Paul Luna is a Dominican-American chef, restaurateur, author, and political activist. In Atlanta he opened and operated a number of successful restaurants. In 2009 he opened a training kitchen for refugee women, Lunacy Black Market, in downtown Atlanta.[1]
Early life and early career
Luna was born in the Dominican Republic to middle-class parents.[2] He was one of 13 siblings.[2]
He moved to Atlanta in the early 1990s and opened Bice, a Milan-based, upscale Italian restaurant chain.[2]
Career
Luna has been a controversial figure on the Atlanta restaurant scene since the early 1990s, often critical of local trendiness and faddish tastes.[3] He introduced European, Mediterranean, and South American cuisine through his restaurants Luna Si, Eclipse di Luna, and Loca Luna, and was widely known as a "bad boy" who ruled his dining room impetuously, sometimes staging impromptu striptease dances to amuse and shock patrons.[4]
Luna has worked with chefs such as Michele Attali at Petrossian in Paris, Terrance Brennan at New York City's Picholine, and Gianni Scappin of BiCE Ristorante, Milan.[5] He also opened and ran establishments in Washington D.C., Italy, and Canada.[5][6] Luna's tenure with Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, Hawaii[7][8] gave him the opportunity to lead cooking classes for children through the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Maui program.[9]
In 2009, Luna wrote and published a bilingual children’s book, Luna Needs a Miracle! ¡Luna Necesita un Milagro![5]
Advocacy and philanthropy
He advocates small businesses run by mixed-income, multi-national owners as the way to rejuvenate the historic downtown area. "We're still segregated," he says. "All my white customers think, downtown: black. Period."[1]
He worked with BryAnn Chen, executive director of Refugee Women's Network, to identify appropriate candidates for employment in this restaurant.[1] Beginning in 2010, Luna occasionally declared for a few years that he would run for mayor of Atlanta.[1][10]
References
- ^ a b c d Peisner, Lynn (May 18, 2010). "Paul Luna pioneers downtown dinnertable politics". The Atlanta Journal Constitution. Retrieved July 29, 2010.
- ^ a b c Lauterbach, Christiane (April 1, 2011). "Culinary Character: Paul Luna". Atlanta. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
- ^ Eldredge, Richard (January 7, 2010). "Chef Paul Luna Returns to Dabble in Downtown Black Market Lunacy". Atlanta. Archived from the original (blog) on March 23, 2010.
- ^ Bostock, Cliff (May 8, 2002). "The mystique of Paul Luna". Creative Loafing. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
- ^ a b c "Hotel News". FourSeasons.com. Four Seasons Atlanta. September 25, 2009. Archived from the original (press release) on March 8, 2012.
- ^ Sietsema, Tom (June 21, 2005). "Taking Some Heat". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
- ^ "Hawaii Restaurant News Archive". Gayot. November 16, 2010. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
- ^ Cabasin, Linda; Wang, Amy (2008). Fodor's Maui 2009. Fodor's Travel Publications. p. 203.
- ^ "Big Brothers Big Sisters Has a 'Private Chef'". ChefLuna.com. The Maui News. September 30, 2007. Archived from the original on September 5, 2008.
- ^ Chopra, Sonia (January 4, 2013). "Paul Luna for Mayor?". Eater Atlanta. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
