A School Lunch Revolution: A Cookbook

by Alice Waters

In this multigenerational cookbook for adults and children alike, Alice Waters, the award-winning chef and food activist, champions an empowered relationship between students and organic food, offering delicious recipes that will nourish future generations—and ourselves—from the inside out

Education and food are two universal rights: all children deserve to go to school, and everyone should have the opportunity to eat nutritious food. After Alice Waters launched the farm-to-table movement with the opening of her acclaimed restaurant Chez Panisse, she went on to found the Edible Schoolyard Project, inspiring schools to source their food from local regenerative farmers and developing an edible education that would transform the school food experience for children worldwide. Now, in A School Lunch Revolution, the culinary icon reimagines the way we feed our children at school and at home. Beginning with what we cook in our kitchens, this book offers the first step to teaching the next generation the lifelong values of eating whole foods. Inspired by international food traditions, these versatile recipes explore an array of textures and tastes guided by the principles Waters believes compose memorable, organic meals: local and seasonal, affordable, diverse, simple and delicious, and beautiful. From one of the nation’s most beloved chefs, here is a revolutionary reinterpretation of the classic school lunch for a more sustainable future.

Genres: Cookbooks, Nonfiction, Cooking, Food

160 pages, Hardcover

Published October 14, 2025

About the author

Alice Waters is a chef, author, food activist, and the founder and owner of Chez Panisse Restaurant in Berkeley, California. She has been a champion of local sustainable agriculture for over four decades. In 1995 she founded the Edible Schoolyard Project, which advocates for a free school lunch for all children and a sustainable food curriculum in every public school.

She has been Vice President of Slow Food International since 2002. She conceived and helped create the Yale Sustainable Food Project in 2003, and the Rome Sustainable Food Project at the American Academy in Rome in 2007.

Her honors include election as a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2007; the Harvard Medical School’s Global Environmental Citizen Award, which she shared with Kofi Annan in 2008; and her induction into the French Legion of Honor in 2010. In 2015 she was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Obama, proving that eating is a political act, and that the table is a powerful means to social justice and positive change.

Alice is the author of fifteen books, including New York Times bestsellers The Art of Simple Food I & II and The Edible Schoolyard: A Universal Idea.

Reviews

[Marianne Reese · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the idea of incorporating healthy organic foods in schools, working with local famers and having the children take part in growing the foods all in an effort to help keep children healthy and learn good eating habits. It’s clear a lot of thought, hard work, research, and preparation has gone into including healthy seasonal recipes that are relatively simple, and are from a variety of cultures. There are appealing colorful images of ingredients and completed meals that look mouth-watering delicious. The recipes include variations which is nice. Aside from the fresh fruits and vegetables in the recipes, most of the other ingredients and spices are common household pantry items.
I received an ARC of this book, and am thrilled to have it — my granddaughter is in culinary school, and works in a care facility kitchen as a chef, she will love this cookbook as it’s content isn’t for just kids, it’s good for everyone!

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alice Waters is known for two major things - her restaurant Chez Panisse and the edible schoolyard. In this cookbook she walks the reader through the tenants of the edible schoolyard and then gets into the recipes. The recipes focus on fresh, local food with a focus on vegetables. While there weren't a ton of recipes I wanted to try, this one is definitely worth checking out especially if you're not already familiar with the edible schoolyard concept. Or if you just want to try to incorporate more seasonal vegetables into your own diet.

[Hapakepani Takato · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall I think the cookbook is a good one. However, I’m a visual person and this lacked photos of the actual recipies and instead had images of ingredients on random pages. The back of the book had a number of meals, but no reference to pages - so wasn’t able to determine what went to what. It’s also suppose to be a school lunch revolution, but I got more of dinner vibes, so leftovers for school…which is cool, but not sure I got that from the title. There are also breakfast items like French toast in there, so again thrown off. That being said, I liked that the recipes seem easy and not overwhelming, come from a number of different cultures, and generally easy to access ingredient.

[Danielle Mccoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this eBook from netGalley for a n=honest review.

This cookbook has wonderful ideas about cooking straight from a garden and making kid friendly, healthy meals in bulk for schools and groups. A wonderful idea that is taking hold in multiple places and I hope this trend continues.

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book in a goodreads drawing.

After Michelle Obama ruined school lunches for the whole country, there have been a number of people trying to bring back something resembling food. This one has some pretty good dishes, but I don't really see schools serving much lamb.

[Alice A · Rating 5 out of 5]

In her signature style, Waters demonstrates so beautifully what nutritious and delicious meals can be. Especially for our youth, most of whom are given a lunch my own kids used to call UFOS or unidentifiable food objects.

[Cherie · Rating 3 out of 5]

No new recpes for me, but could be really helpful for schools or those trying to figure out easy recipes that kids might like. Maybe too healthy for some kids?

[Margaret Gerberding · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alice Waters has spent a lot of time trying to improve school lunches. This book is full of the recipes that she uses.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, informative, and inspiring

[Ronda Canary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic photos