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Prima facie, camilla marcus It is a study in contrasts. He takes his job seriously, but brings a sense of joy to everything he does. You can host a dinner party for 100 people, but you might not plan the menu until that morning, letting the farmers market be your guide. His vegetable cuisine is deeply nutritious and he never turns down a glass of wine at midday.
But nothing about Camilla seems inconsistent. She is so rooted in who she is that all of her layers come together as one beautifully aligned life, a life that reflects the passionate approach she brings to her work as a regenerative chef, founder of west~bourneand mother of four children in Los Angeles.
To celebrate the release of her cookbook. My regenerative kitchenCamilla joined me for lunch on the back patio under the trees with some friends. We cooked vibrant plant-based dishes from the book (tartines, a crunchy fennel salad, and the most impressive pink chocolate bark), poured natural wine, and absorbed her perspective on what it really means to cook in a way that nourishes both our bodies and the earth.
His philosophy, in his own words: “What is good for our soil is always better for our health.”
What I love most about how Camilla thinks about food is the sense of liberation it gives. He writes about improvisational cooking the same way musicians talk about jazz: the point is not to know exactly where the notes will lead. The farmers market becomes your guide, and “not being in control” becomes liberating and inspiring rather than stressful. I came away from our lunch genuinely reconsidering the relationship between spontaneity and nutrition.
His book makes a compelling argument that our everyday decisions – the ingredients we buy, how we prepare them, what we do with what’s left – are actually the most accessible entry points to climate action. Not through deprivation or a complete overhaul, but through small, cumulative changes that begin to feel natural over time.
Camilla Marcus’s tips for a zero-waste kitchen
Break up with paper towels. Keep a stack of washable kitchen towels within reach; You’ll be surprised how quickly you’ll stop wasting paper.
Reimagine your pantry. Swap plastic wrap for beeswax alternatives. Use glass jars and metal cans for everything from flours to preserves.
Go reusable with storage. Stasher silicone bags replace Ziploc. Camilla also freezes broths, sauces and leftover wine in silicone molds for future meals.
Use the whole vegetable. There is no stem left behind. Fennel fronds are made into a garnish, the stems are stored, and most produce does not need to be peeled.
Rethink “leftovers.” Before you throw it away, ask: Can this add flavor to a broth or sauce? Onion peels, herb stems, cheese rinds – they’re all fair game. Compost what you really can’t cook.
Clean green. Look for non-toxic brands like Koala Eco, Branch Basics, and Grove Collaborative.
Start composting. A countertop trash can (Camilla loves Bamboozle) is a barrier-free start. Composting emits 20 times less greenhouse gases than food waste placed in landfills.
Adapted from My Regenerative Kitchen
All of this (the exchanges, the leftovers, the compost bin) sounds like discipline. But that afternoon, sitting in the backyard, none of it felt like that. It seemed like the most natural extension of how Camilla moves through the world: paying attention, wasting nothing, finding pleasure in the process. The menu below is where we start. Where you take it is entirely up to you.
The salad of whole stems or bulbs
A salad that lives up to its name. Every part of the fennel appears here (leaves, stems, bulb) and the result is crisp and bright.
Tartines with Heirloom tomato, blue cheese and golden beet
The tartines were prepared the same way Camilla cooks everything: intuitively, with whatever looks best on the market. Proof that the simplest things, made with good ingredients, don’t need much more.
Spring Pea Gazpacho
Cold, green and soooo fresh – this is the soup that makes you want to drink your greens. (Without giving you V8 vibes).
Dark Chocolate Bark with Bee Pollen, Rose Petals and Pink Salt
The bark that ended our lunch on the highest possible note. It’s as impressive to look at as it is to eat, and it comes together faster than you imagine.
