Waters’ culinary career began with a bold vision: offering delicious food in an intimate setting, countering the disparate, fast-food culture of 1970s America. Her passion for farm-to-table dining was ignited during her student days in France, where she discovered the joy of fresh, seasonal ingredients at local markets and communal eating around a table.
In 1971, aged 27, Waters co-founded Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California, with Lindsey Shere. Despite limited capital and experience, they launched the restaurant building on her French influence with a daily-changing, fixed-price menu committed to local, seasonal ingredients. Though initially struggling to turn a profit, Waters' concept soon gained popularity, and by the 1980s, she was celebrated as a pioneer of California Cuisine.
More than 50 years later, Chez Panisse remains a symbol of her vision and boasts a legacy of accomplished alums, including chefs Dan Barber and April Bloomfield. As a food activist, Waters links better-tasting food to social and environmental healing, advocating for school food reform, sustainability, and climate action. She co-founded Slow Food USA and serves as vice president of Slow Food International, championing local food traditions and biodiversity.
In 1995, Waters founded the Edible Schoolyard Project, which reconnects students with growing food. To mark Chez Panisse’s 25th anniversary in 1996, Waters established the Chez Panisse Foundation to transform public education through food. Waters' influence also extends to the White House, where she inspired Michelle Obama’s White House vegetable garden initiative. Among her many accolades, Waters has received multiple James Beard Foundation awards and was inducted into the French Legion of Honor in 2009.
In 2021, she opened a restaurant at Los Angeles’ Hammer Museum, yet remains deeply involved at Chez Panisse, overseeing operations and dining there almost daily.
