Inviting Camilla Marcus, founder of west~bourne, to be a part of our community of founders felt so right. Alongside sharing her approach to entrepreneurship and personal styling secrets, below, Camilla also talks conscious capitalism, motherhood, and the beauty of a day with zero routine.
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OUR CHAT WITH CAMILLA
Camilla Marcus is the founder of west~bourne, the regenerative provisions brand she built from her first endeavor, New York City’s first zero-waste restaurant. A self-described night owl who is allergic to routine, she treats every day, and every outfit, as a fresh experiment. Here, Camilla sits down with us for a cuppa to chat conscious capitalism, motherhood, and why she will never own a uniform.
FRANK & EILEEN: You transformed your restaurant West Bourne (NYC’s first zero-waste restaurant no less) into a regenerative provisions brand that is highly curated—how does your approach to conscious capitalism inform your business decisions?
CAMILLA: There is one immovable fact we all share: there is no Planet B. But here’s what I keep coming back to—we actually can do something about it. Every single day. We make more decisions about what we eat and drink in our daily lives than anything else, so it’s inspiring to me to think about channeling that everyday power into compounded impact.
The ground beneath our feet isn’t a backdrop—it’s the whole story. That idea has always been west~bourne’s north star: that eating well and doing better are the same gesture. Not a grand, sweeping commitment, but a daily practice. A reach for something grown with care. A choice that puts more back into the earth than it takes out.
We’ve been told that the big levers are the car we drive, whether we recycle, how far we travel. And yet the data is clear. Agriculture is the single driving force in carbon emissions (by more than you think), and the one place where each of us, as everyday eaters, has the most direct impact. Every meal is a vote. Every bite, a small act of activism.
Regeneration is an abundance mindset. It’s going back—before industrial uniformity convinced us otherwise—to farming practices that replenish rather than deplete. This is the soil we have. Let’s tend to it like our lives depend on it, because they do. I started west~bourne believing that gardeners are futurists, radical optimists, and I still do. And I believe that together, one simple choice at a time, we can be so progressive that we go back in time—as nature always intended.
CAMILLA: There is one immovable fact we all share: there is no Planet B. But here’s what I keep coming back to—we actually can do something about it. Every single day. We make more decisions about what we eat and drink in our daily lives than anything else, so it’s inspiring to me to think about channeling that everyday power into compounded impact.
The ground beneath our feet isn’t a backdrop—it’s the whole story. That idea has always been west~bourne’s north star: that eating well and doing better are the same gesture. Not a grand, sweeping commitment, but a daily practice. A reach for something grown with care. A choice that puts more back into the earth than it takes out.
We’ve been told that the big levers are the car we drive, whether we recycle, how far we travel. And yet the data is clear. Agriculture is the single driving force in carbon emissions (by more than you think), and the one place where each of us, as everyday eaters, has the most direct impact. Every meal is a vote. Every bite, a small act of activism.
Regeneration is an abundance mindset. It’s going back—before industrial uniformity convinced us otherwise—to farming practices that replenish rather than deplete. This is the soil we have. Let’s tend to it like our lives depend on it, because they do. I started west~bourne believing that gardeners are futurists, radical optimists, and I still do. And I believe that together, one simple choice at a time, we can be so progressive that we go back in time—as nature always intended.
FRANK & EILEEN: You transformed your restaurant West Bourne (NYC’s first zero-waste restaurant no less) into a regenerative provisions brand that is highly curated—how does your approach to conscious capitalism inform your business decisions?
CAMILLA: There is one immovable fact we all share: there is no Planet B. But here’s what I keep coming back to—we actually can do something about it. Every single day. We make more decisions about what we eat and drink in our daily lives than anything else, so it’s inspiring to me to think about channeling that everyday power into compounded impact.
The ground beneath our feet isn’t a backdrop—it’s the whole story. That idea has always been west~bourne’s north star: that eating well and doing better are the same gesture. Not a grand, sweeping commitment, but a daily practice. A reach for something grown with care. A choice that puts more back into the earth than it takes out.
We’ve been told that the big levers are the car we drive, whether we recycle, how far we travel. And yet the data is clear. Agriculture is the single driving force in carbon emissions (by more than you think), and the one place where each of us, as everyday eaters, has the most direct impact. Every meal is a vote. Every bite, a small act of activism.
Regeneration is an abundance mindset. It’s going back—before industrial uniformity convinced us otherwise—to farming practices that replenish rather than deplete. This is the soil we have. Let’s tend to it like our lives depend on it, because they do. I started west~bourne believing that gardeners are futurists, radical optimists, and I still do. And I believe that together, one simple choice at a time, we can be so progressive that we go back in time—as nature always intended.
CAMILLA: There is one immovable fact we all share: there is no Planet B. But here’s what I keep coming back to—we actually can do something about it. Every single day. We make more decisions about what we eat and drink in our daily lives than anything else, so it’s inspiring to me to think about channeling that everyday power into compounded impact.
The ground beneath our feet isn’t a backdrop—it’s the whole story. That idea has always been west~bourne’s north star: that eating well and doing better are the same gesture. Not a grand, sweeping commitment, but a daily practice. A reach for something grown with care. A choice that puts more back into the earth than it takes out.
We’ve been told that the big levers are the car we drive, whether we recycle, how far we travel. And yet the data is clear. Agriculture is the single driving force in carbon emissions (by more than you think), and the one place where each of us, as everyday eaters, has the most direct impact. Every meal is a vote. Every bite, a small act of activism.
Regeneration is an abundance mindset. It’s going back—before industrial uniformity convinced us otherwise—to farming practices that replenish rather than deplete. This is the soil we have. Let’s tend to it like our lives depend on it, because they do. I started west~bourne believing that gardeners are futurists, radical optimists, and I still do. And I believe that together, one simple choice at a time, we can be so progressive that we go back in time—as nature always intended.
F&E: Walk us through a real day, not an ideal one. What are key parts of your routine?
CAMILLA: My favorite part about rowing so many boats is that each day is completely distinct. I am in fact allergic to routine and thrive on change and the unexpected. My daily anchors are waking up to cuddles with my kids and dogs and settling into our morning filled with a full breakfast and savoring my cappuccino while we get dressed and head off to school drop off. I feel like I’ve lived 100 lives before 8:30 a.m. getting four humans ready and intentions set for the day ahead. Mornings and evenings are when I do most of my emails or more technical work. I typically do meetings in the middle of the day and save the afternoons for creativity—whether that’s an inspiration adventure, cooking or testing a new recipe, brainstorming for a campaign, or even a hike to clear my head. I try to make dinner and eat with my babes in the evening as we wind down the day, and after that I often have an event to go to, a restaurant to try, a speaking engagement to attend, or going to cook somewhere. Thankfully, I am a night owl, so I come alive after sundown and try to make the most of that energy when I can.
CAMILLA: My favorite part about rowing so many boats is that each day is completely distinct. I am in fact allergic to routine and thrive on change and the unexpected. My daily anchors are waking up to cuddles with my kids and dogs and settling into our morning filled with a full breakfast and savoring my cappuccino while we get dressed and head off to school drop off. I feel like I’ve lived 100 lives before 8:30 a.m. getting four humans ready and intentions set for the day ahead. Mornings and evenings are when I do most of my emails or more technical work. I typically do meetings in the middle of the day and save the afternoons for creativity—whether that’s an inspiration adventure, cooking or testing a new recipe, brainstorming for a campaign, or even a hike to clear my head. I try to make dinner and eat with my babes in the evening as we wind down the day, and after that I often have an event to go to, a restaurant to try, a speaking engagement to attend, or going to cook somewhere. Thankfully, I am a night owl, so I come alive after sundown and try to make the most of that energy when I can.
F&E: Walk us through a real day, not an ideal one. What are key parts of your routine?
CAMILLA: My favorite part about rowing so many boats is that each day is completely distinct. I am in fact allergic to routine and thrive on change and the unexpected. My daily anchors are waking up to cuddles with my kids and dogs and settling into our morning filled with a full breakfast and savoring my cappuccino while we get dressed and head off to school drop off. I feel like I’ve lived 100 lives before 8:30 a.m. getting four humans ready and intentions set for the day ahead. Mornings and evenings are when I do most of my emails or more technical work. I typically do meetings in the middle of the day and save the afternoons for creativity—whether that’s an inspiration adventure, cooking or testing a new recipe, brainstorming for a campaign, or even a hike to clear my head. I try to make dinner and eat with my babes in the evening as we wind down the day, and after that I often have an event to go to, a restaurant to try, a speaking engagement to attend, or going to cook somewhere. Thankfully, I am a night owl, so I come alive after sundown and try to make the most of that energy when I can.
CAMILLA: My favorite part about rowing so many boats is that each day is completely distinct. I am in fact allergic to routine and thrive on change and the unexpected. My daily anchors are waking up to cuddles with my kids and dogs and settling into our morning filled with a full breakfast and savoring my cappuccino while we get dressed and head off to school drop off. I feel like I’ve lived 100 lives before 8:30 a.m. getting four humans ready and intentions set for the day ahead. Mornings and evenings are when I do most of my emails or more technical work. I typically do meetings in the middle of the day and save the afternoons for creativity—whether that’s an inspiration adventure, cooking or testing a new recipe, brainstorming for a campaign, or even a hike to clear my head. I try to make dinner and eat with my babes in the evening as we wind down the day, and after that I often have an event to go to, a restaurant to try, a speaking engagement to attend, or going to cook somewhere. Thankfully, I am a night owl, so I come alive after sundown and try to make the most of that energy when I can.
F&E: When in your life has clothing or personal style meant the most to you and why?
CAMILLA: When I am cooking professionally, my personal style really hones in both for how I want to present alongside my food but also functionally what fits given the context, such as whether it’s open fire, daytime or evening, and for how long I’ll be on my feet for. It’s like a game of Jenga wrapped in a personal statement, and I always try something new because I can’t help myself.
F&E: In regards to style and clothing, what are you most looking forward to in September?
CAMILLA: I love the crispness of fall that calls for a jacket or work coat, which of course fits my on-the-road chef entrepreneur mom life.
F&E: If you could give one gift to women everywhere, what would it be?
CAMILLA: Their dream, “last day on earth” meal.
F&E: Looking back, if you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be? Then, what piece of advice would you give someone starting their entrepreneurial journey now?
CAMILLA: When you are an entrepreneur, the business and yourself are intimately intertwined. I started taking life coaching seriously a few years ago with Allie Stark, who I wish I had met earlier in my career. My company’s growth relies on my own growth and beckons new versions of me to emerge faster and with more intensity than I could have imagined. My advice would then be to my younger self, to invest in myself and my internal work earlier. We only get this one life, and I want to find and nurture the best version of myself to make the most of it.
F&E: Do you have an everyday uniform that limits your decision fatigue, or what’s your approach to getting dressed?
CAMILLA: Just as no day is the same, I am allergic to a uniform. Routine in general is pretty opposite to my preferred flow state, where I crave new experiences and experimentation in almost all facets of my life. It’s why I love rowing so many boats at once. As with cooking, where I start with a source of inspiration like an ingredient or technique I’m looking to go deep into, I approach getting dressed similarly, starting with one piece that excites me or is inspired by what I’m doing that day, and building around it.
CAMILLA: When you are an entrepreneur, the business and yourself are intimately intertwined. I started taking life coaching seriously a few years ago with Allie Stark, who I wish I had met earlier in my career. My company’s growth relies on my own growth and beckons new versions of me to emerge faster and with more intensity than I could have imagined. My advice would then be to my younger self, to invest in myself and my internal work earlier. We only get this one life, and I want to find and nurture the best version of myself to make the most of it.
F&E: Do you have an everyday uniform that limits your decision fatigue, or what’s your approach to getting dressed?
CAMILLA: Just as no day is the same, I am allergic to a uniform. Routine in general is pretty opposite to my preferred flow state, where I crave new experiences and experimentation in almost all facets of my life. It’s why I love rowing so many boats at once. As with cooking, where I start with a source of inspiration like an ingredient or technique I’m looking to go deep into, I approach getting dressed similarly, starting with one piece that excites me or is inspired by what I’m doing that day, and building around it.
F&E: Looking back, if you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be? Then, what piece of advice would you give someone starting their entrepreneurial journey now?
CAMILLA: When you are an entrepreneur, the business and yourself are intimately intertwined. I started taking life coaching seriously a few years ago with Allie Stark, who I wish I had met earlier in my career. My company’s growth relies on my own growth and beckons new versions of me to emerge faster and with more intensity than I could have imagined. My advice would then be to my younger self, to invest in myself and my internal work earlier. We only get this one life, and I want to find and nurture the best version of myself to make the most of it.
F&E: Do you have an everyday uniform that limits your decision fatigue, or what’s your approach to getting dressed?
CAMILLA: Just as no day is the same, I am allergic to a uniform. Routine in general is pretty opposite to my preferred flow state, where I crave new experiences and experimentation in almost all facets of my life. It’s why I love rowing so many boats at once. As with cooking, where I start with a source of inspiration like an ingredient or technique I’m looking to go deep into, I approach getting dressed similarly, starting with one piece that excites me or is inspired by what I’m doing that day, and building around it.
CAMILLA: When you are an entrepreneur, the business and yourself are intimately intertwined. I started taking life coaching seriously a few years ago with Allie Stark, who I wish I had met earlier in my career. My company’s growth relies on my own growth and beckons new versions of me to emerge faster and with more intensity than I could have imagined. My advice would then be to my younger self, to invest in myself and my internal work earlier. We only get this one life, and I want to find and nurture the best version of myself to make the most of it.
F&E: Do you have an everyday uniform that limits your decision fatigue, or what’s your approach to getting dressed?
CAMILLA: Just as no day is the same, I am allergic to a uniform. Routine in general is pretty opposite to my preferred flow state, where I crave new experiences and experimentation in almost all facets of my life. It’s why I love rowing so many boats at once. As with cooking, where I start with a source of inspiration like an ingredient or technique I’m looking to go deep into, I approach getting dressed similarly, starting with one piece that excites me or is inspired by what I’m doing that day, and building around it.
F&E: What’s your “stone in the hand?” In other words, what keeps you grounded and helps you never give up? Is it an object, a memory, a person, a word of advice?
CAMILLA: My children remind me to stay humble and to keep dreaming big. Keeping a childlike innocence and sense of wonder for discovery is something I strive to keep vibrant. And, as I tell them, we can do hard things, so when we hit bumps, we remember to put one foot in front of the other.
F&E: What does it mean to you to be part of this community of founders in this September Issue, committed to using your experience to pay it forward to the next generation of women entrepreneurs?
CAMILLA: I always think about the saying: if you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go together. It’s a grounding privilege to get to pave roads that haven’t been traveled before. However, what makes the journey a meaningful experience with true purpose is sharing it with a community that you can be challenged by, learn from, and grow with along the way. Plus, it’s way more fun to be in concert with women who think outside the box and share a passion for changing the world.
CAMILLA: My children remind me to stay humble and to keep dreaming big. Keeping a childlike innocence and sense of wonder for discovery is something I strive to keep vibrant. And, as I tell them, we can do hard things, so when we hit bumps, we remember to put one foot in front of the other.
F&E: What does it mean to you to be part of this community of founders in this September Issue, committed to using your experience to pay it forward to the next generation of women entrepreneurs?
CAMILLA: I always think about the saying: if you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go together. It’s a grounding privilege to get to pave roads that haven’t been traveled before. However, what makes the journey a meaningful experience with true purpose is sharing it with a community that you can be challenged by, learn from, and grow with along the way. Plus, it’s way more fun to be in concert with women who think outside the box and share a passion for changing the world.
F&E: What’s your “stone in the hand?” In other words, what keeps you grounded and helps you never give up? Is it an object, a memory, a person, a word of advice?
CAMILLA: My children remind me to stay humble and to keep dreaming big. Keeping a childlike innocence and sense of wonder for discovery is something I strive to keep vibrant. And, as I tell them, we can do hard things, so when we hit bumps, we remember to put one foot in front of the other.
F&E: What does it mean to you to be part of this community of founders in this September Issue, committed to using your experience to pay it forward to the next generation of women entrepreneurs?
CAMILLA: I always think about the saying: if you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go together. It’s a grounding privilege to get to pave roads that haven’t been traveled before. However, what makes the journey a meaningful experience with true purpose is sharing it with a community that you can be challenged by, learn from, and grow with along the way. Plus, it’s way more fun to be in concert with women who think outside the box and share a passion for changing the world.
CAMILLA: My children remind me to stay humble and to keep dreaming big. Keeping a childlike innocence and sense of wonder for discovery is something I strive to keep vibrant. And, as I tell them, we can do hard things, so when we hit bumps, we remember to put one foot in front of the other.
F&E: What does it mean to you to be part of this community of founders in this September Issue, committed to using your experience to pay it forward to the next generation of women entrepreneurs?
CAMILLA: I always think about the saying: if you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go together. It’s a grounding privilege to get to pave roads that haven’t been traveled before. However, what makes the journey a meaningful experience with true purpose is sharing it with a community that you can be challenged by, learn from, and grow with along the way. Plus, it’s way more fun to be in concert with women who think outside the box and share a passion for changing the world.
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