Famous transgender 'chef of the year' turned up at girlfriend's Portland apartment while drunk then groped and throttled her, police say
By
RACHEL BOWMAN, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER
Published: 15:12, 6 January 2026 | Updated: 17:22, 6 January 2026
A famous
transgender chef has been charged with
domestic violence after she allegedly attacked her girlfriend while drunk,
Oregon police say.
Luna Contreras, 45, was arrested on December 19 after she allegedly arrived 'intoxicated' at the Portland apartment of an 'intimate partner of two months,' according to a court document obtained the Daily Mail.
The girlfriend told police that Contreras began 'grabbing and touching' her 'aggressively' after she arrived.
Tensions escalated after, 'Contreras put her hands around her neck' and 'threw a glass liquor bottle at her', according to the document.
Building security guards responded to reports of a fight and found the woman trying to push Contreras out of her apartment, the filing stated.
The guards were attempting to intervene when Contreras allegedly attempted to use a taser on one of them but missed.
She was subsequently 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.
Contreras pleaded not guilty to charges and was released on her own recognizance. Additionally, a no-contact order was issued, and Contreras's next court date is scheduled for January 20.
Transgender chef Luna Contreras, 45, was arrested and charged with domestic violence after she allegedly attacked her girlfriend
Once named Chef of The Year by Eater PDX, Contreras allegedly choked her girlfriend and thew a glass liquor bottle at her
On her Instagram profile, Contreras describes herself as 'immigrant, brown, trans, queer, activist'.
In 2022, she appeared on Netflix's competition cooking show Snack v. Chef, where 12 chefs battled it out to recreate snack foods. She was eliminated in the fourth episode.
The next year, Contreras was named Chef of the Year by
Eater PDX for her pop-up Mexican restaurant, Chelo, which operated out of restaurant collective space called Dame.
'Contreras is ubiquitous in the fabric of Portland’s food scene — she’s a staple at many of the city’s biggest food events, her condiment line is stocked at fine food markets around town, and she’s a vocal advocate for the trans community,' Eater PDX wrote.
'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.'
In an Instagram post celebrating the honor, Contreras wrote, 'So very proud as a trans woman and as an immigrant.'
Chelo abruptly closed on December 19, the same day as Contreras's arrest, according to the Dame website.
On December 26, the other restaurant at Dame, Ma Cher, announced on Instagram that it was closing, 'due to events that none of us could have foreseen happening.'.
Contreras pop-up Mexican restaurant, Chelo, announced it was closing the same day of her arrest
In 2022, she appeared on Netflix's competition cooking show Snack v. Chef, where 12 chefs battled it out to recreate snack foods. She was eliminated in the fourth episode
'We want to respect everyone who is affected by these circumstances and it's not our place to speak on behalf of others,' the restaurant wrote.
The next day, Dame announced it was closing for good at the end of the year.
'Dame has danced through her last year,' the business wrote on Instagram.
The Daily Mail contacted Contreras for comment.