Camilla Marcus opened New York’s first zero-waste restaurant. Her first cookbook is the next step in the fight for a more sustainable industry

Camilla Marcus first made headlines in 2018 as the founder of Westbourne, New York’s first certified zero-waste restaurant. Bringing a relaxed California charm to Soho, the plant-based restaurant diverted 91 percent of its waste from landfills and incinerators, opting instead to transport thousands of pounds of organic waste each month to a farm in upstate New York.

Marcus closed the restaurant in the middle of the pandemic and moved back to her hometown of Los Angeles, but her focus on sustainability hasn’t changed. Your new cookbook, My regenerative kitchenviews recipes as a prism for increasing collective climate awareness. As Marcus juggles many roles – including chef, entrepreneur and mother – the book’s first line makes another core identity clear: “I’m an activist at heart.” As industries like fashion and beauty undergo a cultural shift toward environmentalism, one wonders Marcus: What path should the food world take?

During their book tour, Marcus took time to chat CULTIVATED about the importance of regenerative practices, the politicization of the word “activist,” and the culinary idols she would invite to dinner.

Where are you and what is in your system?

I’m at home in Los Angeles. I’m heading to the book tour tonight with a red eye, and today is my son’s fifth birthday, so I’m half mom, half author. I just made myself lunch, so I’m going to grab a bite in between our questions. It’s one of those “I need five clones of myself” weeks. So I drank coffee – I take my coffee very seriously. We have a really over-the-top machine from my restaurant days. Then I just made grilled vegetables from my garden. We’re obviously a zero-waste household, so there’s nothing left in the fridge at the end of a weekend.

What’s in season in your garden right now?

We are at the end of our summer planting. We have our sunny golden tomatoes, which are incredible, and some zucchini. We always grow kabocha squash, which I love. We will probably be replanting our herbs in the next few weeks. We still have Thai basil, chives and spring onions.

You have just published your first cookbook. How does it feel to reach this milestone?

It’s interesting. I think most chefs probably share this: We are very highly motivated people. I definitely love living for the rush and adrenaline. However, I’m not often afraid of many things. To be honest, this has been a very daunting journey. I wouldn’t say I consider myself a writer. I cook and create things. The written word was actually quite a challenge. A book is something that lives forever. So I’m definitely very nervous. Being a first-time author is a whole new world. I care about what other chefs think. You ask yourself: “How will this be received?” Above all, I want my colleagues to respect it. And it is something very personal. It takes a lot of time. We shot all the images on film, which is very unusual. In many ways, it’s like sharing a self-portrait.

Were there any particular cookbooks that particularly inspired you? Or any that you wanted to challenge?

Interestingly, the book is partly non-fiction packaged in a cookbook. Dan Barber and what he created The third record was revolutionary. The torch I want to pass on to the next generation is: How do you make this happen? I love Andrew Tarlow’s books. I think it makes fine dining accessible. Dinner at the long table is one of his best. I love his visual narrative, but also the way he brings everyone together in a way that is both ambitious and humane. I hear from a lot of friends, “I love this cookbook, but what do I make for dinner?” One of the first cookbooks my mom ever gave me was by Donna Hay, so there’s a little nod to her too. So a mixture of Andrew Tarlow, the old-fashioned naturalness of Donna Hay and the activism of Dan Barber.

You start the book by talking about activism. How do you translate that personal passion into something that motivates readers to get involved?

A few years ago, when the pandemic hit, I was very active in restaurant relief. As a co-founder of ROAR (Relief Opportunities for All Restaurants) and the IRC (Independent Restaurant Coalition), I was deeply involved in the political machinery of what was happening for the first time. I had a number of people, be they journalists or friends, ask me if I wanted to include the word “activist” in my description. They said, “Are you sure you want to do this?” It could piss people off.” So the pandemic and my relief work made me realize how hot of a button that word was. I felt compelled to hit the red button as hard as I could at the beginning of the book – to normalize it and also change the narrative. Food is the most important thing we think about in our daily life. Next to mathematics, it is the most universal language we have. In this way we learn about different cultures and how different cultures survive. This is how we show love in many ways. It has a very deep connection in our fabric, but also the ability to change the status quo. In the book I just beg you to do nothing. Try one. Once it clicks, it naturally transforms into something else. I’m not an all-or-nothing person. I truly believe that if everyone becomes more mindful of one thing, it will have an incredible butterfly effect. See how it feels, see where it goes, and make your own decisions from there.

When you think about your time in charge of Westbourne, how do you view that time now? Since opening the restaurant in 2018, have you seen the industry catching up with the changes you’ve made?

Even in light of Climate Week in New York last year, I think our cultural movement is more in keeping with the spirit of the times. There is clearly a shift towards plant-based cuisine in restaurants. Most well-known chefs now have cookbooks with a vegetarian focus. The Really That didn’t exist five years ago. And people who eat out are definitely starting to think more about, “Where does my food come from? Why does this restaurant care?” I think that the values ​​will come into their own a little more strongly after Corona. Look at beauty and fashion – regenerative practices are widely reported. Business of Fashion constantly talks about new sustainable textiles and farming methods. Beauty brands are prioritizing clean formulations, using botanicals and moving away from plastic. But if you look at the food media, it’s really not being reported. When I opened the restaurant, I told our PR team that no major food magazine had ever featured a plant-based holiday offering. This was in 2018. 90% of my friends don’t cook turkeys; So many people I know cook plant-based around the holidays because someone in their family is vegan or vegetarian. It’s very clear from other industries that the world has changed, but there is still a huge gap in food media in the larger cultural conversation.

In California, people like Alice Waters and Ron Finley have been leading conversations about local and sustainable food for decades. Her cookbook feels like an ode to that culture, particularly in its awareness of the challenges of the agricultural industry. How did growing up in California influence your views on this movement?

I firmly believe, “We cannot move forward unless we look back.” I cannot ignore the history in front of me or the people who raised me in this industry. It’s super important to appreciate their work when no one wanted to talk about it. I met Ron [Finley] When I moved back to California from New York during the pandemic, I had actually worked with his organization [The Ron Finley Project] many decades ago. I volunteered and asked companies I had previously worked for to join his organization. Apparently Alice Waters has been doing this work for a long time too. Then there are people like the two Sarahs from Kismet or Sam Rogers, who provides a tremendous amount of information about farmers markets and seasonal crops. Shelley [Kleyn Armistead]who leads the Gjelina group was a great mentor for me in this area.

As I said in the book, people forget that California produces a large portion of the nation’s output. I grew up next to Mrs. Gooch, who was the natural godmother of the grocery store. We composted and didn’t talk about it. It wasn’t like, ‘It’s more expensive, it’s complicated, or it requires switching.’ It’s like, ‘If you haven’t composted, why do you live in California?’ I moved to the East Coast when I was 18 and spent most of my time there Part of my adulthood. But something about returning home during the pandemic and writing this book was a reflection on that childhood. You live with nature and no one sees it as a compromise. How can I share this spirit with everyone and show them that you don’t have to live in California to live like this? That is the ethos of the book.

Where in Los Angeles are you most excited to eat right now?

Marcus: My special thanks go to Queen St. Ari [Kolender] is known for seafood, but its vegetables are the most incredible. We share a deep ethos of sustainability and are doing a pop-up on October 23rd. He is someone who started the discussion about responsible seafood sourcing. I would of course add Anajak Thai. And Gjelinas. And a fourth, Ètra!

Quick Question Time: If you had to choose breakfast, lunch or dinner, which would you choose and why?

Dinner. I’m a night owl. It’s my best self.

What is an underrated ingredient right now?

Probably Yuzu or Shiso.

What about overrated?

Everything processed or fake. I don’t like it when things want to be different, especially when you look at plant-based cuisine.

What kitchen appliance can you not live without?

It probably comes down to three. An incredible cast iron skillet. It’s like a family heirloom, you should always treat it well. I have a very special chef’s knife from Japan that was specifically designed for butchering vegetables. No one else is allowed to use it. And I often use a mandolin.

When hosting a dinner party for your culinary idols, dead or alive, who are your first dinner invitations addressed to?

Julia Child, Kwame Onwuachi, Jamal James Kent and Anthony Bourdain.

Which dish in the cookbook best reflects where you are in your life?

Probably the carrot cake, just because I’m feeling very festive this week!