In 2019, Rivera moved to New York City to oversee the culinary program at 180 Maiden Lane in the Financial District. Just months later, as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded, Chefscape partnered with the city to prepare and deliver over four million meals to New Yorkers in need. In 2022, amid a significant influx of migrants to the city, Rivera once again stepped up. Drawing on her own experience as an immigrant eager to contribute, she developed a program to employ recent arrivals in meal production, distribution and service once they obtained work permits, offering a dignified model of support and self-sufficiency.

Now, Rivera is embarking on her most personal project yet: Rosa Wine Bar, set to open in Tribeca in April 2025. The intimate, fifty seat wine bar will reflect the elegance of her mother and the luxurious sophistication of South American clubs. The bar will feature a luminous array of New World wines; an innovative fusion of Mexican and Peruvian cuisines; and a rotating series of jazz musicians. Menu highlights include empanaditas de cangrejo made with huitlacoche masa and tacos de filete with filet mignon. Additionally, the space will feature wine tastings and classes, revealing a sophisticated side of South American culture and cuisine that New York City has never seen before.

With Rosa Wine Bar, Rivera aims to honor the towering influence of her mother—a woman with no formal education but an indelible spirit that shaped her daughter’s path. It is both a culmination and a beginning: a tribute to Rosa’s memory, a reflection of Rivera’s journey, and a testament to her belief in the transformative power of food, community, and self-belief.