Naomi grew up in San Diego and later moved to Atlanta where she received a Bachelors in Cultural Anthropology and was exposed to new foods, people, and cultures. This led her to found Food Chains, a food recovery group that collects, repurposes, and donates meals to local shelters, after which she spent 3 years connecting individuals experiencing homelessness and those recently incarcerated to employment opportunities.

After 7 years in Atlanta, she moved to Pollenzo, Italy to earn her Masters in Gastronomy at the University of Gastronomic Sciences and later focused her Master's thesis on Tijuana, Mexico where she lived and studied how asylum seekers navigate their foodscapes to construct community and identity while waiting at the border.

Naomi moved to the Bay Area at the end of 2019 and was proud to join the La Cocina team in supporting entrepreneurs and piloting anti-gentrification development in the Tenderloin.