If you’re like us, you’ve probably wondered what everyday stuff famous people add to their carts — like hair spray or an electric toothbrush. We asked Alice Waters, founder of Berkeley’s Chez Panisse and The Edible Schoolyard Project, about the tried-and-true face cream, the now-iconic egg spoon, and the rare electric kitchen appliance she can’t live without.
I had asked all my friends what I could do about high cholesterol about 15 years ago, and they told me to eat whole grains and to drink fermented Chinese tea. So I did that and I did it for six months, and my cholesterol went down 350 points. Those are the only two things I changed really big time (I was always drinking café au lait and eating toast with jam for breakfast). I do a heaping tablespoon into my café au lait bowl and drink it dark. Sometimes I have a second cup. But I take it with me no matter where I am, and I drink it every morning.
I love this because, of course, you put your copper tea kettle on the stove and you forget you turned on the fire. There’s something divine about a tea kettle that turns itself off. My daughter Fanny got it for me after I burned a couple of copper teapots. I don’t like very many electric things at all, but this one just happens to be elegant enough that I can have it in my kitchen. It’s over in the corner. I don’t even really notice it except when I’m pouring tea in the morning.
I find a bath a wonderful way to relax. I take one every day. It’s not always in the morning, but if it is, it’s not a long bath. Fifteen-minute baths in the morning. In the afternoon, I could take a half-hour bath. I love the hot water, and it’s just an enduring way for me to let go. Sometimes when I’m very nervous, I actually play Scrabble against myself. I like to win in the bathtub.
I never like big old comforters on a bed. They’re way too hot for me. I’d rather have fresh air in the room, a cooler room to sleep in. And I always have to say I want a lightweight wool blanket in my room when I go to a hotel. And I always have a lightweight blanket on my bed at home.
I learned about taste when I went to Paris in ’65. I came back and I wanted to live like the French, and that’s why I opened a French restaurant. Never did I know it was going to be what it is. But I always wanted French wine on the wine list, and at the beginning I didn’t know anything about other wines. One of my favorite chefs was Richard Olney, and he lived in France, and his best friends were the Peyrauds at Domaine Tempier. So I visited them on an early trip in the ’70s. The proprietress, Lulu Peyraud, was there, and she cooked in her fireplace — a beautiful big fireplace. They started making this rosé wine with this beautiful pink color. And I kind of fell in love with it and I’ve never let it go. It’s still on the menu at the restaurant.
There was a store in Berkeley called Tail of the Yak. Sadly, they closed two years ago. But they had the most amazing array of things. This woman who worked for them, Anandamayi, created these party balls. I mean, they should be in a museum. Every time you turn them, you unravel them, and there’s a little surprise inside. It may be a little ring, it could be a quote from some philosopher. It could be a little candy, a little toy. Fanny knew that I had to have a party ball for my birthday, so she made me a custom one. You cannot imagine how many little prizes are in this one ball. She asked all of my friends to figure out a little charm to put inside: a little baby bathtub, a baby Scrabble game, a little copper tea kettle, stamps that say “save our soil,” all my books reduced to small sizes.
I started this project because the principal at a school nearby asked me to help beautify the school. It was built on 18 acres of land, so it was a huge piece of property. I took one look and I said, “That could be the garden classroom over there on that big vacant acre of land. And this portable building — why don’t we turn that into a kitchen classroom? And down there on the blacktop, let’s build a cafeteria so everybody can be seated and eat organic foods.” I had a vision for the whole thing. Now the project is in 6,500 schools. When I’m talking about school-supported agriculture right now, I’m asking the school system to become the economic engine for local, organic, regenerative food, to address climate, and to address health and community.
I met the people who run Neal’s Yard when I first went to England, probably 45 years ago. Back then, it was a company that was making organic cheese, but they had this amazing face cream. I’ve been buying it ever since. It’s a totally organic company; I know the people and I know what they believe in. I love the subtle aroma. I love the different creams for your body and your hands and your face. And I use them every day, first thing in the morning, and sometimes right before I go to bed.
If I want to impress somebody, and particularly a little kid, cooking an egg on a spoon is pretty magical. I got the idea from reading a book called The Magic of Fire. It went through fire through the ages, and cooking in the fireplace — how we all did that at one time in this world. I saw this spoon and I said, “Oh my God.” I have a wonderful blacksmith, Angelo Garro, and I thought maybe he’d make me a spoon so I could cook an egg in the fireplace. It’s not just good for people who’ve got a fireplace in the kitchen. It could be out in a fire in the backyard, in a barbecue, it could be on a beach, or on top of the stove.
The Strategist is designed to surface useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Every product is independently selected by our team of editors, whom you can read about here. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
