Chef Luna Contreras

Luna Contreras is a proud transgender woman and the Mexican chef behind Chelo — the restaurant that is part of Dame Collective and the small batch condiments line. The inspiration for her seasonal, vegetable laden Mexican cooking comes from her grandmother, Mama Chelo, in Guadalajara, Jalisco.

 

In San Francisco, Luna received culinary recognition, including Michelin Bib Gourmand awards and Top 100 Bay Area Restaurants awards from the San Francisco Chronicle, for her work at Mamacita and Padrecito. Luna has been featured in Eater, Portland Monthly, Willamette Week, The Oregonian, Huffington Post, Travel Oregon, The New York Times amongst others.

 

She was a contestant on Netflix's Snack vs. Chef. Most recently, Luna was named the 2023 Chef of the Year by Eater Portland and received The 2023 Spirit of Hospitality Award from Travel Portland. Luna also forms part of the World Central Kitchen Chef Corps Non-Profit.

 

Luna has fought most of her life to affirm and embrace her true identity. In 2020, she finally began hormone replacement therapy after a long battle with gender dysphoria. This ongoing journey continuously sparks a renewed passion to stay humble, honest, and real in everything that she does.