Bon appetit, Ms. Waters

The Julia Child hoopla has been fun, but another legendary chef recently gaining top honors also credits France with teaching her all she knows. Alice Waters has been awarded the French Legion of Honor, for "eminent merit," or mérites éminents, in her achievements. Waters, with a James Beard Award and a Bon Appetit lifetime achievement award under her apron, told the Washington Post that being a chevalier, or knight, is special because, "I learned everything in France: An aesthetic. The way I serve a meal. The way I think about food. Period." The owner of Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Calif., Waters is lauded for her support of local organic ingredients and the Slow Food movement. The last celebrity chef so honored was Child, in 1991.

All things dairy are among the hallmarks of the Minnesota State Fair, which opens today. Princess Kay was crowned last night and today may be found in the chilled booth of the Dairy building as her head is sculpted from a block of butter. This year, she has her own Princess Kay of the Milky Way Facebook page on which she'll be posting updates throughout the fair, as well as on ExploreDairy.com. Possible tweet? Sampling the new permanent flavor at the Dairy Goodness Bar: rhubarb-strawberry. As always, the All-You-Can-Drink Milk Stand offers, well, all that, for $1.

Almost 20 new foods are at this year's fair. Here's a quick rundown, but make sure to watch for Taste critic Rick Nelson's annual fair reviews on Saturday in the Variety section and at startribune.com/taste.

Stuff on sticks: the Fiddlestix ice cream bar; a foot-long dessert pizza; the Fry Dog (deep-fried wiener in a french fry crust); peach-glazed pork cheeks, and skewers of tomato, basil and mozzarella cheese. Other debuts: beignets; brat burgers; open-faced grilled Spam sandwiches; deep-fried Norwegian banana splits (banana rolled in lefse with ice cream and toppings); funnel cake fries with chocolate dipping sauce; krumkake, and sunfish filets.

Weirdest concept? The pot roast sundae: a scoop of mashed potatoes covered with roast beef, gravy, corn and a cherry tomato. For all the details of where purveyors of these fine foods may be found, go to the fair's famous food finder at www.mnstatefair.org/find/food.

Now let's make an awkward segue to childhood hunger. The annual Share Our Strength's Taste of the Nation fundraiser is Sept. 13 at the Graves 601 Hotel, with every cent of ticket proceeds going to help feed needy kids in the Twin Cities and across the country. Among the area restaurants and chefs participating are Cosmos, La Belle Vie, Restaurant Alma, Sea Change, Red Stag Supper Club, Solera, Barrio, Mystic Lake Casino Hotel and Bradstreet Crafthouse, working together to serve a five-course, sit-down dinner with wine pairings. This year's proceeds will support local hunger relief efforts by Second Harvest Heartland, Legal Aid and the Minnesota Food Share. For tickets (starting at $150) go to www.tasteofthenation.org/minneapolis or call 1-877-26-TASTE. Groups of 10 may purchase a table and their chef-of-choice for $3,000.

KIM ODE

The Taste section turns 40 on Oct. 1 and we have an almost complete set of four decades of sections. We are looking for some copies that are missing in the first 20 years. If you've got full issues from long ago, please contact us at taste@startribune.com. (You knew those old Taste sections were good for something besides holding the door open!)

And we're looking for Taste readers in general who have been clipping recipes for years. We want to hear from you about how Taste recipes have changed your meals -- or become a family tradition. Drop us a line at taste@startribune.com and let us know. We'll serve up reader comments in the Taste birthday section.

LEE SVITAK DEAN