Camilla Marcus, a regenerative chef, founder of west~bourne, and mother of four in Los Angeles, recently celebrated the launch of her cookbook, My Regenerative Kitchen. She joined friends for a backyard lunch under the trees, cooking plant-based dishes from the book. The menu included tartines, a crunchy fennel salad, and rose chocolate bark, paired with natural wine.
Marcus described her cooking philosophy as improvisational. She compared it to jazz, noting that not knowing where the notes will lead is the point. She lets the farmers market guide her menu decisions. This approach, she said, is liberating and inspiring rather than stressful.
Her book argues that everyday choices about ingredients, preparation, and leftovers are accessible entry points into climate action. She emphasizes small, cumulative shifts that become natural over time, rather than deprivation or a complete lifestyle overhaul.
Marcus shared several tips for a zero-waste kitchen. She recommends replacing paper towels with washable kitchen towels. She suggests swapping plastic wrap for beeswax alternatives and using glass jars and metal tins for pantry storage. She uses Stasher silicone bags instead of Ziploc bags and freezes stocks, sauces, and leftover wine in silicone molds. She advocates using whole vegetables, including fennel fronds and stalks, and peeling produce only when necessary. Before discarding scraps, she asks if they can add flavor to broth or sauce, including onion peels, herb stems, and cheese rinds. She composts what cannot be cooked. She also recommends nontoxic cleaning brands such as Koala Eco, Branch Basics, and Grove Collaborative. For composting, she suggests a countertop bin, noting that composting emits 20 times fewer greenhouse gases than landfilling food waste.
Camilla Marcus’s Tips for a Zero-Waste Kitchen
Break up with paper towels. Keep a stack of washable kitchen towels within reach.
Reimagine your pantry. Swap plastic wrap for beeswax alternatives. Use glass jars and metal tins for everything from flours to preserves.
Go reusable with storage. Stasher silicone bags replace Ziploc. Camilla also freezes stocks, sauces, and leftover wine in silicone molds for future meals.
Use the whole vegetable. No stalk left behind. Fennel fronds become garnish, stalks go into stock, and most produce doesn’t need peeling.
Rethink “scraps.” Before you toss it, ask: Can this add flavor to a broth or sauce? Onion peels, herb stems, cheese rinds—all fair game. Compost what you truly can’t cook.
Clean green. Look for nontoxic brands like Koala Eco, Branch Basics, and Grove Collaborative.
Start composting. A countertop bin is a low-barrier start. Composting emits 20x fewer greenhouse gases than landfilling food waste.
Adapted from My Regenerative Kitchen.
