Dominica Rice-Cisneros

Dominica Rice-Cisneros is an American chef and entrepreneur. She is the owner of Bombera and was owner of the now closed Cosecha, both which are located in Oakland, California.

Dominica Rice-Cisneros
Born
Dominica Rice

Chinatown, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Culinary career
Cooking styleCal-Mex
Current restaurant(s)
    • Bombera, Oakland
Previous restaurant(s)

Early life and education

Dominica Rice was born in Chinatown, Los Angeles. She was raised in the Eagle Rock neighborhood of Los Angeles. Her family is of Northern Mexican heritage. Her grandparents migrated to the United States in the 19th century.[1] Growing up in Los Angeles, her family ate a lot of Asian food, including Chinese, Vietnamese and Thai. She also helped her grandmother prepare traditional Mexican dishes.[2]

Career

Rice-Cisneros has worked professionally as a cook since the 1990s. She has worked as an intern at Daniel and in the kitchens of Restaurant Soleil, in Mexico City, and Berkeley's Chez Panisse.[3][4] She lived in Mexico City for two years in her twenties. Her time in Mexico City inspired her interest in fresh, seasonal Mexican food.[1] In 1993, she moved to Oakland, California.[5]

In 2011, Rice-Cisneros decided to open it in Swan's Market, a historic market in downtown Oakland which, at the time, had been virtually empty and was seeking tenants to revive its market concept. She began looking for a loan for the restaurant and friends tried to talk her out of it, believing the old market was not a good investment. Her desire to open Cosecha was inspired by visiting food markets growing up in Los Angeles and while spending time in Mexico City. Swan's Market fitted her vision. The market now has Cosecha, as well a number of vendors and restaurants.[6] At Cosecha, most of the staff are women, including mothers, many of whom can only work day shifts in order to care for their children.[7] Her goal of supporting women is so that they "can work to let go of the unnecessary burden of feeling they need to take care of everything and everyone".[8]

She participated in a panel at the MAD Symposium in 2016 about the challenges faced by women in the restaurant industry.[7] She was inducted into Les Dames d'Escoffier in 2017[8] and, in the same year, she announced that she would open Bombera Bar & Grill in an old fire station in the Dimond District in Oakland.[9] Construction started in 2019 and Bombera was expected to open in 2020,[10] which was indefinitely postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Two years later, in 2019, she was nominated for the James Beard Award for Best Chef: West.[11]

In 2021, Rice-Cisneros announced that she would close Coescha in March and open Bombera in April because of the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.[12]

In 2023, Michelin added Bombera to its California Guide.[13]

Cooking style

When asked what part of Mexico her cuisine comes from she says, "Oakland and LA 'cause California used to be part of Mexico." She calls her style Chicano cooking.[1] Many of her recipes are based on family recipes, which she often melds with Californian cuisine.[5] She also describes her food as comfort food.[3]

Personal life

Rice-Cisneros is married to Carlos Salomon. They have one child, Xiomara.[14]

In June 2019, Rice-Cisneros accused a server at a Japanese restaurant at Swan's Market of battery and filed a restraining order against him. She also accused him of stalking an employee at Cosecha.[15] In November 2019, a judge denied the restraining order and dropped the case.[16]

References
  1. Strange, Kaitlin (4 January 2019). "In Her Own Words: An illustrated interview with Dominica Rice-Cisneros of Cosecha". Berkeleyside. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  2. Salniker, Ferron (10 March 2013). "Mexican food made local, fresh and from the heart: Q & A with Dominica Rice". Vision Hispania. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  3. Hu, Janny (9 November 2013). "Wave of female chef/owners shape hot Oakland scene". SFGATE. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  4. Newberry, Jan (29 October 2018). "The matriarchs of Bay Area cuisine, past and present". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  5. Volpicelli, Anna (13 November 2018). "Dominica Rice Cisneros, Cosecha Cafe". 7x7 Bay Area. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  6. Tsai, Luke (23 December 2015). "The Year of the Food Court". East Bay Express. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  7. Tsai, Luke (6 September 2016). "Dominica Rice-Cisneros Wants to Lift Up Women Chefs". East Bay Express. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  8. "Guide to Women-Owned Restaurants Around the Bay Area". 7x7 Bay Area. 19 March 2019. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  9. Parr, Rebecca (4 August 2017). "Closed Oakland fire station to become restaurant". East Bay Times. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  10. Han, Sarah (11 September 2019). "Bites: Marugame Udon brings fresh noodles and tempura to Berkeley this month; Nido's Backyard opens". Berkeleyside. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  11. Han, Sarah (27 February 2019). "The 2019 James Beard semifinalists have been announced. Here are the East Bay contenders". Berkeleyside. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  12. Wells, Madeline (12 March 2021). "Popular Oakland lunchtime Mexican spot is closing after 10 years". SFGATE. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  13. https://oaklandside.org/2023/05/18/michelin-california-5-new-oakland-restaurants/
  14. Schell, Adrienne (11 May 2018). "How do they do it? Insight from working moms in the East Bay food scene". Berkeleyside. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  15. Bitker, Janelle (4 August 2019). "Oakland food destination Swan's Market riled by battery charges, harassment allegations". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  16. Bitker, Janelle (20 November 2019). "Swan's Market worker cleared of battery, harassment allegations". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
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