Chef Alice Waters, winner of USF's 2009 California Prize for Service and the Common Good.
Renowned chef Alice Waters will receive the California Prize for
Service and the Common Good for 2009 from the University of San
Francisco.
The award – to be handed out in a ceremonial dinner
under the stars in a transparent dome tent on the campus lawn Thursday
– recognizes service in pursuit of the common good for
society-at-large, and comes with a $10,000 purse and handcrafted medal.
Widely known as a champion of food grown locally, Waters is
credited with helping found the “slow food” movement that has
revolutionized how many Americans think about sustainable and organic
agriculture. As owner of the legendary Chez Panisse restaurant in
Berkeley, her influence is felt across the country as she raises
consciousness about how the food we choose affects our health and our
planet.
In 1996, Waters created the Chez Panisse Foundation to
support educational programs that use food to nurture, educate, and
empower young people. Through The Edible Schoolyard and the School
Lunch Initiative, the foundation works toward a public school
curriculum that includes hands-on experiences in school kitchens,
gardens, and lunchrooms, and provides healthy, freshly prepared meals
for students as part of each school day.
Waters’ work clearly
embodies one of the core values of USF – to "apply knowledge to a world
shared by all people and held in trust for future generations," said
Anne-Marie Devine, USF director of media relations. Her commitment to
bringing nutritional education to those who would normally not receive
it corresponds with the way USF encourages our students to channel
their intellect and abilities towards changing underserved communities
from the inside out.
“I am incredibly honored to receive this
year's California Prize for Service and the Common Good from the
University of San Francisco,” Waters said, upon learning of the honor.
“This award recognizes the work of the Chez Panisse Foundation and
shows that the university supports a school curriculum that gives
students the knowledge and values to build a humane and sustainable
future.”
“Alice has championed an understanding that raising and
preparing what we eat is both an ethical exercise and an
acknowledgement that we share the earth's resources and hold it in
trust for future generations,” said USF President Stephen A. Privett,
S.J. “She has worked tirelessly to introduce school children to
responsible food production and healthy eating, especially those in
underserved communities.”
Waters will be honored Thursday at
a dinner and cocktail hour on the USF campus beginning at 6:30 p.m. For
more information about USF’s California Prize for Service and the
Common Good or for details about the Nov. 5 event, visit www.californiaserviceprize.org.
