About the Chef

Rebeca Rivera was born on a small family farm along the northern coast of Puerto Rico, where she developed the intimate relationship with food that informs her approach today. She was privy to all aspects of food production at home from a very early age. Respect for the animals consumed and using every part were early lessons. Every meal was cooked and served to exacting standards, because food was a ritual and one of the great pleasures of life.

Rebeca has cooked professionally in New York City, San Francisco and Vermont. She has held almost every job available in a kitchen. She has been an owner/baker at Uprisings Baking Collective in Berkeley and an owner/canner for a small organic cannery in Vermont.

Her cooking continues to evolve, from her early apprenticeship in traditional French cuisine to incorporating California culinary culture and integrating the distinct influences of Asian, Mexican and other cuisines into her own African and Spanish heritage.

‘Cooking is a cultural act. Every step in the process says something about the cook and the consumer.’