Food Activist and Chef Camilla Marcus Is On a Mission to Better Our Food System

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By Stacey Lindsay

Several years ago, I stopped into west~bourne, an eclectic all-day café in NYC’s Soho neighborhood, and had one of my favorite lunches to date: a simple grain bowl with roasted sweet potatoes, broccoli, and kale topped with pickled beets and savory tahini. The food was fresh and delicious. But it was the vibe of that warmly lit café that stuck with me. west~bourne exuded the breezy feel of California blended with the sound feeling that the staff truly cared about what they were doing—and serving.

That integrity stems from west~bourne’s founder and owner, Camilla Marcus. A California native and longtime food activist, Marcus has always put the why, how, and who behind what we eat first. She fights for zero waste and honors those who grow, cultivate, cook, and serve our food by giving back to various non-profits. For Marcus, creating food that is “naturally delicious and nutritious” and “better supports a sustainable food system” has always been her drive, she tells us. “It’s the only way to forge a future that we can be proud of passing to the next generation.”

Marcus closed the physical café doors to west~bourne in 2020, but its greater purpose lives on via her new provisions collection of the same name. The west~bourne line consists of sweet and savory snacks (think: organic yellow mushroom popcorn with maple and vanilla and crunchy rice squares with smoked almonds and Japanese togarashi spices), sustainably sourced avocado oil, and spices. Marcus considers everything, from ingredient sourcing to supply chain. “Our production is locally centered with our carbon footprint in mind, and so we can create products that are made up of traceable, responsibly grown ingredients, all while supporting local communities,” she says.

Still fueled by my memorable lunch in NYC, I dug a little deeper into west~bourne’s latest iteration by asking Marcus about her mission and how we all can take part. As Marcus proves, we all can take steps—big and small—toward building a more inclusive and transparent food system. “We love to eat and drink, but our food consumption accounts for a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions—one of the largest contributors to climate change. Good news is, we can do something about it.”

 A Conversation with Camilla Marcus

Let’s start out with your new provisions line, west~bourne. Walk us through its zero-waste and inclusive ethos.

Our production is locally centered with our carbon footprint in mind, and so we can create products that are made up of traceable, responsibly grown ingredients, all while supporting local communities.  Our packaging is on the cutting edge of sustainability technology and is made with a variety of low-impact, recyclable, and compostable materials. We’re obsessive about our supply chain as well, which includes a proprietary network of local partners to minimize transportation impact and utilize innovative and regenerative farming practices as well.

We offset the carbon footprint of all orders by purchasing climate credits through The Garcia River Forest Project, a redwood forest preservation and management project in Northern California that protects carbon reservoirs, preserves wildlife habitats, reduces risk of wildfires, and safeguards the California watershed. Our customers can also match our donation directly during checkout as well, which gives them the opportunity to make their orders carbon negative. 

What is the greater social mission behind west~bourne?

Food has the power to forge connections and nourish a community. Our mission is to harness the supernatural power of vegetables to invite more people to the table together to transform plant based, zero waste eating that sustains our health—of our own bodies and our planet. 

What sparked your advocacy work for giving back and paying attention to people first?

My upbringing centered around being a generous and thoughtful member of our community.  Both of my parents were active through regular volunteering and leadership in philanthropic organizations throughout Los Angeles. Being an active part of my neighborhood fueled my soul.

While I was in culinary school, I was also part of the opening team at dell’anima, which had an incredible decade run in the West Village. That experience was a crash course in figuring out all the elements that come together to make a restaurant run smoothly—and it’s also where I fell in love with the hospitality industry and the people who dedicate everything to taking care of others. My first restaurant family was where I started integrating my environmentally focused practices that I grew up into how food is crafted for our neighborhoods, through creating a composting system for the restaurant and implementing an energy-efficient lighting system. This ultimately drove me to want to build west~bourne the cafe, which was the first zero waste certified restaurant in Manhattan. We partnered with The Robin Hood Foundation to forge a unique closed loop giveback system with The Door to support our team growth and local job development. When COVID started, I knew I could not be idle while our whole industry and our beloved teams were left without government support, particularly given those who work in restaurants can’t work from home.  So, I jumped into action immediately as a founding member of both ROAR and the IRC, fighting daily for relief. 

The other element of advocacy work that is very important to me is centered around childcare. Hospitality workers do not work a traditional 9-5, Monday through Friday job. Women and in particular mothers make up a significant portion of this industry, but the structural childcare system in this country categorically excludes hospitality workers, which is shocking when you consider restaurants are the second largest private employer in the country. You are faced with having to choose between your work or your family—which is no choice at all—and it's imperative that this changes. I’m very focused on driving legislative policy to address this inequity so all parents, especially those in our industry who dedicate so much to others, can have the right to earn a living, build a career, and take care of their families. 

How can we all be advocates of zero waste at home?

Everyone can take little steps to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle at home for themselves.

·   Plan your meals out ahead of your weekly shopping routine so that you are not buying in excess.

·   Use the full fruit or vegetable. The ends of carrots, radish greens, or even onion peels can be repurposed into more than we think if we get creative.

·   If space and resources permit, grow your own vegetables. Even an apartment dweller can grow herbs in a kitchen windowsill.

·   It’s equally important to address proper food storage in your home.  Small adjustments like keeping produce in organic cotton mesh bags to keep them fresh and dairy in the back of the fridge where it stays coldest or separating out the items, such as bananas or avocados, that can speed up the ripening of everything around them can have a significant compound effect. 

·   Lastly, composting goes a long way. Start with a compost system you could keep on the counter or under the sink and use it to collect scraps, eggs shells, banana peels and other biodegradable matter. If you have an outdoor space, you can compost the materials in your backyard, or you can dispose of it at a collection site or community garden. Many major cities are making composting a requirement and can provide additional resources. 

Simple, mindful steps can add up if we do it together.  We can all be part of a collective work in progress. Just put one foot in front of the other. 


Furthermore, how can we all advocate for more inclusivity in the food industry?

Each of us has the power in our daily lives as individuals or through our businesses to take some action to promote food access.  Our system has deeply rooted issues that can only be addressed over time through committed collective effort, whether that’s helping build awareness, supporting others in their equity work, or creating programs through your own ventures.

You can learn more about Camilla Marcus, her advocacy work, and west~bourne at west-bourne.com

 

What Is “Inclusive Beauty”? Meet the Iconoclastic Beauty Founder Fighting for Greater Ethics and Kindness in the World of Self Care

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A new wave of beauty pioneers are fighting back. They’re challenging the toxic and exclusive pillars that have forever pervaded the beauty industry and, instead, creating products that encourage a more mindful, clean, inclusive approach to self-care.

One such pioneer is Jennifer Norman. Founder of Humanist Beauty, a B Corporation Certified skincare collection focused on breaking the conventional beauty standards, and The Human Beauty Movement, a positivity-focused social impact effort, Norman wants to encourage a new wellness and self-care industry—one that invites every individual to define beauty for themselves. Norman and her team call this “inclusive beauty.”

Before we investigate what inclusive beauty is, we’ll first take a look at what it is not. Household makeup and skincare brands have long used tactics that reinform ageism, binary gender expectations, racism, sexism, and ableism. Expectations around what someone should look like have sold billions upon billions worth of products. Yet, these arbitrary beauty standards have led to wide swaths of consumers falling victim to anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, eating disorders, and other mental and emotional health issues. 

In tandem with these issues is the continued widespread inclusion of harmful chemicals in makeup and personal care items. A 2021 study found high levels of hazardous industrial compounds—all of which linked to grave health conditions—present in more than half of the cosmetics sold in the US.  

In short, the things created to make us feel beautiful have excluded, marginalized, and sickened consumers. Norman, along with her team behind Humanist Beauty, is flipping this script. Her focus is on ingredient purity, supply chain ethics, and care for every stakeholder involved, from her employees to consumers to the planet. “I wanted to develop a brand that went above and beyond to appreciate kindness, diversity, and well-being,” the founder says. 

When we asked how she is doing this, and what exactly she means by “inclusive beauty,” Norman is incredibly forthright. “Inclusive beauty is so much more than showing tokenistic images of women with different skin tones and hair types,” she tells us. “It extends to understanding the thoughts, feelings, frustrations, and opportunities of those who have previously been marginalized and under-represented in society. It is letting people know that we see them, hear them, and care about them deeply.”


A Conversation with Jennifer Norman

Let’s start off with the genesis of your company, Humanist Beauty. 

When I started developing the Humanist Beauty brand, I reflected on my own life experiences of being an adopted Asian American girl, and also on being the single mom of a mixed-race child living with chronic illness and disability. I wanted to develop a brand that went above and beyond to appreciate kindness, diversity, and well-being. 


How do you honor “inclusive beauty” via your brand?

Humanist Beauty stands for all races, backgrounds, skin tones, ages, abilities, gender identities, and beliefs. It lets all people know that they have value, and they matter. Some of the ways Humanist Beauty honors that is by working with diverse talent like trans model Gracie Cartier, prosthetic queer dancer Kima Dima, and unconventional curvy beauty Leah Abramson. We also support those with visual impairment or blindness by offering braille ID bands for our skincare products, Herban Wisdom Facial Oil and Herban Wisdom Eye Cream. We will continue innovating for ways to serve the abilities community even more going forward. 


What changes in the skincare and beauty industry are you most dedicated to seeing and being part of? 

More and more, beauty is being defined as wellness. It’s so much more than skin-deep. It’s about living truthfully, healthfully, and connected to everyone else in a positive way. The organization that I founded, The Human Beauty Movement, is all about embracing an ethos of beauty positivity. It’s about every human being coming to know their own true self and embracing the beauty that lives within. That way, they can then manifest that beauty out into the world as they desire rather than worrying about anyone else’s definition of beauty. 

I [recently] attended Natural Products Expo West, and I was blown away by the spirit of community and togetherness that was pervasive throughout the show. There is an enhanced focus on well-being across all categories, which is a likely response to living through an isolating pandemic such as we all did. 


Humanist has obtained B Corp status, which means you must prioritize the wellbeing of your employees, customers, and of the Planet. It’s worth noting that this is not an easy certification to obtain and maintain. Will you walk us through how Humanist makes this a priority?

I absolutely founded my business knowing that B Corp Certification was a priority, and I’m proud to say that The Human Beauty Movement was certified after 1 year of being in business. 

Being a B Corp is the gold standard of proving social and environmental impact. Given that ‘clean beauty’ means a lot of things to a lot of different people (and to some, it means nothing at all), having third-party validation such as B Corp Certification elevates brands in the marketplace as representing the best for people and the planet. Rather than putting all focus on shareholder value, which prioritizes profits, we put all our focus on stakeholder value, which is the positive benefit we’re creating for the entire ecosystem which encompasses our employees, suppliers, customers, communities, governance, and the environment. We put programs, policies, and procedures in place to ask questions like, “Do our suppliers exemplify diversity and fair wages? Are we supporting a regenerative economy? Do our products deliver holistic wellness through organic content, safety, and quality testing? How are we prioritizing community engagement and transparency?” And so on. 

B Corp Certification goes far beyond the realm of just being “clean.” It helps us assess and track our progress as a benefit company and hold ourselves accountable for living out our purpose-driven values. 


Ingredients are a critical part of your brand. How do you ensure the ingredients you use and the sources you tap into are ethical, pure, and conscious? Are there practices that a consumer can follow for vetting their own products? 

The truth of the matter is that consumers love to research ingredients yet doing so can be time-consuming. And there is a whole lot of contradictory information out there. That’s why it’s good to know there are brands, retailers, and organizations that help do the vetting for them. Clean retailer Credo Beauty allows you to click on any product’s ingredients to learn about their definitions. The EWG Skin Deep database is a good source for ingredient information. While not perfect, it’s perhaps the most comprehensive source for product safety data, and the EWG Verified seal is the strongest third-party indicator of best-in-class safety. 

I have extremely high standards when it comes to the ingredients that go into Humanist Beauty formulas. Not only do I screen for cleanliness, but I also do background checks on suppliers to vet their harvesting, processing, and manufacturing processes. I also require test results to ensure all raw bulk is clean and safe. 

[We] maintain an Ingredient Glossary where anyone can research any ingredient in our formulas to learn more about its function and safety. Transparency is an important aspect of our core values. 


To learn more about Norman and her inclusive beauty approach, visit humanistbeauty.com and the-hbm.com. 

—By Stacey Lindsay


The Main Reason for Global Hunger Is Conflict. Here Are 4 Organizations Feeding Those In Need

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As a brand that explores healthy eating and changing the food system to be more equitable and inclusive, we have our eye on food-related issues all over the world. Currently, more than 800 million people globally do not have enough to eat—and this includes people here in the US. Furthermore, nearly 45 million people are at risk of living in a famine state. 

The main driver of hunger is conflict, according to the World Food Programme. As we witness crises unfolding near and far, our hearts go out to the individuals and families gravely impacted. We know a lack of food is—and likely will continue to be—an issue many face. But we can all work to change this. We applaud the efforts of various people and organizations doing all that they can to provide sustenance to those in precarious settings. Here are four notable organizations worth supporting today. 

World Central Kitchen

José Andrés first built a name for himself as one of the world’s most notable chefs. But over the last decade, he has become one of the well-known front-line fighters of hunger. In short, if there’s a crisis, Andrés and his team are there feeding those in need. He founded World Central Kitchen to offer an immediate way to feed people when disaster hits. (World Central Kitchen volunteers also work to help re-establish local food systems.) Most recently, Andrés and his World Central Kitchen team have been providing fresh meals to people in and around Ukraine, as well as to those in Madagascar impacted by the deadly cyclone in February. Donate to World Central Kitchen

Care 

While this multi-hyphenate humanitarian organization offers a plethora of aid in more than 100 countries, Care most commonly provides nourishing food to those in places of war. Currently, team organizers and volunteers are on the front lines providing meals and medical attention to those impacted by conflict in Ukraine, Afghanistan, Somalia, Yemen, and numerous other nations. A one-time donation can help to feed those facing hunger and acute malnutrition. Donate to Care

Action Against Hunger

Action Against Hunger strives to fight the causes, effects, and impacts of global hunger. Organizers here work to provide people in nearly 50 countries with consistent access to food and clean water, as well as medical attention. This worldwide humanitarian organization has been in existence for close to five decades now and aims to end undernutrition by 2030. Donate to Action Against Hunger

Feeding America

With a presence in every state, Feeding America is the largest hunger-focused organization in the US. For more than four decades this team of workers and volunteers has pushed to get wholesome food to children, adults, and families facing food insecurity. They also provide education around building a stronger, healthier, more equitable food system. Donate to Feeding America

A final note: In addition to supporting global organizations, there is also ample opportunity to give back to your local city. Grassroots movements working to provide meals and mutual aid are abounding today, much in response to the pandemic. The Mutual Aid Hub is a great place to research volunteer and donation opportunities in your area. 

How the Fresh Approach Mobile Farmers' Market Is Making Local Organic Foods More Accessible

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There is a food crisis in America. In 2020, the USDA estimates more than 38 million people lived in households that were food insecure, meaning they lacked consistent access to nourishing foods. As the pandemic has caused jobs to be lost and precarity to become a greater reality for more and more people, lines to soup kitchens and food banks have swelled over the last year and a half, covering miles of ground as more than 60 million individuals sought the assistance of free or reduced food programs. Across the country cities are teeming with contrasts: On one corner of a neighborhood, a farmers’ market abounds with shoppers who can afford to buy fresh produce. On the other corner, a mother struggles to keep her children fed. (And many Americans with a need for food assistance do not qualify for federal programs, such as SNAP.)

These grave facts sit in juxtaposition to the harsh realities on the other end of the US food spectrum: Nearly 40 percent of our food supply gets wasted, meaning sustenance that could have nourished people instead rots in landfills. In addition to the severe issues, swaths of the US are defined as food deserts, areas where residents have very few, or sometimes no, access to affordable, fresh, nutrient-dense foods. “Disproportionately found in high-poverty areas, food deserts create extra, everyday hurdles that can make it harder for kids, families, and communities to grow healthy and strong,” states the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

As a media and educational platform that explores food and how it impacts our lives, we cannot look away from this reality. We have an obligation to fight this. To do our part. In this light, we will be amplifying the voices and endeavors of those who are on the front lines working to eradicate the existence of food insecurity and hunger. There is serious work being done to build larger awareness around the gaps in the food system, all led by steadfast workers that stem from various walks spanning various industries, from the restaurant world to the nonprofit sector. In our new series, Prima for Good, we’ll be spotlighting organizations and individuals doing just this. Up first: The Fresh Approach Mobile Farmers’ Market, which you can learn about below.

Our conversations around food need to expand. It is imperative we recognize that with every recipe created, every restaurant visited, and every farmers’ market shopped there are people lacking equity and access to the most basic human right. We hope this series helps to build stronger awareness and understanding of the fight we must fight until every person has unobstructed, life-long access to fresh food.

 

Prima for Good Spotlight: Fresh Approach Mobile Farmers’ Market

  

Thirteen years ago, the Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association founded Fresh Approach, a non-profit dedicated to bridging the gap between access to fresh farmers’ market offerings and low-income customers across the Bay Area of California. Over the years, Fresh Approach’s programs have evolved in various areas, including community gardening and urban agriculture; nutrition education; and fresh food access—which includes their Mobile Farmers’ Market program, an endeavor they started in 2013.

The Mobile Farmers’ Market concept is simple and positive: Take the freshest, seasonally picked produce grown by local farmers and bring it to nearby communities (mainly those that are low income and lacking access to fresh foods) at affordable prices—with a 50 percent discount offered to those who qualify for federal assistance benefits (or who identify as needing the benefit). A pint of organic locally picked strawberries, for instance, goes for $1.50.  “Every week, we’re providing really high-quality, California grown produce that’s better than anything nearby,” Fresh Approach food access program director Andy Ollove tells us.

When we spoke with Ollove, he told us about the plight of too many people across the US not having access—either financial, geographical, or both—to fresh produce. He says the concept of putting nourishment on wheels to bridge the gap is one he’s seeing have a continued promise. “In the last few years, the mobile farmers’ market model has been quite successful and replicated around the country,” he says. “We are actually working on beginning coalitions around mobile farmers market groups in California and have other partners nationally.”

But like any non-profit proves, the mobile farmers’ market project—albeit promising and positive—is not a sustainable business model and therefore requires grant-funding and activist minds to keep it running. While the federal program has been helpful for shoppers on CalFresh, California’s food stamp program, Ollove says those programs only help about 30 percent of the Fresh Approach Mobile Farmers’ Market shoppers. This requires Fresh Approach to continuously fundraise to be able to subsidize the remaining 70 percent of its customers who need food or financial assistance.  

Considering this, Ollove says shopping locally at your farmers’ market and finding those who are “facilitating the connections between the local farmers and the low-income populations'' is a critical way to support the efforts of nonprofits focused on food equity. “There are groups like us scattered in every city in the country, at least small and mid-size cities,” says Ollove. “There all in the same ecosystem of improving the food system toward access.”

  

To learn more about Fresh Approach and their Mobile Farmers’ Market, as well as ways to support their work, visit freshapproach.org.