Oba! is one of my favorite Pearl District spots for some margaritas and fresh guacamole.  So I was stoked when Pearl Magazine asked me to do a cover feature on Oba!’s head chef, Luis Contreras, and his amazing Northwest-influenced Latin food.

Don’t let my lead photo fool you, Luis is such a nice guy… but I had to take the hardcore chef photo, especially after I saw the huge horn mount at the entrance of the restaurant.  He was such a great person to photograph- when I asked him to shove his face full of food he didn’t even hesitate. That takes courage (knowing your face could be on the cover with a mouth full of food) and his food is bad-ass and that’s what the lead photo represents.

The photos of Luis grinning also fit his personality and I love the photo the Pearl Magazine used on the cover.  You can check out the cover and the story here.  I won’t repeat the story back to you, Andrew Collins did a great job writing it.  So instead I will encourage you to read the article and then make a reservation at Oba! immediately.  You are going to want to try Luis’s Carne Estilo Churrasco.

Enjoy the photos.