To Chef “Xef” Zubia, a meal is more than just the food that’s being served at My Homies Kitchen.
My Homies Kitchen, at 744 P St., Ste. 101 in downtown Fresno, is embracing Fresno, Chicano and Indigenous culture and food at every possible step. Zubia, the owner, promotes local artists on his walls, practicing sustainability in his kitchen, running a workforce development program and hosting community-building workshops and classes.
Zubia was born and raised in Fresno, and draws from both his Chicano and Indigenous diaspora heritage. Being part of the diaspora means while he doesn’t have a specific tribal affiliation, he has Native American heritage, and Zubia works with tribal leaders to find new ingredients and ways to use them. Much of the inspiration behind his cooking and the ingredients he chooses to use comes from the Central Valley of California.
“Working with the tribes set me on this path of trying to figure out who I am through the food,” Zubia said.
That means the produce grown locally, like watermelons, and locally-raised livestock, like chicken and duck from Sanger, but also native types of fish, like salmon, and less traditional ingredients, like acorns and wild rice.
“You’re only as good as your ingredients,” Zubia said. “If you are serving things that are local, things that are intentional, things that are generational, like the wild rice, then it’s your job not to mess it up.”
His dedication to the Central Valley doesn’t stop at the plate. On every wall in the dining room, there’s art from a locally-based artist, as well as informational posters regarding native fish species, other posters supporting efforts to protect and preserve the local ecosystem and a large “Land Back” sign above the glass display case, referencing a movement to restore ownership and control of the environment to Native tribes.
Crudo, a refreshing summer dish of raw sliced salmon with pickled red onion, micro cilantro, sliced radishes and cucumbers with olive oil, chili oil and Maldon salt, offered by “Xef” Zubia at My Homies Kitchen in downtown Fresno. Photographed Friday July 31, 2026. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com The restaurant
Zubia’s journey to running a restaurant wasn’t a straight line. He went to San Francisco for school and lived in Santa Barbara for a time, learning under chefs there. He worked in an emergency room for seven years, and owned a food truck that didn’t work out.
“To be able to grow up in this city and have a restaurant is a dream come true,” Zubia said.
My Homies Kitchen opens for breakfast and lunch, but Zubia’s passion is the dinner service. During the summer, he offers a Summer Chef’s Tasting, a five-course meal that specializes in using fine-dining techniques to elevate what’s in season.
That doesn’t imply a dress code for those who visit the restaurant.
“We’re the breadbasket of the world,” Zubia said. “Come as you are.”
“Xef” Zubia runs My Homies Kitchen focusing on sustainability in creating health-conscious meals focused on traditional indigenous knowledge, located in downtown Fresno. Photographed Friday, July 31, 2026. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com The Food
The goal isn’t to “commercialize” Indigenous food. In fact, using the foods Zubia does means the menu changes often, because a lot of his suppliers don’t produce or sell enough for the volume a professional kitchen goes through.
That creates more work for Zubia, but it also ties into another part of how he runs his kitchen: with an eye on sustainability and regeneration on every level. There’s a dedicated compost bin in the kitchen, beside the recycling and trash bins, and he also runs a community garden, known as My Homies Garden.
Every Saturday, people can come help out in the garden with weeding, watering, harvesting and other chores. The produce is distributed to the community, and the restaurant also routinely gives away food through a program called My Homies Pantry.
Additionally, he trains people in restaurant and food preparation skills through a workforce development program. At My Homies Kitchen, the focus is on helping people develop skills to become the next generation of chefs, with an eye to how restaurants and the food industry will have to adapt to future agricultural and food production challenges.
“Everything that happens here contributes, one way or another, to one of the programs we have here,” Zubia said.
The interior of My Homies Kitchen located on P Street in downtown Fresno, photographed Friday, July 31, 2026. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com The Growth
Tina Soltero, who does a lot of the restaurant’s administrative work, has been friends with Zubia for years, and has seen (and helped) how far My Homies Kitchen has come in the two years it’s been around. She’s proud of the work Zubia has put into it, but also how the community has responded to the restaurant, the community garden and the other programs Zubia has his hands in.
“It was really cool to see the people coming together,” Soltero said.
My Homies Kitchen has started hosting events. Some events, like an egg roll workshop class, teach people how to cook specific foods or learn specific skills, while others, like Chef vs. Chef, are designed to foster the Fresno food scene.
The restaurant even has had Central Valley schools bring students to see how the food is prepared and how the restaurant functions.
“This is literally what we opened the space for,” Soltero said. “We want the community to come and use the space.”
Grilled eggplant, arugula, Fresno chilis and prosciutto from “Xef” Zubia’s My Homies Kitchen, located in downtown Fresno. Photographed Friday, July 31, 2026. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com 
Seared watermelon topped with pickled watermelon rind and basil from “Xef” Zubia’s My Homies Kitchen in downtown Fresno, photographed Friday, July 31, 2026. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com 
Panna cotta with fresh berries dessert, served at My Homies Kitchen in downtown Fresno, photographed Friday July 31, 2026. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com
Related Stories from Fresno Bee
The Fresno Bee
Amber Hair (they/them) is the food and restaurants reporter and influencer. Amber has been in professional journalism for more than a decade, writing for outlets like the Orlando Sentinel, The Villages Daily Sun, the Pacific Coast Business Times and others. In their spare time, they enjoy going to concerts, reading and spending time with their cats.