At first glance, Camilla Marcus is a study in contrasts. She takes her work seriously, but brings a playful touch to everything she does. She might throw a dinner for 100 people, but might not plan the menu until the morning, letting the farmers’ market guide her. Her vegetable-based cuisine is deeply nourishing and she’s never one to turn down a glass of wine at midday.
But nothing about Camilla seems inconsistent. She is so rooted in who she is that all of its layers come together to form a beautifully aligned life, which 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 launch of her cookbook My regenerating kitchenCamilla joined me for lunch in the courtyard under the trees with a few friends. We cooked vibrant plant-based dishes from the book:toastA crunchy fennel saladand the most breathtaking pink chocolate bark– poured some natural wine and soaked up his 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 Camilla’s approach to food is the feeling of liberation it provides. She writes about improvised cooking the same way musicians talk about jazz: the problem is not knowing exactly where the notes will lead. The farmers’ market becomes her guide, and “not having control” becomes both liberating and inspiring rather than stressful. I left our lunch truly rethinking the relationship between spontaneity and food.
Her book convincingly demonstrates that our daily choices – the ingredients we buy, how we prepare them, what we do with what’s left – are actually the most accessible entry points into climate action. Not through complete deprivation or overhaul, but through small, cumulative changes that begin to feel natural over time.
Camilla Marcus’s advice for a zero waste kitchen
Break up with paper towels. Keep a stack of washable dishcloths on hand: you’ll be surprised how quickly you won’t run out of paper again.
Reinvent your pantry. Replace plastic wrap with beeswax alternatives. Use glass jars and metal cans for everything from flours to canned goods.
Become 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. No stem left behind. Fennel fronds are used as a garnish, the stalks are put into storage, and most products do not need to be peeled.
Rethink “leftovers.” Before you throw it away, ask: Can this add flavor to a broth or sauce? Onion skins, aromatic herb stalks, cheese rinds: 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 the Bamboozle) is a low-barrier start. Composting emits 20 times less greenhouse gases than landfilling food waste.
Adapted from My Regenerative Kitchen
All of this – the swaps, the leftovers, the compost bin – feels like discipline. But sitting in the garden that afternoon, none of it felt like it. It seemed like the most natural extension of how Camilla moves through the world: being attentive, wasting nothing, finding pleasure in the process. The menu below is our starting point. Where you take it is entirely up to you.
Whole stem or bulb salad
A salad that deserves its name. Every part of the fennel appears here (fronds, stems, bulb) and the result is crunchy and shiny.
Toasts with heirloom tomatoes, blue cheese and golden beets
The toasts were prepared the same way Camilla cooks everything: intuitively, with what seems best on the market. Proof that the simplest things, made with good ingredients, don’t need much else.
Spring pea gazpacho
Cold, verdant and so fresh, it’s the soup that makes you want to drink your vegetables. (Without giving you V8 vibes.)
Dark chocolate bark with bee pollen, rose petals and pink salt
The bark that ended our lunch on the best possible note. It’s as stunning to look at as it is to eat, and it comes together faster than you think.
The position A Backyard Lunch with Camilla Marcus and Her Approach to Intentional Cooking appeared first on Camille Styles.