Go Ask Alice

Alice Fondly Recalls the Sea Urchin Sandwich That Changed Her Life

Even the great Ms. Waters had mentors, and the Daily Beast today re-features an article we missed from August in which they talk to Alice about her favorite vineyard in Provence, Domaine Tempier. Alice was brought there in the 70s by her friend Richard Olney, and introduced to winemaker Lucien Peyraud and his wife Lulu, who would change Alice’s ideas about food forever. It started with a sea urchin, plucked fresh from the Mediterranean by the Peyrauds’ son and spread in a sandwich to eat with a glass of rosé. The winery then “revealed itself to be the muse for all that she was trying to accomplish at Chez Panisse,” and to this day Alice makes pilgrimages to visit the Peyrauds and eat Lulu’s food.

When Alice describes Lulu Peyraud’s cooking her voice lilts: “Lulu’s whole fish is something of another dimension, always cooked in the fire and served with aïoli. Her fish soup with all the bones strained out has a little spice, in that way of hers. She makes salads. She knows I love salads! She always has a whole array of cheeses—that’s dessert for her—and beautiful oysters. Her white peaches and nectarines chilled in red wine are ambrosia.”

If you want to live like Alice for a minute (don’t we all?), please see the recipes for Domaine Tempier’s tapenade and grilled whole fish.


Alice Waters’ Favorite Vineyard [The Daily Beast]

Alice Fondly Recalls the Sea Urchin Sandwich That Changed Her Life