In 1971, Alice Waters and a small band of friends founded a neighborhood bistro called Chez Panisse. It was named for Honoré Panisse, the most generous and life-loving character in Marcel Pagnol’s 1930’s film trilogy about waterfront life in Marseille (Marius, Fanny, and César), as an homage to the sentiment, comedy, and informality of these classic movies.

From the beginning, Alice and her partners tried to do things the way they wanted them done at a dinner party at home, with generosity and attention to detail. The Restaurant, located downstairs, is open for dinner Monday through Saturday, by reservation only. The fixed menu consists of three to four courses and changes nightly, each designed to be appropriate to the season and composed to feature the finest sustainably sourced, organic, peak-of-their-season ingredients, including meat, fish, and poultry.

Chez Panisse

Gift Card Value: $641 (includes 17% service charge and 9.5% tax; wine not included)

Donated by Anna Deavere Smith