Visionary restaurateur and author Alice Waters is a food activist who’s taking fresh, organic foods—grown locally and sustainably—to the masses. To accomplish this, she created a national public school curriculum that uses food to educate, nourish and empower our children. What’s next: children who love vegetables? The very idea … 

The Herb Companion: You founded a groundbreaking restaurant, Chez Panisse, and spent decades advocating the use of fresh food produced through humane and environmentally sound methods. It must be gratifying to see growing support for local farmers and green markets. But many people still don’t have access. What will it take to spur a comprehensive, national effort?

Alice Waters: It’s going to take a program in the public schools. The idea is to feed all children at school: not only to feed them locally-grown food, but also to teach them about food—how to cook it and how to care about the land that produces it.

We also must teach children how to eat together. The family table now exists only with rare families that make an effort. Most kids today eat on the run, learning the values of a "fast food nation." We need to encourage them to develop a better relationship with food, so they’ll make better choices … so they’ll value a fresh peach more than a pair of Nikes.

We have to bring people back to their senses, back to understanding the meaning and preciousness of food. Then they will demand and seek out [fresh, locally-grown] food. And the only really democratic way we can reach everyone is through the public schools.

HC: Do you have a personal garden?

AW: I have a little garden with hardy herbs like rosemary, thyme and mint, and trees like bay, persimmon and citrus. A friend also plants salad and flowers in my garden.

HC: What role do herbs play in your cooking?

AW: They are primary. Herbs are the pleasure for me in cooking because they so quickly change the character of the dish. By pairing different herbs with sliced fresh tomatoes, for instance, you get very different dishes. And herbs are such an aromatic influence.