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Luna Contreras, the chef behind local Mexican restaurant and hot sauce brand Chelo, was arrested Dec. 19 on charges of domestic violence, court records show.
Contreras has pleaded not guilty to unlawful use of a stun gun, attempted assault constituting domestic violence, and two counts of harassment. The incident took place at an apartment on Southeast 28th Avenue, where Contreras was arrested at 3:51 am that Friday.
The Oregonian first reported her arrest earlier today.
Chelo was one of the resident restaurants at Dame Collective, three dining spaces around Northeast 30th and Killingsworth. Chelo closed Dec. 19, the same day as the arrest, and Dame wrapped up service Dec. 31.
Dame owner Jane Smith gave no specific reason for the closure in the Dec. 28 announcement. The owners of one of the other Dame businesses, the Cajun restaurant Ma Cher, however, cited “sudden circumstances very much out of all of our control” on Instagram Dec. 26.
Calls to Contreras and her attorney and an email to Smith were not immediately returned.
According to Multnomah County Circuit Court documents, Contreras’ romantic partner of two months told Portland police Contreras was intoxicated when she arrived at the apartment “and began grabbing and touching her aggressively.”
The document continues: “She reported that Contreras put her hands around her neck, but did not use enough pressure to impede her breathing. Contreras then threw a glass liquor bottle at her, which hit [the partner] but did not cause injury. [The partner] was able to push Contreras out of the apartment and lock the door.”
Before police arrived, two building security officers went up to the apartment to “address fighting sounds.” After Contreras was locked out of the apartment, she allegedly pulled out a Taser and attempted to use it on one of the security guards’ legs but missed. The other guard “was able to pull the Taser out of Contreras’ hand before anyone was hit,” according to the document.
In February 2025, then-WW Arts & Culture editor Robin Bacior praised Contreras’ vegetable-forward Mexican dishes in a review, calling them “grounded in simplicity—not their creation or preparation, but their taste, what they open within you.”
Contreras moved to Portland from the Bay Area about eight years ago, working at the former Nightingale and Janken and competing on the Netflix show Snack vs. Chef. She is trans, and in a 2023 interview with WW, described her gender transition and advocacy work in Portland. She won Eater Portland’s award for 2023 Chef of the Year. The restaurant and her line of Chelo hot sauces are named for her grandmother.
Contreras’ next court date is Jan. 20.
