My Regenerative Kitchen: Foreword by Alice Waters

— FOREWORD —
Cultivating
Hope in the Soil
I n the urgent quest to address climate change and safeguard our planet’s
future, there exists a profound yet often overlooked solution—one
that lies right beneath our feet. Within the realm of regenerative agricul-
ture, we unearth a paradigm-shifting approach that not only promises to
restore our environment but also to allow us to thrive within it.
In simple yet profound ways, the choices we make about how we eat
can help us—and the communities in which we live—lead healthier
and more joyful lives. In the pages of My Regenerative Kitchen, Camilla
Marcus shows us how eco-conscious cooking is synonymous with the
vision of regenerative organic farming and its focus on nurturing healthy
soils to protect our planet. Like farmers, chefs can be environmental
stewards. Camilla helps us understand how to waste less and eat with
earth-friendly practices in mind, nourishing ourselves with beautiful,
organic, fresh dishes.
Regenerative organic farming, with its focus on nurturing the soil as a
vibrant and diverse ecosystem, holds the key to our survival. It is a tech-
nology born from the wisdom of nature, refined through rigorous
scientific inquiry, and poised for widespread adoption. At its core, regen-
erative agriculture harnesses the innate capacity of soil to sequester and
hold carbon. By treating soil not merely as dirt but as a living, breathing
entity teeming with life, we unlock its transformative potential. This
revolutionary approach not only mitigates the escalating levels of atmo-
spheric carbon but also enhances the resilience of our lands against the
ravages of climate extremes.
Yet the impact of regenerative agriculture extends far beyond its role
as a climate savior. With enriched soil carbon comes a flourishing soil
biology—a bustling ecosystem brimming with biodiversity. This
abundance not only sustains the health of our ecosystems but also
enriches the nutritional value of our food.
Education and food are two universal rights. Everyone deserves to eat
nourishing food. And everyone goes to school (or at least ought to), and
public education has the potential to reach every person on the planet.This
proposition would not only bring money to local communities but would
bring the essential values of stewardship, nourishment, interconnected-
ness, diversity, and, I dare say, democracy to the next generation, directly
through the cafeteria doors. It would activate students every single day in
the way they yearn for, giving them an instant connection to each other at
the table and, through the ingredients on their plate, to the greater world.
I can say all of this with conviction because I have seen firsthand that
it is possible to create a program that rethinks food and academics from
the ground up and have it widely adopted. Thirty years ago, I started the
Edible Schoolyard Project at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School in
Berkeley, California, by creating garden and kitchen classrooms to teach
all academic subjects to students. Because of the human values this proj-
ect celebrated—stewardship of the land, nourishment, community,
diversity, beauty—the Edible Schoolyard Project has inspired a network
of over 6,200 like-minded programs around the world.
In 2018, Camilla unveiled west~bourne, a groundbreaking zero-waste
dining spot in the heart of New York City, earning praise not only for her
delectable dishes but also for her mindful, forward-looking, community-
driven ethos. Camilla emerged as a visionary, guiding a venture that
upholds ethics, innovation, and local involvement, all while championing
the cause of farmers and environmental stewardship.
We have to think completely differently about our food system—about
the relationship we have with our producers and the responsibility we
owe each other. It will take a total paradigm shift. In essence, regenerative
agriculture offers us a profound opportunity to recalibrate our relation-
ship with the Earth. It invites us to reimagine our role as stewards of the
land, working in harmony with nature’s rhythms rather than against them.
By harnessing the surplus carbon in our atmosphere, we can breathe new
life into our soils, cultivating a future of abundance and vitality.
As we stand at the precipice of unprecedented environmental chal-
lenges, let us heed the call of regenerative agriculture. Let us embrace the
soil as a sacred trust, a reservoir of hope from which the seeds of a sus-
tainable future shall sprout. For in the embrace of healthy soil lies our
greatest salvation—a beacon of resilience illuminating the path toward a
thriving planet for generations to come.
—Alice Waters
xii • Foreword

My Regenerative Kitchen: Foreword by Alice Waters

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

My Regenerative Kitchen: Foreword by Alice Waters

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

My Regenerative Kitchen: Foreword by Alice Waters

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

— FOREWORD —

You might also like