In Camilla Marcus’s LA Home Renovation, Restaurant Memorabilia Was the Key Ingredient

Before the pandemic, Camilla Ruth Marcus, chef and owner of zero-waste culinary company west~bourne, and her husband, Josh, had never owned a home before—much less renovated one. But in the spring of 2021, they left New York City for Camilla’s native California with a toddler in tow, another baby on the way, and real estate moves on their near horizon.

“Someone we knew from New York had randomly called my husband on his birthday and said, ‘I think my neighbors are going to sell their house. I can get you in, but you have to come this Friday. I think it’s your dream,’” Camilla remembers. When the couple stepped foot onto the lush acre that envelops their ranch-style home in West LA, they decided to act fast, and put in an offer that day.

Camilla had loved the storied Kenter Canyon community, where the light-filled home was located, since she was a child. Plus, its wild garden provided the farmable land they were looking for. “To be able to grow our own food and provide our kids with an exploratory childhood in nature is what made us fall in love [with it] instantly.”