Do not view tonight's "American Masters" program on an empty stomach. It might even be advisable to have some (healthy) snacks handy. The documentary profiles cook and author Alice Waters and explains how her ideas changed how many of us view food.

This isn't a typical PBS cooking show (check local listings), even though there are recipes on the website. It also isn't a typical biography. You won't learn too many details about her background. What is important are her ideas about food.

And her ideas about organic food, programs on food and farming in schools, and community are conveyed with help from Michael Pollan, Eric Schlosser, Ruth Reichl, and Calvin Trillin (with some humor from theater director Peter Sellars).