Alice Waters Opens Bar Panisse in Berkeley

Bar Panisse is located at 1515 Shattuck Avenue, right next door to its iconic sibling, Chez Panisse, creating a "campus Panisse" in Berkeley. The new establishment occupies the space of the former beloved tapas bar, César, a move that generated some local controversy. The 50-seat, no-reservations bar aims to be the most casual of the Panisse options. The kitchen is helmed by chef Amelia Telc, with a resume that includes stints at San Francisco's Tartine and New York's Mission Chinese Food. The drinks program was developed with consulting from Dylan O'Brien of Prizefighter Bar in Emeryville. This opening marks Alice Waters' first new local project since she closed Café Fanny in 2012. The opening of Bar Panisse builds on a legacy that began in 1971 when Alice Waters opened Chez Panisse, a venture that would pioneer what became known as California cuisine. Inspired by her time in France, Waters focused on fresh, seasonal, and locally sourced ingredients, a revolutionary idea when American cuisine was dominated by processed foods. This dedication to ingredients over complex technique helped launch the global "farm-to-table" and "slow food" movements. From its inception, Chez Panisse built a network of local farmers, ranchers, and artisans, often naming them on the menu to highlight the food's origin. This philosophy of direct relationships with producers continues at Bar Panisse. In 1996, Waters established the Chez Panisse Foundation to further her advocacy for sustainable food systems and education. This led to the creation of the Edible Schoolyard Project at a Berkeley middle school, a program that integrates gardening and cooking into the curriculum.