Rashida Holmes
Bridgetown Roti | Los Angeles
April 2024
Growing up, Rashida Holmes was always more interested in eating rather than cooking, because even though both of her parents worked full-time jobs, there were fresh-made meals on the table every night. After a few challenging years in college, she decided to return home to Baltimore and enroll in culinary school. She worked the line at a local Italian restaurant, learning how to make fresh pasta from the owner’s grandmother, and after two years, moved to Philadelphia to accept her first sous position. Feeling burnt out, Holmes moved to Pittsburgh where she decided to take another stab at college. She picked up shifts at pan-Asian restaurant Soba to pay the bills and, realizing that cooking was her true passion, decided to put her degree on hold.
Wanting to get away from the cold weather, Holmes relocated to Los Angeles and joined the team at Stark Bar under Chef Kris Morningstar. She then accepted a chef de cuisine position at Terrine, before moving to Rustic Canyon under the guidance of Rising Stars alum Jeremy Fox. She joined the opening team at Freehand, then accepted a job at Botanical in 2017, where she was inspired and encouraged by the women-run kitchen. While looking for the next step in her career, Holmes saw a lack of Caribbean restaurants in L.A. So, when the pandemic hit, she started selling oxtail patties through Instagram—and they sold out in minutes. Holmes began popping up around the city, sharing her Caribbean cooking, specifically Bajan and Trinidadian flavors, at restaurants and music festivals. Now moving into Bridgetown Roti’s first brick-and-mortar, Holmes’ mission is to educate customers and highlight the diverse and historically rich dishes from across the Caribbean.
