Alice Waters to speak at Princeton Oct. 14

Alice Waters, champion of sustainability and locally-grown fresh ingredients, will speak at Princeton University as the Belknap Visitor in the Humanities at 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 14, 2010, in McCosh Hall, Room 50. This event is free and open to the public.

Co-owner of Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley and a pioneer of "edible education," Alice Waters has written many books, including "The Art of Simple Food" and "In the Green Kitchen: Techniques to Learn by Heart." In 2009 Princeton University awarded her an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree, citing her accomplishments and her influence:  "Sustenance for the soul as much as for the body, her glorious food has changed the way America eats -- and thinks... . At a time when global agribusiness threatens not just to perfect the art of tasteless produce, but to effect a radical reduction in crop diversity, her advocacy for sustainable agriculture and slow food may change the way our children eat -- and how they understand the world." 

Besides giving a public talk, Alice Waters will meet with students who have been active in the University's sustainability efforts. As a Belknap visitor, hosted by the Humanities Council, she joins a distinguished roster of eminent guests, including Meryl Streep, Ian McEwan, Chuck Close, Don DeLillo, Arthur Miller and Maurice Sendak, who have come to Princeton through a program created in memory of Chauncey Belknap of the Princeton class of 1912. 

Holders of Princeton University ID cards may enter the event location at 4:30 p.m.; general admission will begin at 4:45 p.m.