Alice Waters opened her iconic Berkeley, California restaurant Chez Panisse 54 years ago, introducing the concept of farm-to-table eating to Americans and only serving local, seasonal produce at peak ripeness. She’s also a food activist, and through The Edible Schoolyard Project, has spent the past 30 years showing schools how to integrate locally farmed, organic produce into their cafeterias. 

On today’s episode, Alice shares two life-changing experiences that inspired her to open her restaurant; what diners thought about being served two figs for dessert in Chez Panisse’s early days; how schools can afford to serve kids farm fresh food; and what she packed in her own daughter’s lunchbox. And we take a peak inside her her new cookbook, A School Lunch Revolution. 

Then the Director of Nutrition Services for California’s Sweet Water Union High School district joins the show to talk about how he flipped the district’s lunch program on its head, buying more than half of the food from local farmers and producers or having the students grow it themselves.  
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Watch Rachel’s Cascade PBS TV showThe Nosh with Rachel Belle. 
Sign up for Rachel’s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings.
Follow along on Instagram. 
Order Rachel’s cookbook Open Sesame. 

Alice Waters opened her iconic Berkeley, California restaurant Chez Panisse 54 years ago, introducing the concept of farm-to-table eating to Americans and only serving local, seasonal produce at peak ripeness. She&rsquo;s also a food activist, and through The Edible Schoolyard Project, has spent the past 30 years showing schools how to integrate locally farmed, organic produce into their cafeterias.&nbsp;
On today&rsquo;s episode, Alice shares two life-changing experiences that inspired her to open her restaurant; what diners thought about being served two figs for dessert in Chez Panisse&rsquo;s early days; how schools can afford to serve kids farm fresh food; and what she packed in her own daughter&rsquo;s lunchbox. And we take a peak inside her her new cookbook, <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/598361/a-school-lunch-revolution-by-alice-waters/">A School Lunch Revolution.</a>&nbsp;
Then the Director of Nutrition Services for California&rsquo;s Sweet Water Union High School district joins the show to talk about how he flipped the district&rsquo;s lunch program on its head, buying more than half of the food from local farmers and producers or having the students grow it themselves. &nbsp;
<ul>
<li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559683&quot;:0,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1"><a href="https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133995/donate/1?ref=cascadepbs.org">Become a Cascade PBS member </a>and support public media!</li>
<li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559683&quot;:0,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Watch Rachel&rsquo;s Cascade PBS TV show <a href="https://video.cascadepbs.org/show/the-nosh-with-rachel-belle/episodes?ref=cascadepbs.org">The Nosh with Rachel Belle.</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559683&quot;:0,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1"><a href="https://secure.cascadepublicmedia.org/page/133765/subscribe/1?ref=cascadepbs.org">Sign up</a> for Rachel&rsquo;s (free!) biweekly Cascade PBS newsletter for more food musings.</li>
<li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559683&quot;:0,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Follow along on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/hellorachelbelle/?hl=en&amp;ref=cascadepbs.org">Instagram.</a>&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559683&quot;:0,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/747086/open-sesame-by-belle-rachel/?ref=cascadepbs.org">Order</a> Rachel&rsquo;s cookbook Open Sesame.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

YOUR LAST MEAL is a James Beard Award finalist for best podcast hosted by National Edward R. Murrow award-winning reporter, cookbook author and Cascade PBS TV hostRachel Belle. 

Each episode Rachel asks a celebrity (Greta Gerwig, Jonathon Van Ness, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Margaret Cho, Alton Brown, Isaac Mizrahi, Ani DiFranco, Iron & Wine, etc) what they would choose to eat for their last meal. Then she uncovers the history, science and culture of these dishes with everyone from the designer who created Lady Gaga's meat dress to the ice cream scientists at Ben & Jerry's. 

YOUR LAST MEAL is a James Beard Award finalist for best podcast hosted by National Edward R. Murrow award-winning reporter, <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/747086/open-sesame-by-belle-rachel/">cookbook</a> author and Cascade PBS <a href="https://www.pbs.org/show/the-nosh-with-rachel-belle/">TV host</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/hellorachelbelle/?hl=en">Rachel Belle.</a>&nbsp;
Each episode Rachel asks a celebrity (Greta Gerwig, Jonathon Van Ness, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Margaret Cho, Alton Brown, Isaac Mizrahi, Ani DiFranco, Iron &amp; Wine, etc) what they would choose to eat for their last meal. Then she uncovers the history, science and culture of these dishes with everyone from the designer who created Lady Gaga's meat dress to the ice cream scientists at Ben &amp; Jerry's.&nbsp;

Your Last Meal with Rachel Belle

YOUR LAST MEAL is a James Beard Award finalist for best podcast hosted by Rachel Belle, Emmy-nominated Cascade PBS TV host ("The Nosh"), cookbook author ("Open Sesame") and National Edward R. Murrow award-winning feature reporter.

Each episode Rachel asks a celebrity (Greta Gerwig, Jonathon Van Ness, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Margaret Cho, Alton Brown, Isaac Mizrahi, Ani DiFranco, Iron & Wine, etc) what they would choose to eat for their last meal. Then she uncovers the history, science and culture of these dishes with everyone from the designer who created Lady Gaga's meat dress to the ice cream scientists at Ben & Jerry's. 

YOUR LAST MEAL is a James Beard Award finalist for best podcast hosted by Rachel Belle, Emmy-nominated Cascade PBS&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pbs.org/show/the-nosh-with-rachel-belle/">TV host</a> ("The Nosh"), <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/747086/open-sesame-by-belle-rachel/">cookbook</a> author ("Open Sesame") and National Edward R. Murrow award-winning feature reporter.
Each episode Rachel asks a celebrity (Greta Gerwig, Jonathon Van Ness, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Margaret Cho, Alton Brown, Isaac Mizrahi, Ani DiFranco, Iron &amp; Wine, etc) what they would choose to eat for their last meal. Then she uncovers the history, science and culture of these dishes with everyone from the designer who created Lady Gaga's meat dress to the ice cream scientists at Ben &amp; Jerry's.&nbsp;

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