Fanny Singer

When I saw that Alice Waters' daughter had written a book, I wanted to read it just to see what she would share. Fanny Singer was raised in Berkeley, 30 minutes from where I live. I have followed the career of her mother Alice, and her iconic restaurant Chez Panisse, from its early days in the 1970s.

What I learned is that Fanny and her mom have a great relationship, and as an only child she received a lot of attention not only from her mother and father, but from all the friends and family and restaurant staff. This doesn't seem to have made her an obnoxious entitled child of a celebrity, as she candidly shares various adventures and stories, meals and gatherings that don't seem that different from what many have experienced. In fact, most of these anecdotes were not that interesting. But that could have been the way she wrote about them.

Fanny has an overly wordy writing style. Here is an example of Fanny explaining her conjecture of why Alice only had one child: "I think the familial nature of the restaurant, and the constant acquisition of young surrogates and mentees, quelled the anxiety over the eventuality of childbearing, or at least provided ample distraction from any absence of family she might have felt before she met my father." I had to "translate" this into simple English in order to make sure I understood. And I have an English Lit degree!

There are recipes, but the reason to read this book is to see an honest portrayal of Alice Waters from her daughter's perspective.… (mer)

3.5 Hard to resist these memoirs, I'm such a foodie fan. Love looking through cookbooks, love cooking, cooking not baking. A book written by the daughter of Alice Waters is one that has much appeal. Yes, she was lucky, had a very privileged life, Fanny of course led a foodie life from birth. The places they went, the food they ate, being part of a restaurant family.

Recipes are of course included. Many simple, easy to source, but using the freshest, finest ingredients.
Her favorite food, surprisingly a salad with bold flavors and a simple dressing. No doubt, Fanny herself was lucky. Many children of the rich and famous do not leave the lives for the cherished, more the neglected. Not here though, and I very much enjoyed this memoir of food, family and fun.

ARC from Edelweiss.… (mer)