Online Encyclopedia
Cuisine of California
California cuisine is a cuisine marked by an interest in "fusion"— integrating disparate cooking styles and ingredients— and which, out of respect for the state's health-conscious tradition, tends to produce food which is fresh and/or lean, rather than manufactured and/or fried.
Alice Waters, of the restaurant Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California, is usually credited with originating California cuisine and retains the reputation of offering the ultimate California cuisine experience. Her cuisine emphasizes the freshest ingredients which are in season and are procured solely from local farms.
Wolfgang Puck, from the Spago restaurants, popularized California cuisine by catering high profile celebrity parties such as the Oscar after party. Puck became a celebrity in his own right, one of the first celebrity chefs.
