Transgender Chef Charged with Domestic Violence After Alleged Attack on Girlfriend in Portland
A well-known transgender chef has been charged with domestic violence after allegedly attacking her girlfriend while intoxicated, Oregon police said.
Luna Contreras, 45, was arrested on December 19 after allegedly arriving at her girlfriend’s Portland apartment “intoxicated,” according to court documents obtained by the Daily Mail. The couple had been dating for two months.
The documents state that Contreras began “grabbing and touching” her girlfriend aggressively upon arrival. The confrontation escalated when Contreras reportedly “put her hands around her neck” and “threw a glass liquor bottle at her.”
Building security responded to reports of a fight and found the girlfriend attempting to push Contreras out of the apartment. According to the filing, Contreras then allegedly tried to use a taser on one of the security guards but missed.
Contreras was arrested and charged with fourth-degree attempted assault constituting domestic violence, two counts of harassment, and one count of unlawful use of a stun gun. She pleaded not guilty and was released on her own recognizance. A no-contact order was issued, and her next court date is scheduled for January 20.
On Instagram, Contreras describes herself as “immigrant, brown, trans, queer, activist.” She gained national attention in 2022 as a contestant on Netflix’s Snack v. Chef, where 12 chefs competed to recreate popular snack foods; Contreras was eliminated in the fourth episode. In 2023, she was named Chef of the Year by Eater PDX for her pop-up Mexican restaurant, Chelo, which operated out of the Dame restaurant collective.
Eater PDX praised Contreras as “ubiquitous in the fabric of Portland’s food scene,” noting her presence at major food events, her condiment line in local markets, and her advocacy for the trans community. “It’d be one thing if Contreras was simply a talented chef; it’s her radical vulnerability, commitment to activism, and authentically goofy personality that make her such a captivating chef to cheer on,” the outlet wrote.
Contreras celebrated her Eater PDX honor on Instagram, writing, “So very proud as a trans woman and as an immigrant.”
Chelo abruptly closed on December 19, the same day as Contreras’s arrest. On December 26, Ma Cher, another restaurant at Dame, announced it was closing, “due to events that none of us could have foreseen happening. We want to respect everyone who is affected by these circumstances and it’s not our place to speak on behalf of others.” The following day, Dame announced it would permanently close at the end of the year, saying on Instagram, “Dame has danced through her last year.”
