said she looks for individuals who are hard-working, reliable, interesting, diverse, skilled and most importantly, passionate. This passion for the art of cooking and connecting people is what makes Chez Panisse have such a warm and friendly atmosphere.

Not only does this restaurant provide a five star dining experience, but it also features live music several times per year including jazz bands, accordion and piano players, as well as a French group called the Baguette Quartet. Up-and-coming cookbook authors often have their book signings at their cafe, while locals and tourists alike come together to celebrate special occasions.

On Aug. 28, the restaurant will be celebrate its 44th anniversary. There will be live music and delicious food fresh from the farmer’s hands. For more information, click here.

July 8, 2015August 8, 2015

Chez Panisse: French style brought to America

BERKELEY, Calif. — The American restaurant with a very French style of dining, Chez Panisse, founded by Alice Waters and friends, will celebrate its 44th year Aug. 28.

A view of the Chez Panisse kitchen with a chef preparing for lunch – photo by Christian Ormson

Recently, the Teen Observer staff did a walk-through of the early-morning set up to see how the staff approaches an average day.

The earth-tone cedar shingles, as well as the over-hanging tree branches on the decorative porch fencing is the first clue that customers might be walking into a different kind of establishment.

Inside, in the first-floor dining room, dim lights, handmade architectural details and even the wildflower flower arrangements add to a seasonal feel. General Manager Jennifer Sherman said these details should “point towards what you’re about to eat.”

The restaurant and the upstairs and less-formal cafe change their menus daily and buy from local farmers who don’t use pesticides or chemicals.

The dining room serves a four-course meal, and those in the cafe can order a la carte.

“The wonderful thing about Chez Panisse is that it’s so collaborative, there’s a lot of people coming together under Alice’s idea,” said Sherman.

It’s a busy hustle when the cooks arrive in the morning at 6:30 a.m to prepare for the lunch crowd. These chefs have a specific area of expertise in cooking, with lots of variation.

While someone may be preparing sheets of pasta, another will be sorting out the fresh, best-looking raspberries from the not-so-good ones, which might go into a sauce. There will be a chef setting up cheese blocks while the bartender prepares the bar with glassware.

Chez Panisse has an open design concept. After a fire destroyed the wall separating the kitchen from the dining area 30 years ago, Waters saw that as an opportunity to open the space so restaurant-goers could see from the front of the house to the back, an open-concept that has become widespread.