As a footnote to Graymalkin's excellent post below, I would only add that Alice Waters has been instrumental in pushing for supporting local farmers and locally-sourced products. One of the main economic/environmental arguments is obvious: to reduce the unnecessary distance between the food source and the dining table. For example, what is the rationale for importing 500ml of water from exotic places, such as Fiji, other than vanity and perceived superiority? Is bottled water, whose manufacturing is not regulated, any superior and cleaner than tap water, whose collection, filtering and storage are heavily regulated (at least in most first-world countries)? What about the economic and environmental implications of the plastic bottles that come with that bottle of foreign water? Granted, there are arguments in favor of mass manufacturing at a dominant source (e.g. more efficient government regulation, greater economies of scale), but not all food items need to be mass-manufactured that way; serving only filtered tap water at Chez Panisse is but one of many examples of how Waters practices what she preaches.

Although Alice Waters may not be well known outside of the culinary circles, her influences on American cooking in the 90s is profound and lasting. Her use of the freshest ingredients and organically grown produce has inspired many modern chefs. She is the chef/proprietor of Chez Panisse in Berkley, California. As a spokeswoman for the Chefs Coalition in 1992 she was instrumental in the appointment of an American chef among the ranks of notable French chefs who cooked in the White House. She endorsed locally grown ingredients that were fresh and of the highest quality. She continues to endorse the use of America's bounty and a diet that is lower in fat, refined sugars and processed flours that has been the norm.