A School Lunch Revolution

“Alice Waters, the doyen of slow food, says it’s time for urgency—not at the dinner table, but in the ‘battle for the future of our planet’ . . . Accompanied by recipes, Waters’ essays are brief but compelling, pointedly affirming the durability of her methods.” —San Francisco Chronicle

“[A] cri de coeur. Nominally, this is a book of recipes, but Waters (the chef and founder of Chez Panisse, the Berkeley, California, restaurant often credited with bringing farm-to-table cuisine into the mainstream) seems to have created a blueprint for the ways in which we should feed our kids organic foods, both at home and at school . . . Waters’s world of whole foods is one we can create if we take the time.” —Epicurious, “14 Standout Cookbooks for Fall 2025”

“Learning from renowned Chez Panisse chef Waters is always a joy, and this combination manifesto/cookbook is no different. Her rousing, optimistic, logical blueprint for a “revolution” that removes the processing and packaging from the farm-to-lunchroom pipeline to provide school children with healthful, seasonal, ethically sourced foods is inspiring . . . Once readers are thoroughly convinced, Waters dives into the recipes: simple but never plain, well-explained but always personable, seasonal, nutrient- and flavor-rich, and representative of global flavor preferences. Each recipe is crafted with the personal touch of a handwritten favorite from a friend, and offers variations to expand a dish’s flavor or usefulness . . . [A] gorgeous and heartfelt book.” —Booklist (starred review)