Chef-Owner, Bombera |Oakland, CA

Dominica Rice-Cisneros is chef and the owner of Bombera in Oakland, California. Her culinary approach was honed at Chez Panisse, where she spent six years working closely with her mentor Alice Waters. Emphasizing organic, local, and whole foods, Dominica has played a pivotal role in placing California-based Mexican cuisine in conversation with the need to protect biodiversity and Mexican heritage. In conversation not only with farm-to-table culinary priorities but also with the prospects of social transformation in hemispheric foodways, the categories of race, gender, and class inform her approach to food preparation and her vision as a restaurant owner. Bombera, located in a former fire station in Oakland's Dimond District, showcases an all-women team of tortilla masters and features favorites such as duck carnitas, fish tacos, and salads from local farms as part of her long-standing commitment to exploring how culinary knowledge of Mexico and California intersect with the environmental and social urgencies of the moment. (Oakland, CA) @dominicarice; @bomberaoakland