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But chef Camilla Marcus prefers to look back to find food solutions. Modern diets are shaped by “an overhang of the industrial revolution,” she says. “It’s not how your mother cooked. It’s not how historical cultures cooked. It was much more about zero waste and sustainability. Nothing was left on a plate, nothing was reused. ”
Depending on her age and region, your mom might have depended on frozen TV dinners, but this way of cooking – as well as supermarkets stocked only with the best cuts of factory-raised meat and visually perfect produce – is the real insult to the food tradition. , argues Marcus.
“No one could afford it or could design a perfect, wrapped piece of steak. That’s not how people bought things. They bought things from their neighbors. They bought things from a local store,” she says.
After being educated at the International Culinary Center and rising through the ranks at some of the world’s top-rated restaurants, Marcus opened West-Bourne in New York’s Soho neighborhood in hopes of being a model of sustainability. , respectful of the environment, zero waste catering. “Our goal was sort of accidentally vegetarian, but decidedly healthy,” she says. “I sincerely believe that we are not going to convince the public to be vegetarian or vegan. I would rather try to get someone plant-based to eat a few meals a week or a few days a week.”
Growing up in Los Angeles, Marcus’ mother shopped locally, buying all-natural children’s snacks from Mrs. Gooch (a market later acquired by Whole Foods), using washable towels, and rinsing the bottles back to the milkman. .
It wasn’t until she arrived on the East Coast for college and cooking school that she realized her family was outmoded in the best possible way. “That’s when the light bulb went out – oh, I had this really unusual childhood and I didn’t realize people don’t think like that and don’t think of the way where they put things away, where they shop, how they cook, what they use, what they throw out, “she said.
So instead of evangelizing a mass migration to veganism, Marcus hopes people will start taking small steps to make their diets more sustainable. Carnivores may seek out organic, grass-fed, finished meat from a so-called “whole butcher” committed to minimal waste. And if you throw away a lot of broccoli stalks because your kids only eat the tops, look for something to do with them, like adding them to a smoothie.
“I don’t think our eyes are bigger than our stomachs,” she said of the challenges facing the country. “I think we throw a lot. We don’t know what to do with it… and I think on the supply side we throw a lot because we think the public doesn’t want it and that may or may not be. true.”
If buyers and diners were happier to buy bruised kale or didn’t demand it out of season, the industry and even policymakers would follow suit, she said. First, however, there must be more understanding and options.
But just as she learned her restaurant had achieved an even higher sustainability certification, the Covid-19 lockdown has bankrupted her and pandemic priorities have diverted attention from sustainability. “As someone who cares about climate change and our environment, it was really hard to see single-use plastics coming back with any sort of revenge overnight,” she said.
She is convinced that as the world reopens, her West-bourne model could still become the norm as more and more people dine knowing that every bite consumed comes at a cost to the earth, the air, the food. water and climate which is not often reflected on the check.
“I think Millennials and Gen Z are thinking about it and going, you know what, I don’t know if I need steak on the plate tonight. You know, it’s okay,” Marcus said.
“It really has been a brutally painful time, but I think of one that hopefully catalyzed real systemic change. I think it really took a long time to come.”
This shift could be a realization that eating well is more than just food.
“You choose your favorite places to eat because they make you feel right and like the vibe,” she said, not just because it’s the right price and they always deliver to. time.
The same could also be true for the ingredients, she says. Not necessarily the prettiest or the cheapest – although she says policies like subsidies need to change to make good food affordable for everyone – but the ones that make us and the community feel good.
Chefs and restaurants have a role to play, as do the food industry and government, she says.
But as the pandemic has shed new light on food producers and grocery store clerks as well as first responders, there may be new visions of food and eating that will persist.
“We should ask ourselves why is a plastic knife worth 10 cents on the dollar for a fully compostable and biodegradable knife? Marcus said. “This is where the rubber will hit the road.”
With the massive impact of the US food industry on its greenhouse gas emissions, big changes are needed.
But the little ones can also have an impact. Marcus said, “I tell people to decide you’re not going to use paper towels, just decide, commit to that one thing. I promise you can do it. It’s a lot easier than that. you don’t think so. ”
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