Cuisine of California

California cuisine is a cuisine marked by an interest in "fusion"--integrating disparate cooking styles and ingredients--and which, out of respect for the state's health-conscious tradition, tends to produce food which is fresh and/or lean, rather than manufactured and/or fried.

Alice Waters, of Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley, is usually credited with originating California cuisine and retains the reputation of offering the ultimate California cuisine experience.