To our village~
We know February as the month of love—how we show it, who we share it with, and all of the different ways we feel it in our daily lives—and as luck would have it, this year National Regenerative Agriculture Day falls on none other than Valentine’s Day. Apropos in every way for us at west~bourne, so we dedicate this month to our first love: soil. We take today to honor the growers and stewards tending graciously to our land—the truest expression of love for each of us to live our healthiest lives and for the future of our planet.
From the ground up, healthy soil is the foundation of our lives as humans on earth. It’s our very reason for being at west~bourne; capturing carbon and turning that into flavor, nutrient density, and long-term resilience. It’s a reminder to support farming practices that restore soil health, increase biodiversity, and mitigate climate change. Today reminds us that we must progress beyond sustainability to actively regenerate ecosystems through methods like cover cropping, reduced tillage, and livestock integration, encouraging a shift away from chemical-dependent industrial agriculture. Last month, I mentioned how soil is the key to creating true superfoods. When soil is regenerated rather than depleted, it supports better food, stronger ecosystems, and a food system built to last.
Regeneration is the name of our long-term, committed relationship with nature. It’s how we stay consistent, collaborative, and give our love and affection to the earth.
Our friends at Natoora encourage us to pick radicchio, not roses, each year for Valentine’s Day, and we couldn’t love this idea any more. Since roses naturally bloom in late fall, growing them out of season in February has major social and environmental drawbacks. A quick snapshot to put this into perspective: 250 million flowers are produced for just this single day holiday and each stem requires 10 liters of water to grow to their full size, and this water is being taken from drought-stricken areas, like Lake Navisha in Kenya, in order to do so.
While radicchio may not make for the most… obvious Valentine's Day bouquet, it’s distinctly beautiful and thoughtfully romantic, in our books. It’s a plant that naturally thrives during dark, cold winters, and its bright, bold color reminds us how powerful our soil—especially at its healthiest—can be.
If you want to get even more avant garde with it, try using it as a garnish on top of a carrot cake. This recipe was a big hit at our supper with evolve together and Sunset Tennis Club earlier this month. And of course, as a professional chef, food is my number one love language.
Happy Valentine’s Day and Happy National Regenerative Agriculture Day. Here’s to loving your friends, your community, your partner, and most importantly, your soil.
Mid-February produce that’s bringing some romance to my kitchen:
Citrus in all its forms: sumo, cara cara, calamansi, blood orange, you name it
Fennel, and don’t forget the fronds are arguably the best part
Rosalba, ofc if you can find it but truly any chicory will be chef’s kiss
For a little surprise and delight, use ####### through the long weekend, with our love and gratitude,
Camilla
Chef and Founder, west~bourne |
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730 Arizona Avenue 2nd Floor Santa Monica, California, 90401
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