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Chef and activist Alice Waters heads to Australia with nourishing message

Roslyn Grundy
Roslyn Grundy

Coming to Australia with a mission ... Alice Waters.
Coming to Australia with a mission ... Alice Waters.Amanda Marsalis

She successfully lobbied Michelle Obama to plant a vegetable garden on the White House lawn and sparked front-page debate about school lunches across the United States. Now Alice Waters, one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people of the year, is heading to Australia for the first time.

And she has a message to share - about edible education. She says children and adults need to wean themselves off junk food and learn how to properly nourish themselves.

"By nourishing children in schools and teaching them the lessons of nature in the garden, and culture at the table, we can turn the crisis around in a generation," says Waters, 70.

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"It is the most effective, positive and democratic way to do it, and I think people are realising that now, which motivates me more than ever."

In 1995, Waters founded the Edible Schoolyard Project at a school near her restaurant in Berkeley, California. Her idea was to turn the parking lot into a garden involving students, teachers and the community.

Waters' vision is for projects such as hers and the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation in Australia to become a global edible education movement.

She said efforts to improve school lunches showed the message about knowing where our food comes from, and how it nourishes us, was getting across.

"We need to transform school lunch from an afterthought that aids our addiction to junk to an egalitarian mechanism for the nourishment of the nation. We’ve made huge progress in awareness over the past few years."

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Mrs Obama's efforts to grow vegetables at the White House had also helped spread the message.

"The symbolism of Michelle Obama planting a vegetable garden on the White House lawn was incredibly potent. It resonated around the world and gave enormous credibility to the idea.

"I think there was already a wide acknowledgment that in food we find the root of many of our problems but I think the First Lady’s campaign sent a positive message that food also has the solution.

"French philosopher [Jean Anthelme] Brillat-Savarin said it better than I can, but I hope people will think about his famous idea, 'The fate of nations depends on how they nourish themselves.'

"I think if he was around now, he might adjust the statement to 'the fate of the world'."

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Waters, who founded California restaurant Chez Panisse 43 years ago and whose "local, seasonal" food philosophy has influenced chefs worldwide, says she's been meaning to come to Australia for 20 years but somehow the timing never worked.

She will visit Sydney and Melbourne in November as part of Good Food Month, presented by Citi.

"I have been really focused on projects in the US, but in recent years, I've felt compelled to speak and travel internationally because I believe the issues we face around food are global and universal," she says.

So, what finally lured Waters down under?

"I'm intrigued by the use of native ingredients on menus and excited to try those. I was also disturbed by a lack of acknowledgement of climate change by some Australian politicians.

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"Industrial agriculture is one of the biggest contributors. Australia is a big global player and it seems to me that it cannot and must not be taken off the agenda.

"Also, how do you say no to speaking at the Sydney Opera House?"

Waters will headline events at the Opera House on November 12, and at Melbourne's Athenaeum Theatre with the Wheeler Centre on November 17.

Good Food Month runs in Sydney from October 1 - 31, and in Melbourne from November 1-30. Get your copy of Melbourne’s Good Food Month program with The Age on Tuesday. Details: goodfoodmonth.com.

Five of the best: Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Month
1. Asia Town: A pop-up street food marketplace with dishes from the likes of Dan Hong and Luke Nguyen, October 19, The Star, Pyrmont, $125.

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2. Spring barbecue at The Growers' Market, Pyrmont with Good Food's Adam Liaw and Frank Camorra wielding the tongs, October 4, 7am-midday.

3. The Night Noodle Markets are back with more than 50 restaurant stalls and food trucks, music, lighting installations and roving entertainment, October 10-26, Hyde Park.

4. The Cook, The Blogger and the Photographers. Go behind the scenes with Fairfax photographers Edwina Pickles and Steven Siewert as they show you the secrets of a food shoot, October 11, Sun Studios, Alexandria, $80.

5. Special guests include UK-based chef, author and TV presenter Yotam Ottolenghi and expat Thai expert David Thompson.


Five of the best: The Age Good Food Month
1. Jerusalem-born Yotam Ottolenghi and Melbourne's Karen Martini and Shane Delia get together for a Mediterranean brunch at Aerial, South Wharf, on November 2. Cost $180.

2. Birrarung Marr becomes a sizzling Asian hawker market every evening from November 14-30 during the Night Noodle Markets. Dishes $5-$15.

3. Michelin-starred Italian chef Massimo Bottura joins some of Victoria's best chefs for spuntini (snacks) and cocktails at Pei Modern, city, on November 26. Cost $155.

4. The Gem Bar & Dining in Collingwood fires up the barbecue, Texas-style, every Saturday throughout November. Cost $35.

5. Learn to make wontons the traditional way at Oriental Teahouse, South Yarra, then try the dumplings in a shared meal after class. November 11. Cost $55.

Roslyn GrundyRoslyn Grundy is Good Food's deputy editor and the former editor of The Age Good Food Guide.

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