Alice Waters

Basically, the person in the White House should be principled, should have a philosophy about food that relates directly to organic agriculture. I will continue to push for that.

If I weren't involved with food, I'd be working in architecture. Design is that critical to me.

I feel like old age in America is a very sad thing. I have been many different places around the world where getting older is something you look forward to.

I really appreciate the many neighbourhoods of Berkeley. There is still the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker. And it has the University of California, which is the greatest gift, to my mind, to be close to it. It keeps the place alive.

I guess I don't really believe in retirement. I believe in shorter days and maybe in weekends!

It's so important to that we go into the public schools and we feed all of the kids something that is really good for them.

First, kids should be involved in the production of their own food. They have to get their hands in the dirt, they have to grow things. They also have to become sensually stimulated, and the way to begin is with a bakery.

In Berkeley, we built the garden and a kitchen classroom. We've been working on it for 12 years. We've learned a lot from it. If kids grow it and cook it, they eat it.

To have a basic ingredient that can be prepared a million different ways is a beautiful thing.

In countries around the world, people spend more money on food because they know how precious it is.

I have a love affair with tomatoes and corn. I remember them from my childhood. I only had them in the summer. They were extraordinary.

I'm focused on the next generation, because I think it's very hard to break the habit of adults who've got salt and sugar addictions and just ways of being in this world. It's very hard even for the most enlightened people at famous universities that are very wealthy to spend the money that it takes to feed the students something delicious.