Paul Luna (born c. 1966)[1] is a Dominican-American
chef,
restaurateur,
author, and
political activist. In Atlanta during the 1990s he opened and operated a number of successful restaurants featuring European, Mediterranean, and South American cuisine, including Luna Sí, Eclipse di Luna, and Loca Luna. In 2009 he opened a training kitchen for
refugee women, Lunacy Black Market, in
downtown Atlanta.[1]
Early life
Luna was born circa 1966[1] in the
Dominican Republic, to middle-class parents.[2] He was one of 13 siblings.[2] He is of Italian and Spanish heritage.[3]
Career
Luna moved to
Atlanta in 1992 and opened
Bice, a Milan-based, upscale Italian restaurant chain.[2][4]
In 1993 he opened his first proprietary restaurant, Luna Sí, on
Peachtree Road.[5]
He was a controversial figure on the Atlanta restaurant scene in the 1990s, often critical of local trendiness and faddish tastes.[6] He introduced European, Mediterranean, and South American cuisine through his restaurants Luna Sí, Eclipse di Luna (opened in 1997),[7] and Loca Luna (opened in 1999),[8] 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 left Atlanta in late 2002, and worked as a chef in Canada,[9] Washington, D.C.,[10][11][12] Hawaii,[13][14] and California.[15]
He returned to Atlanta in 2009, and opened Lunacy Black Market.[2]
In 2009, Luna wrote and published a bilingual children’s book, Luna Needs a Miracle! ¡Luna Necesita un Milagro![15][16]
Advocacy and philanthropy
Luna advocated small businesses run by mixed-income, multi-national owners as the way to rejuvenate Atlanta's historic downtown area. "We're still segregated," he says. "All my white customers think, downtown: black. Period."[1]
In 2009 he opened a training kitchen for
refugee women, Lunacy Black Market,[1] a low-cost restaurant in
downtown Atlanta.[18] He worked with BryAnn Chen, executive director of Refugee Women's Network, to identify appropriate candidates for employment in this restaurant.[1] It closed in 2014, a year after Luna moved to Switzerland.[19]
Beginning in 2010, Luna declared for a few years that he would run for mayor of Atlanta.[1][20][21]
Personal life
Luna is married to Cynthia T. Luna.[22] After she moved to Switzerland, Luna moved there as well in 2013 to be with her.[23]