A Tiny Tour #002—Camille Becerra
The chef/food stylist/author of Bright Cooking invites us over for her current favorite "salad" and shares how her sofa can shape-shift into an instant guest room.
Today’s Tiny Tour is long and brimming with ⚡️ images, so definitely click through to read it sans interruption on your Substack app or browser. Also, Today’s edition is FREE so please do share it far and wide, if the spirit moves you (also, Likes are ❤️).
I once had lunch with the chef and food stylist Camille Becerra. We had only just met a few months earlier, but she wanted to take me to a small Japanese restaurant in the Greenpoint/Williamsburg area of Brooklyn that she’d read about and was dying to try. It was tiny and special, and the thing I remember most, other than the two beautiful vintage wood tables in the front, was how tuned in she was about everything that was happening: the place setting, the stacked bowls, the position of the shiso leaf. Nothing makes me happier than seeing someone so fully immersed in themselves AND a moment.
Camille isn’t just this way about food or cooking…she is someone who LOVES life and beauty in a way that is rare and invigorating (her Substack Bright Cooking is a great example of this). From riding her bike all over New York to changing her hair more than anyone I’ve ever known to inviting someone into her home, a loft apartment in a Lower East Side 1800s schoolhouse that she shares with her daughter.
When I first imagined this column, I wanted it to feel cozy and down to earth but also like a living resource for building/designing a home that reflects a very personal sort of magic. That’s Camille’s apartment—the place you most want to come for a dinner party…or just a late-morning coffee visit, accompanied by her current favorite “salad” (which happens to be a Padma Lakshmi signature). Okay, too much good, homey stuff to see here…let’s get into it…✨
ATA: Hi Camille…thank you SO MUCH for doing this. Tell us about what you do and where you’re from…as well as your favorite place you’ve ever lived.
Camille Becerra: Hi, thanks for coming over! I’m a chef and food stylist. I was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and raised in Elizabeth, New Jersey. I’ve lived in NYC for the past 30 years. My current neighborhood—the Lower East Side—has been my favorite so far. It has diversity and attracts people who love being around other creative people. My building especially has such a concentration of artists and highly dynamic people.
ATA: How long have you lived here, and what can you tell us about your building? Any ghosts?
CAMILLE: I’ve lived in this apartment for nine years, and came across my building when my previous apartment gave me just a month to move because the owners, a married couple, were getting divorced. I was scared and stressed out, so I reached out to my Instagram community, and oddly two separate people reached out both recommending the same building. With such a tight turn around, I had no big requirements, only that it had to "feel" good. Home life is such a big part of how I de-stress from everyday wear. And what I ended up finding was a beautiful NYC schoolhouse built in the 1890s with huge windows facing south overlooking the East River and Brooklyn. I love that in the winter we don’t have to use heat during the days because we get an ample amount of solar heat. We’re also high enough past the tree line to get a wonderful view. No ghosts.
ATA: The view is pretty incredible. It’s quiet, too, and feels so peaceful, which is rare for NYC. Did you renovate or make any changes before moving in?
CAMILLE: As soon as we moved in I worked on the kitchen, I removed most of the cabinetry in the kitchen because it was crowded and dated, I put in new appliances, a large sink and Caesar Stone countertops. I wanted something open and bright knowing I would be working from it, both developing recipes and documenting it through photography.
ATA: What do you love most about your home now?
CAMILLE: I love it when people come in and feel instantly at home. It’s not fancy or exceptionally tidy, but it has an element of comfort and ease. The light is definitely my favorite aspect. My plants grow wild.
“It’s not fancy or exceptionally tidy, but it has an element of comfort and ease. The light is definitely my favorite aspect. My plants grow wild.”—Camille Becerra
Her dining table and chairs are by Woven, the table is called the Gabriella (after Gabriella Crespi maybe??). The Gabriella dining chair, too.
I love that Camille created a natural and versatile “room divider” in her open loft space by simply stacking piles of books and offering some sculptural interest/contrast with an antique bust and a wild bunch of dried Eucalyptus. No furniture, just loved things. The sort of organic home-making that makes me GIDDY.
ATA: You're like me in that you have this wonderful lofted ceiling, but also these fantastic corners everywhere to read or rest or just be quiet with friends. What do you love/hate about smaller spaces?
CAMILLE: Smaller spaces need to be smart. One needs to configure them and be intentional. When done properly they can inspire so much creativity.
ATA: One of my favorite spots in your home is your custom-designed sofa, it’s like a room unto itself…or better, a room on command! I LOVE a nook…do you love a nook?
CAMILLE: I love nooks. Using the daybed/sofa and flipping it around to create a more private space for a guest is a way of being smart when living in a smaller home. Everyone who stays over shares how they have the best sleep, and I just realized it’s because the sofa mimics a crib, giving you a very close, nurturing embrace.
ATA: I can tell from visiting you that you/your family are collectors. What are you drawn to and do you have any philosophies about collecting? Specifically any things you love to collect in your kitchen or for entertaining? And any tips for people who love to cook for friends/family?
CAMILLE: I certainly collect food items that I bring back when I’m traveling. Localized spices, beans, honey, etc. I find that preparing ingredients that the people I am hosting would not normally ever see or taste is a way I enjoy sharing. It's a lesson and information friends and family can take with them, and a perfect entertaining slant.
ATA: Tell us in a few sentences, how you were drawn into cooking? I've always thought of you as an artist as much as you are a chef.
The beautiful grapefruit salad Camille made for me while I was taking photos, created by Padma Lakshmi (you can see her prepare it here…I confess I would definitely use too much orange blossom water!).
Camille’s book Bright Cooking came out last year and is a visual feast of herby/spicy/savory ideas to play around with. You can order it here and it would make a lovely mom’s day gift, just in case.
CAMILLE: I think we all have our calling. I was able to tap into that very early and went to culinary school after a gap year from high school. And it was more apparent to me in that year after working in a restaurant and venturing across farmers markets. We New Yorkers are all deep foodies—we embrace ethnic cuisines, we are exposed to quality products, and value the importance of eating well. And the vastness of it allows for learning something new every time we can cook and eat.
ATA: What would you say your approach to decorating is? Any theories or hard/fast rules?
CAMILLE: What is in my home is about practicality and function. I'm fortunate to work with home brands and trade work for furniture and appliances, but apart from that I don't have a decorating practice. It's about a lifestyle and configuring your needs and likes around that.
A kitchen for cooking: Camille has collected all of her baskets from flea markets, yard sales, and thrift stores (#soulmates). She likes to pick up ceramics whenever she travels, hence the mix-and-match vibe; she also has a small collection of black clay ceramics from Columbia. Her favorite brand for pots is Staub or everyday pots from All Clad. Her very sexy coffee-maker is Pulcina for Alessi (the RED handle:))) which I have put in a request for as a mother’s day gift. Fingers crossed! The rack is from traditional restaurant supply companies…what a smart adaptable MOVEABLE storage idea for small spaces! What else could we use this for???
ATA: Okay, name three things you absolutely love about your home and why?
CAMILLE: High ceilings, big windows/big sky, and just enough space to have people over both for meals and sleepovers.
ATA: Name one or two more things that make your home YOUR HOME....
CAMILLE: One of my favorite things about my home is its energy, which is really important to me…a happy home. I also enjoy the meditative practice of growing and caring for plants and the abundance of natural light from the big windows. I enjoy how it feels like a little perch at the top the world.
“…a happy home.”—Camille Becerra
ATA: Anything on your wishlist for adding or subtracting from your home?
CAMILLE: I would like to subtract all work from my apartment. I have acquired ingredients, equipment, and a desk from having to work from home. The dream is to keep home and work separate.
Camille’s home office (or “work nook” as she calls it) consists of a vintage baker’s table as a desk w/a beautiful grey marble top for pastry making that she covered with a sheet of wallpaper while she uses it as a desk. The vintage public school chair was rescued from the curb. The architect’s lamp is IKEA “$20, a great deal!” I love these, too.
ATA: Bright Cooking, your book AND your Substack, tell us more!
CAMILLE: Both speak to seasonal, plant-forward cooking with a modern, wellness-oriented twist. The first section, Elements gives the readers recipes for outfitting your pantry. These components are designed to be versatile building blocks, allowing home cooks to mix and match flavors creatively according to what’s in season and to what they are craving. The second section called Dishes shows how I apply the elements from the first section.
Bright Cooking School, my Substack companion, is an extension of the book’s ethos and an evolving active journal of seasonal observations, food experiments, and storytelling. It’s a hybrid of a test kitchen, a nature diary, and a cooking school with lessons. It invites readers to slow down, cook intuitively, preserve what’s in season, and consider the origins and politics of the foods they eat.
“It’s a hybrid of a test kitchen, a nature diary, and a cooking school with lessons. It invites readers to slow down, cook intuitively, preserve what’s in season, and consider the origins and politics of the foods they eat.”—Camille Becerra
ATA: Thank you Camille…you’ve made me believe that with an herby bright dip, anything is possible…
CAMILLE: I’m so glad…I do love a dip. I mean, who doesn’t?
For the record: Camille is wearing Bernie Baba slippers by Sabah (also a great mom day gift); Petite Meridian jeans by Apiece Apart; men’s Oliver chambray shirt by Cargo Crew; NoahNY ball cap.
Thanks for reading today, friends! If you missed last week’s ATA, we had two goodies with lots of inspiration and thrifty resources…(PS: Still thinking our bedroom paint color is like melatonin in a can):
ALSO, In my bedroom revamp, I shared how much I love my new Revival rug, and they were kind enough to offer A Tiny Apt. subscribers a little discount in case you want one, too (use the code TINYAPT20 at checkout, which gives you 20% off through the end of May). Here are a few more styles I was considering for my bedroom and also the cabin upstate. Clockwise from top left: Tulip, Dungaree, Purlin, Macintosh, Milord (my baby!), and Triplo Strato (in the red or gold, tough call).
A few more fun things you might like to click on…
This striped folding stool. Could be great to have a pair in the closet in the cabin for deck drop-bys. My daughter asked me if we could buy this for the bathroom, and I said No. (But maybe by her bed?). PS: I’m working on an upcoming ATA story about folding/collapsible furniture for flex/small spaces, as well as all the best historical/collectible vintage references…PUMPED:)
I’m re-sharing this essay “Take Your Flowers” by Xue that I posted in Notes last week. I just can’t stop thinking about it and sharing it with friends who need to hear it. And be reminded of how fucking awesome they are (you are, too).
I was on a deadline/unable to follow the MetBall coverage faithfully, but when this popped up in my feed, I saved it for what I hope will be eternity. To quote Blakely Thornton, Natasha Lyonne is a “world creator.” Also, these are the “big, low-slung black pantie, full bottom that makes me feel like Keith Richards” that I personally wear almost Every Single Day. I need to buy MORE.
Thanks for stopping by…over and out…xxCb
More good stuff I’ve personally approved and might like to buy/try out myself right here in our Tiny Shop on ShopMy (including the Donni pants we all might like to get in red). Remember, if you click on or buy something, there’s a chance we might make a tiny commission. ❤️
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I’m excited for your folding/collapsible furniture piece! Looking for some kind of small (kitchen/dining) table for my small BK apartment 🤞
Tiny tours are a magical mystery ride! Love the series ! Wonderful to see a unique person creating in the flow of their life ! So excited about the revival rugs, need a few !