California's Fresh Culinary Inspiration

California's Fresh Culinary Inspiration
by Jessica Phillips
CulinaryEd Columnist

January 16, 2007

California is home to produce, seafood, and meats so fresh they inspired their own unique style of cooking, "California Cuisine"--and they continue to inspire chefs, culinary students, and home cooks from San Diego to San Francisco.

Crossing Cultures: California Cuisine

The diverse cultures of the state, along with the fruits, vegetables, and meats the state produces, are what first inspired California Cuisine. Focusing on local ingredients and fresh tastes, California Cuisine combines elements of Asian, Mexican, and Pacific Island cooking.

Ingredients and Inspiration

As the most productive agriculture state in the country, California produces a wide variety of chef-friendly foods, from avocados to persimmons. California produces more than 99% of the US's almonds, figs, raisins, artichokes, olives, pomegranates, and walnuts.

Napa and Sonoma counties are famous for their wines, some of the best in the world, while Gilroy is known for its garlic, and Castroville is home to a popular Artichoke Festival. The coast is known for its Dungeness crab, salmon, and oysters.

All those fresh foods inspire creative California cooks, including great chefs like Alice Waters of Chez Panisse in Berkeley (home of California Cuisine), Wolfgang Puck of Spago in Beverly Hills, and Thomas Keller of the French Laundry in Napa Valley.

California Culinary Schools

When you enroll in a California culinary school, you'll learn how to make the state's ingredients taste and look their best. You'll learn to properly prepare fresh local produce, meats, and seafood, plus you'll discover how wines can complement your cuisine.

Take advantage of the same inspiration that brought a whole new cuisine to the world—attend a California culinary school.

Sources

About the Author
Jessica Phillips is a freelance writer and editor.