Meet Camilla Mann

We recently connected with Camilla Mann and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Camilla, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

Coming out of high school, I landed at a university with the goal of becoming an attorney who did pro-bono work for environmental agencies and organizations. I had interned at the local District Attorney’s office as a teenager and declared history as my major. I knew that would hone my skills of reading, writing, and critical thinking. Four years in I declared a double major with philosophy as my second and tacked on a minor in English literature, extending my stay in Berkeley. However, I had several friends who were older than I was who left for law school, came home for the summer, and showed me that their idealism had been stripped away after one year. I was devastated and crafted a new plan that was really not a plan at all, according to my parents.

I harkened back to a dream of living in Italy. I had had a teacher in the sixth grade who visited her family in Italy every summer. The way she spoke about tomatoes in Italy were in stark contrast to the watery, sometimes mealy things we eat here. And I was determined to make it a reality. I interviewed – and landed – a job with a company who published travel guides. I naïvely thought that I would get to choose my destination. But, when I asked for Italy, they scoffed and told me I would be assigned to Thailand. Nope. That wasn’t my vision. I politely declined the job and found another way to Italy: as an au pair.

I am certain that there are scrupulous agencies out there. Mine was less so – getting us student visas stamped “Vietato Lavorare” (forbidden to work) – when that was in fact our sole purpose. But it got me there and I spent my ten months contract with a family in the center of Rome. It was simultaneously a dream and a nightmare. The mother in the family was some kind of countess, didn’t work, but hadn’t really spent more than fifteen minutes in a row with her children. Ever. When she found out that I liked to cook, she had her cook teach me processes and fired her cook. Cooking duties were added to my job description.

But that is how I learned to view food differently. Refrigeration is scarce in Italy because electricity is so expensive. I frequented the neighborhood market everyday for fruits and vegetables; if a piece of produce was unfamiliar to me, I would ask the farmer what it was and how to best cook it. I walked to the bakery if I needed bread and picked up fresh fish or meat every single day. That way of shopping and consuming completely opened my eyes to seasonal and local eating which was, in the mid to late 90s, not as much of a focus in THIS country.

When I came home, I had embraced that way of feeding myself and those that I loved. Cooking and inviting people to my table was my way of starting conversations with people about sourcing food. I started a kitchen blog to document what I was making because friends would ask “What did you serve us?” and “How did you make it?”

I began to explore cuisines from different countries of the world. In fact, I cooked through all 190+ countries listed on the United Nations’ website with my kids. We would spend a week per country, researching the history, some fun fact, and – most importantly – the cuisine. We selected an appetizer, a main dish, and a dessert for the menu and executed it on the weekend. It took years. But it’s how I taught the boys different techniques and, importantly, how to adapt the ingredients you have available to you. For example, if a recipe calls for kale, but you have chard, it’s okay to substitute.

My blog continues, but during the pandemic, my husband and I started a YouTube channel to show people different kitchen processes. I hosted virtual cooking classes which was a challenge. And I was able to segue to in-person cooking demonstrations and tastings with local businesses.

All of this is show how I landed on my mission in life: culinary inspiration. By sharing the processes behind recipes, I want to inspire people to get into their kitchens and cook fearlessly. By learning a recipe, you can create one dish. When you learn the culinary process behind that recipe, the dishes you can create are limited only by your imagination.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

‘Culinary Inspiration’ is a rather broad description of what I do. However, because how I help people runs the gamut, I feel it is also very accurate. I have a blog that documents my recipes and processes. I have social media – Instagram and Facebook – with posts that are meant to inspire and engage my audience. I work hard to respond and reply to any comments I get. And when I run live events I ensure that attendees know it’s very much a conversation and not just a lecture. I encourage people to ask me questions and freely offer up my information so people can contact me later with culinary questions or, even, restaurant recommendations if they are in the area.

So, my services are tailored to meet people where they are in their culinary journey. I have customers who send me a list of vegetables they are getting in their weekly CSA (community-supported agriculture) boxes; I send them recipe ideas on how to use them all. I have other folks who have certain allergies or sensitivities; I test and offer them adaptations to their favorites. While I am not a dietician or nutritionist, I am a passionate cook and eater. So, I always want people to be able to enjoy food regardless of their dietary restrictions and limitations. I have digital packets available that include recipes, shopping lists, and more for a given theme. Right now, my holiday cookie packet is popular for people who are making and bringing holiday cookie platters to friends and family. The soup packet is also a great one for easy, filling dinners all Winter long.

A great place to start to see what I do – and how I might be able to inspire you – is my website: https://www.culinarycam.com/

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

1. Willingness to ask questions – of people who know more about whatever topic – and being honest with my knowledge, experience, or lack thereof.
2. Passion for always learning and the ability to learn something from everyone.
3. Flexibility to pivot if my service isn’t exactly what someone needs or wants. I can adapt or adjust to fit their needs.

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?

When I feel overwhelmed, I breathe heavy. Seriously. Whether it’s a strenuous hike in the redwoods or a guided meditation or breath exercises, I just focus on my breath. It’s funny, those are the two words my dad would say when I was a kid and upset. “Just breathe.” It has served me well for over four decades.

That’s the first step. The second step is to make a list and prioritize. I decide what absolutely has to be complete in the next hour, or the next day, and what can be postponed till the next couple of days or even the next week.

The final step is to acknowledge that I am not perfect nor do I have to be perfect. Sometimes good enough is fine!

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