Originally, Chez Panisse was designed to cultivate the atmosphere of an intimate dinner party, with hosts who paid attention even to the smallest details of the dining experience and guests who enjoyed the same meal around the table.
As a participant in the Free Speech Movement that swept UC Berkeley's campus in the 1960s, Waters learned to love cooking for others while she hosted gatherings to discuss politics with her peers.

The culinary influences for Chez Panisse were largely French, inspired by the 1920s cookbook of French cuisine bourgeoise, La bonne cuisine de Madame E. Saint-Ange.
This book has been translated into English by Paul Aratow, who was also the first chef de cuisine at Chez Panisse.
Although Waters never preferred the fancy and predictable restaurants of Paris, she became enamored with the small, country restaurants of France that cooked whatever was fresh that day and created menus based on what the market had to offer.
She first traveled to France as an undergraduate at UC Berkeley, where she majored in French Cultural Studies, and immediately was drawn to the food and market culture around her.
In particular, Waters found inspiration from Lulu and Lucien Peyraud, owners of the Domaine Tempier vineyard in Bandol, in the south of France.
Their enjoyment of food and wine and their simple preparations of the fresh, local produce had strong influence on the food and atmosphere of Chez Panisse.
Aratow had lived for years in Italy and France, exploring the language, cuisine and culture of both countries and had a talent for hands-on culinary craftsmanship.
He also designed and supervised the transition of an ordinary two story apartment house into the restaurant structure, working with the carpenters on a limited budget.

In addition to Waters' travels in France, the writings of Richard Olney, an American cook who spent most of his life in France and of Elizabeth David, a British cook and food writer, served as inspirations for the restaurant's menu.

Waters wrote in 1980:
Chez Panisse began with our doing the very best we could do with French recipes and California ingredients, and has evolved into what I like to think of as a celebration of the very finest of our regional food products.
The recipes of Elizabeth David and Richard Olney provided a starting point and inspiration to us; and we soon realized that the similarity of California's climate to that of the south of France gives us similar products that require different interpretations and executions.
My one unbreakable rule has always been to use only the freshest and finest ingredients available.

In 1971, Waters and Aratow opened the restaurant to a twice-sold-out house.
Victoria Wise served as the first chef, and Lindsey Shere, a friend of Alice's, was the pastry chef.

Due to Waters' insistence on using the highest-quality ingredients available regardless of cost, coupled with her lack of experience working in (not to mention running) a restaurant, Chez Panisse struggled financially for many years.
The restaurant also gained a reputation for its staff's partying and illegal drug use, which contributed to the environment of the young Chez Panisse.
Nonetheless, Waters and Aratow continued, cooking country French-inspired meals with local California ingredients.
In the process, Waters and the restaurant began building up their network of local producers, which continues to provide the restaurant with the majority of its ingredients today.

In 1972, Jeremiah Tower became the chef de cuisine of Chez Panisse, replacing Victoria Wise.
While at Chez Panisse he was in charge of the kitchen and the menus.
He left in 1978 and went on to open Santa Fe Bar and Grill and Stars in San Francisco, in the 1980s.
He, along with Alice Waters, Paul Aratow and several other chefs are often credited with creating the style of cooking known as "California Cuisine."
Paul Bertolli served as the head chef of Chez Panisse from 1982 to 1992.
With Waters, Bertolli co-wrote the cookbook Chez Panisse Cooking.
He later went on to become the head chef of Oliveto, an Italian restaura
Originally, Chez Panisse was designed to cultivate the atmosphere of an intimate dinner party, with hosts who paid attention even to the smallest details of the dining experience and guests who enjoyed the same meal around the table. As a participant in the Free Speech Movement that swept UC Berkeley's campus in the 1960s, Waters learned to love cooking for others while she hosted gatherings to discuss politics with her peers.
The culinary influences for Chez Panisse were largely French, inspired by the 1920s cookbook of French cuisine bourgeoise, La bonne cuisine de Madame E. Saint-Ange. This book has been translated into English by Paul Aratow, who was also the first chef de cuisine at Chez Panisse. Although Waters never preferred the fancy and predictable restaurants of Paris, she became enamored with the small, country restaurants of France that cooked whatever was fresh that day and created menus based on what the market had to offer. She first traveled to France as an undergraduate at UC Berkeley, where she majored in French Cultural Studies, and immediately was drawn to the food and market culture around her. In particular, Waters found inspiration from Lulu and Lucien Peyraud, owners of the Domaine Tempier vineyard in Bandol, in the south of France. Their enjoyment of food and wine and their simple preparations of the fresh, local produce had strong influence on the food and atmosphere of Chez Panisse. Aratow had lived for years in Italy and France, exploring the language, cuisine and culture of both countries and had a talent for hands-on culinary craftsmanship. He also designed and supervised the transition of an ordinary two story apartment house into the restaurant structure, working with the carpenters on a limited budget.
In addition to Waters' travels in France, the writings of Richard Olney, an American cook who spent most of his life in France and of Elizabeth David, a British cook and food writer, served as inspirations for the restaurant's menu.
Waters wrote in 1980:
Chez Panisse began with our doing the very best we could do with French recipes and California ingredients, and has evolved into what I like to think of as a celebration of the very finest of our regional food products. The recipes of Elizabeth David and Richard Olney provided a starting point and inspiration to us; and we soon realized that the similarity of California's climate to that of the south of France gives us similar products that require different interpretations and executions. My one unbreakable rule has always been to use only the freshest and finest ingredients available.
In 1971, Waters and Aratow opened the restaurant to a twice-sold-out house. Victoria Wise served as the first chef, and Lindsey Shere, a friend of Alice's, was the pastry chef.
Due to Waters' insistence on using the highest-quality ingredients available regardless of cost, coupled with her lack of experience working in (not to mention running) a restaurant, Chez Panisse struggled financially for many years. The restaurant also gained a reputation for its staff's partying and illegal drug use, which contributed to the environment of the young Chez Panisse. Nonetheless, Waters and Aratow continued, cooking country French-inspired meals with local California ingredients. In the process, Waters and the restaurant began building up their network of local producers, which continues to provide the restaurant with the majority of its ingredients today.
In 1972, Jeremiah Tower became the chef de cuisine of Chez Panisse, replacing Victoria Wise. While at Chez Panisse he was in charge of the kitchen and the menus. He left in 1978 and went on to open Santa Fe Bar and Grill and Stars in San Francisco, in the 1980s. He, along with Alice Waters, Paul Aratow and several other chefs are often credited with creating the style of cooking known as "California Cuisine." Paul Bertolli served as the head chef of Chez Panisse from 1982 to 1992. With Waters, Bertolli co-wrote the cookbook Chez Panisse Cooking. He later went on to become the head chef of Oliveto, an Italian restaura
Chez Panisse