5 Minutes with Plant-based Chef Bettina Campolucci Bordi

I call my upbringing… one long, delicious cultural mash-up. I grew up in between worlds. With Norwegian and Bulgarian heritage and my early childhood in East Africa, where cooking from scratch and shopping at the market were simply how you ate, not a lifestyle choice.

My inspiration in the kitchen came from… my two incredible grandmothers, one Bulgarian and one Norwegian, both amazing cooks in their own way. They taught me that you cook with what you have, you season with love, and you always make enough for one extra person at the table.

Since I first started my blog, the plant-based movement has… completely shifted. Back then, plant-based eating still felt quite niche. Now most restaurants have thoughtfully considered plant-based dishes, supermarkets are full of options, and people are talking more about climate, animal welfare and health in the same breath. The upside is accessibility; the challenge is ultra-processed “plant-based” products that don’t always support wellbeing. My focus has stayed on whole, vibrant, veg-forward food – making it feel exciting rather than restrictive.

My proudest moment of my career so far… there are the headline moments like publishing my books or speaking on stages – but those that land deepest are quieter ones: when someone at a retreat tells me they’ve fallen back in love with food after years of dieting, or when a Retreat Chef Academy graduate says they’ve just catered their first retreat and it changed their life. Those messages always make me teary and think, “okay, this is why I do it.”

To make sure I eat a variety of plants each week I live by… “planned spontaneity”. I’ll loosely plan a few anchor dishes for the week – a big grain or pulse salad, a soup, a curry, a tray of roasted veg, a dip – and then build meals around them. I try to keep my fridge looking like a rainbow: herbs, leafy greens, different coloured veg, ferments, nuts and seeds. Small habits help: sprinkling mixed seeds on everything, adding herbs at the very end, blending leftover veg into sauces.

Welcoming so many different people in wellness retreats across the world taught me… that everyone is carrying something, and that being properly fed – in every sense – softens people. When you create a space where guests are nourished, listened to, and not judged for what they eat or how they live, something opens up.  I’ve seen strangers arrive tense, exhausted and disconnected, then leave a few days later with new friends, new rituals and a completely different relationship with their own body. Food is the entry point, but what we’re really doing is reminding people that they’re allowed to be cared for.

My vices or the indulgences I allow myself are… sourdough with an indecent amount of butter, proper salty crisps, excellent dark chocolate and a glass of champagne. I don’t believe in labelling foods as “good” or “bad”; I’m more interested in how they make you feel, physically and emotionally.

My favourite underappreciated ingredient is… buckwheat. People either don’t know what to do with it or think it’s boring, and it’s neither. It’s naturally gluten-free, has a lovely nutty flavour, and works in so many ways: pancakes, crepes, porridge, salads, even as a base for veggie “meatballs”. Toast it lightly and it becomes this gorgeous, crunchy topper that adds both texture and minerals to a dish.

When it comes to plant-based milks, my go-to is… coconut milk for cooking curries and stews, and homemade nut milks (like cashew or almond) when I want something extra silky. I tend to avoid plant milks with long ingredient lists, lots of added oils, sugars and gums; I’d rather keep it as close to whole-food as possible.

Choosing my favourite destination… is like choosing a favourite child, but Bali will always have a piece of my heart – there’s a special energy to the island. Japan has completely captivated me too; I love the precision, seasonality and respect for ingredients. And then there’s East Africa, which feels like going home. Each place feeds a different part of me.

One lesson in food I want to pass on to my daughter is… that food is joy, not punishment. I want her to know how to feed herself well, to understand where food comes from, and to feel comfortable in a kitchen – but also to trust her body and appetite. If she grows up seeing vegetables as exciting, not a chore, and the table as a place of connection rather than stress, I’ll feel like I’ve done something right.

My favourite recipe from my cookbook is… one I come back to again and again: a very simple leek and tahini dip. It’s the one I make for friends when they’re standing in my kitchen with a glass of wine, picking at things before supper – and it always disappears first. The recipe is: 

1. Take a few fat leeks, trim them and cook them slowly – either roasted with olive oil and sea salt until they’re soft and caramelised at the edges, or gently sautéed in a pan until they turn silky and sweet.
2. Blend them with a generous spoon (or three) of tahini, a clove or two of garlic, lemon juice and zest, salt, black pepper and a splash of water until smooth. I blitz until it’s velvety, then taste and tweak – more lemon for brightness, more tahini for richness, a little extra salt if it needs it. 
3. Spoon it into a shallow bowl and finish with olive oil, toasted seeds or nuts and a handful of herbs.

It’s perfect with warm flatbreads, crudités or dolloped onto grain bowls, and I also love it dolloped onto grain bowls or alongside roasted vegetables. Proof that a leek, treated kindly, can absolutely be the star of the show.