Taking a look at the art of chef tattoos is Zagat’s Tattoo Tell-All series.

Aside from the use of “tats” and my usual pet peeve of not naming the tattoo artists behind the work, it’s a good read–particularly the “Ink Insight” section addressing the why question.

Here are some quotes to give you a taste:

“There are a lot of tattooed punk-rock kids in the kitchen because it
has punk-rock energy. If you’re a banker giving out million-dollar
loans, you can’t have a tattoo on your hand, but it’s funny that someone
tattooed, like Nate Appleman, might have a great
career, but some people wouldn’t want to sit next to him on the subway.”
– Jamie Bissonnette, Coppa
and Toro

“Maybe chefs like tats because we are always burning our arms? I’ve
never gotten one to cover a burn but I’ve gotten burned on top of my
tattoos. Gives it a three-dimensional look.”
– Seamus Mullen, Boqueria
[shown right]

“I consider tattoos [to be] art like cooking is an art. My tattoos don’t
scream, ‘look at me, I’m a chef!’ I just like to create little things
that send little messages about who I am as a person. I do the same
thing when I cook.”
– Michael Voltaggio, Langham
Huntington Dining Room

Read more on the Zagat Blog.

UPDATE: LA Weekly also has an extensive article on chef tattoos with a juicy slideshow, including the one below by Amy Scattergood of Carolynn Spence, Chateau Marmont.

Thanks, Kir Bostic, for the link!

In April, we posted on the documentary on female tattooists and collectors called Covered.

Now the filmmaker, Dr. Beverly Yuen Thompson, of Snakegirl Productions has released even more clips from the film, including interviews that didn’t make final cut like the video above (found here on YouTube).

As a daughter of an immigrant from a country that is not yet accepting of tattoos (but not paying taxes is ok), I completely relate to this clip of tattooed women who have to deal with the extreme cultural differences between their lives as first generation Americans and their immigrant parents. In one scene, the heavily tattooed Korean woman says that she has not seen her father in three years after revealing that she is tattooed–in my case it was only three months–but the grief of having that separation from one’s family simply because we’ve decorated our skin is not limited to rare cases. I only wish these clips were not on the cutting room floor because the interviews are so powerful, but I’m glad they are available on YouTube.

Check other clips like this one on Jennifer Wilder and her apprenticeship under Johnny Williams of Abstract Art in Webster, TX.