Exclusive: Food legend Alice Waters plans dinner party spanning 10 downtown Sacramento blocks
Alice Waters, a worldwide pioneer in the farm-to-table movement, wants to host a dinner party in Sacramento next fall. And not just any dinner.
Waters told The Sacramento Bee she wants to host a meal at tables spanning the 10 or so blocks from the state Capitol to the Sacramento River. That’s a distance of more than 3,500 feet.
The dinner, tentatively titled “Terra Madre,” would bring together Slow Food International collaborators from across North America and South America in fall 2021, Waters said in an exclusive interview Thursday.
Terra Madre would highlight the intersection of food, agriculture and climate. Guests at the tables would include farmers and teachers, and chefs from around the world would use Sacramento Valley-grown ingredients to prepare the dinner, Waters said.
“All eyes are, in a way, on Sacramento right now. The food movement and the Slow Food movement have really been growing over the years,” Waters said. “It’s located in a rich agricultural place and it’s so important not only because of the University of California, Davis, but because it has the potential to really transform its farmland.”
Visit Sacramento CEO Mike Testa confirmed he met with Waters in the last three months for a preliminary discussion about the dinner. Visit Sacramento has looked into bringing large-scale Slow Food International events to the city in the past, Testa said.
Waters has long advocated for all K-12 students throughout California to receive free, sustainable breakfast, lunch and snacks each day. Terra Madre’s proposed starting point is likely an effort to catch the eyes of representatives who might feel similarly, Testa said.
“It’s significant that it spans from the Capitol to the river, because she obviously wants lawmakers to be involved and notice and foster the change that she’s looking for here,” Testa said.
Waters, whose transformative Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley will celebrate its 50th anniversary next August, was in Sacramento on Thursday to announce her new food institute at UC Davis’ Aggie Square in Oak Park. She’s been the vice president of Slow Food International since 2002 and is widely credited with kick starting “California Cuisine” by emphasizing locally-sourced organic ingredients at Chez Panisse.
Founded in Italy in 1989, Slow Food International seeks to preserve local food culture and traditions and help eaters develop a deeper interest in what they consume. The Sacramento chapter’s board includes chefs Ed Roehr of Magpie Cafe and Jodie Chavious, formerly of Shangri-La, as well as farmers such as Yisrael Family Urban Farm chief seed starter Chanowk Yisrael.
Former Chez Panisse chef Jeremiah Tower, another California Cuisine pioneer, led the 2018 Tower Bridge Dinner. Sacramento’s most exclusive meal is held on the bridge every September at the end of the Farm-To-Fork Festival.
Terra Madre remains conceptual for now, Testa said. Given Waters’ track record and many connections, though, it’s a real possibility.
“At this point, it’s an idea,” Testa said. “(However,) I think when Alice wants to do something, there’s a good chance its going to happen.”
This story was originally published January 17, 2020 at 5:00 AM.