A milestone moment of my culinary journey was sitting down with Alice Waters at Chez Panisse for a Kitchen Chat while sipping fresh mint water.
How special for Chef Jaime Laurita and me to recently interview Alice Waters’ daughter, Fanny Singer about her new book, Always Home: A Daughter’s Recipes & Stories. This book reflects upon Fanny’s childhood memories of life with her parents and of Chez Panisse. Fanny Singer is an accomplished editor, writer, and co-founder of the design brand Permanent Collection. Singer also earned a PhD.
Fanny explains how art and food are connected by the compulsion to create beauty in one’s environment. Completed just before the pandemic, her book, Always Home, imparts an even deeper meaning during the quarantine. Fanny shares stories of her mother’s tangible expression of love through creativity. Their relationship exudes joy, a shared respect for sustainability and an insatiable curiosity to keep learning.
Here are Fanny Singer’s top three tips for the home chef:
- A good mortar and pestle or a Japanese suribachii of some sort is indispensable.
- A good solid vinaigrette is one of the great tools you can have as a cook because a good solid vinaigrette can go on everything.
- Use more garlic but also have a really good knife to cut it.
Click here to order a copy of Fanny Singer’s Always Home: A Daughter’s Recipes and Stories