In 1971, it was nearly impossible to find a cappuccino or a croissant in this country, and goat cheese and mesclun were virtually unheard of. Then a Francophile named Alice Waters and her motley coterie of dreamers turned an old stucco house in Berkeley into the birthplace of a new food culture _ one that incorporated fresh, local ingredients and progressive ideas in a venue reminscent of a Marseille waterfront tavern. It was called Chez Panisse and Waters would eventually be called the mother of american cooking. Based on unprecedented access to Waters and her inner circle, this authorized biography offers an intimate portrait of the maverick who reeducated the American palate.