Alice Waters, owner and executive chef of famed Berkeley restaurant Chez Panisse, spoke to Cabrillo College culinary students on Nov. 5, 2021 via Zoom.

Culinary art instructor Mima Lecocq invited her long-time business associate Waters to Cabrillo, having spent years working at the Berkeley restaurant in her teens. Lecocq’s mother was a chef at the restaurant.

Jeremy Mac Veigh, Cabrillo culinary department chair, described what was in store for his students prior to the event. “Our culinary students will learn about Chez Panisse’s rich history and restaurant mystique while learning the secrets to success, in particular the ‘Farm to Table’ mantra.”

Alice Waters opened her restaurant in April 1971 with a vision and goal of gourmet farmers bringing their products to a gourmet restaurant patron’s table. The restaurant has a single food offering on the menu, which changes daily.

Cabrillo’s culinary department operates a restaurant, Pino Alto, which serves lunch and dinner at the Sesnon House on campus.

Mac Veigh encouraged people to consider dining at three local restaurants similar to Chez Panisse’s styles of California cuisine: Mentone in Aptos Village, Persephone in Aptos, and Home in Soquel.