Fanny at Chez Panisse: A Child's Restaurant Adventures with 46 Recipes [Paperback]

Alice L. Waters (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

Chez Panisse is a restaurant in Berkeley, California, run by Alice Waters and her large group of friends. Her daughter Fanny's stories of this busy place are a friendly and funny introduction to the delights of real restaurant life, and her recipes show how easy and inexpensive it is to make good food with basic ingredients and simple techniques.

Opening up the magic world of cooking to children, Alice Waters describes, in the words of seven-year-old Fanny, the path food travels from the garden to the kitchen to the table. Teaching kids where food really comes from not just from the market but from farms and people who care about the earth, Fanny at Chez Panisse has lessons on the importance of eating with your hands, of garlic and of composting and recycling. It is also a delightful beginner's cookbook with 46 recipes that will tempt children into the desire to cook and eat with whole hearts, alert minds and all the senses. From banana milkshakes and green apple sherbet to cherry tomato pasta and black beans and sour cream, as well as spaghetti and meatballs, french fries and pizza, there is something here for every child to prepare and enjoy.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Chez Panisse, a restaurant in Berkeley, is the brainchild of renowned chef Alice Waters. Fanny is Alice Waters's daughter and Fanny at Chez Panisse is a collection of 46 recipes that are simple, delicious, and fun to make. The first third of the book tells the story of Fanny's adventures at Chez Panisse and introduces many of the people who work and dine there. There is Bumps, a family friend who lives on a boat and makes special bread; Carrie, the florist who supplies Chez Panisse with its bouquets; and Jean, a customer who prefers to eat in the kitchen rather than the restaurant because "That's where the food and my favorite people are." Through Fanny's eyes, the reader glimpses the inner workings of a quirky, wonderful restaurant and the people who run it. (Fanny says she's not sure who runs Chez Panisse--"I think Chez Panisse runs Chez Panisse.")

The rest of the book is taken up with Fanny's favorite recipes divided into sections such as "Carrots, Cucumbers, and Bell Peppers," "Corn," "Garlic," "Fruit," and more. Recipes range from raita to Peach Crisp and Roast Chicken with Herbs, and are easy to follow with some adult supervision. Though Fanny at Chez Panisse is primarily aimed at children, the recipes in it are delicious enough for adults to enjoy as well. And remember, the family that cooks together has a really great meal to show for all that togetherness!

From Publishers Weekly

Fanny is none other than the seven-year-old daughter of Waters, lending her voice here to tell the story of a child's life--her own--at Chez Panisse, her mother's celebrated restaurant in Berkeley, Calif. This device does not quite work; the writing is arch and flat by turns. It's hard to believe, for example, that even the most ingenuous nymph would let slip, "Chez Panisse means 'Panisse's house' in French. Fanny just means Fanny. My mom got both our names from an old French movie. . . . The movies always make my mom laugh and cry. I can make my mom laugh and cry, too, but it's not quite the same."4 The book contains 46 recipes, all Fanny's: "Some of them I learned from my mom and my friends and . . . others I've just made up." A few are simplistic, like lettuce salad: "I like salad with lots of different kinds of lettuce. . . . Choose lettuce carefully. Small lettuces are more tender than large overgrown ones. Fresh lettuce looks like it's still growing." Garlic mayonnaise seems too complicated for the skills and attention of young children such as Fanny, who would have to add oil to egg yolk " drop by drop " and later thin the mixture with several additions of half-teaspoons of warm water.74 The many line drawings are airy and charming.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Cookbooks (September 6, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060928689
• ISBN-13: 978-0060928681
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 7.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #170,171 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Read this early on the weekend so you can cook later!!, November 8, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Fanny at Chez Panisse: A Child's Restaurant Adventures with 46 Recipes (Paperback)

Alice writes in the voice of her daughter about her daughter's favorite recipes and adventures at the restaurant. Wonderful reading and DELICIOUS recipes. At first looks a little like a children's book, but great for adults!

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book for all ages...a jewel in my collection., March 30, 2002

By 

Ann S. Nordquist "Muir Aingeal" (Washington State, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fanny at Chez Panisse: A Child's Restaurant Adventures with 46 Recipes (Paperback)

This book is written as Fanny telling about her life with her mom, the fantastic chef Alice Waters(she wrote the book). MyDaughters & I share in our love of this book, to read it...enjoying the pictures which are wonderful to the eye. then the bits on cooking and the pleasure of food & preparing it along with flavor is shared in such a great way. Allow yourself to sit down and get lost in the spirit of this book.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Probably better for older children, and adults!, December 5, 2007

By 

Stephanie Lamphere "mom and web geek" (Birmingham, AL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Fanny at Chez Panisse: A Child's Restaurant Adventures with 46 Recipes (Paperback)

I read this many years ago, in college, and coming back to it now, to share with my daughter, I find that this book inadvertently taught me a lot about cooking. My daughter - age 6 - is mildly interested in the story, but it is very long and wordy. It tells all about the kitchen of a gourmet restaurant, from an insider's (and child's) perspective. However, it is probably a bit much for a young child with no gourmet experience. Older children and adults may enjoy it more.

As for the recipes, they are great. The step by step explanations of what to do (the egg whites should be whipped until they are white, and you can get a soft crest when you lift the mixer) are invaluable if you are a novice. Still, it's all a bit complicated for young children. I'd say the recipes are probably good for a 10-year-olds with some help. My favorite at the moment is the recipe (and step-by-step instructions) for a 1234 cake - which I am making for a birthday party. I'd never have attempted it without this book and its detailed instructions. I am hoping the cake is as good as the batter - YUM!