Rising Star Chef Monica Dimas of Neon Taco - Biography

Monica Dimas has a certain delicacy of appearance that belies the ferocity of her appetite. Dimas fi rst got into food when she took time off  from pursuing her English degree and found herself begging for a position at Gasperetties, a high-end restaurant in her native Yakima, Washington. A relative newbie to cooking (her mom, originally from Mexico, had done all of it when she was growing up), Dimas was suddenly where she was meant to be.

During the course of more than a decade, her career took off , especially once she hit her next stop, Café Campagne. Th ere, mentor Daisley Gordon taught Dimas clarity of vision, maturity, and balance in the kitchen. From Campagne and Spinasse to Monsoon, Anchovies & Olives, and Mkt., Dimas’ fi ne-dining training was leading her to a much more casual destiny. Striking out on her own, she launched Neon Taco, a pop-up originally conceived as a kind of hangover-cure Sunday brunch.

Soon, Dimas was approached by Rachel Marshall and Kate Opatch of Rachel’s Ginger Beer and Nacho Borracho, and they gave Neon Taco a home inside Nacho Borracho in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. Dimas now straddles operations at Neon Taco and the recently opened Tortas Condesa, inspired by the popularity of the torta on Neon’s menu. Dimas has plans for more concepts based on specifi c Mexican foods in the future.