Still Life in the Flesh

 
All of my tattoos are a little piece of me — my avocado is not only an ode to my love for that dang delicious, cute, green fruit but it also represents one of my favorite memories from my childhood in Belize. Growing up, I’d pick pears (we call them that in the Caribbean) right from the trees in our yard and eat them like an apple. The center of the avocado is my birthstone, an amethyst, which also represents my family nickname, “gem.”
Grace Stoyshich, Social Media Manager, @stuffingmygrace

Most of my tattoos are tools used by bakers. The wooden spoon is something I got for my Memere, who would always bake with a wooden spoon. We baked a lot together as I grew up. This was the start of my love for culinary arts. The piping bag was strategically placed to show when I iced a cake among other baked goods. After starting my career as a baker, I found out I would have to start eating a gluten free diet. So, although I don’t get to eat many of the things I make, baking is still my passion. I got a GF on my wrist to signify this part of me.
Chef Angela Tumey, Jax Cooking Studio, @jaxcookingstudio

My dad is an organic gardener/landscaper, and he always cooked mushrooms and eggs for breakfast. It was the first thing he taught me to cook, and the flavor and texture of the mushrooms was so exciting to me. It kinda sparked my interest in food. Growing up with him in the garden helped me learn about not only plants and vegetable, but he would grow mushrooms on logs and show me wild ones in the woods when we went hiking. We’ve always shared passions and when I got older, I started avidly foraging and was so inspired by the diversity of mushrooms. I learned to grow them myself and here we are! My life really came full circle when I started baking and cooking professionally, and mushrooms have a lot to thank for it.
Chef Olivia Grace Chernyshev-Ward, Blueberry Bakery, @livygrace3

 
I have an oyster because I love everything about it, especially surfing and seafood. When I taste one it transports me and brings memories of great surf sessions and the smell of a breeze. And because I love oysters. The purple maíze is such a unique and nutritious kind of ingredient and it very well represents the most popular of the many varieties of corn we have in Peru. The limo peppers are a typical ingredient for some of my ceviches. They also represent a difficult time in my life and the hot limo peppers remind me that we can still enjoy the best of life around the discomfort and difficulties.
Chef Marcel Vizcarra, Llama Restaurant, @llama_saintaugustine

I will always joke that none of my tattoos have any meaning, and some don’t, but some take on meaning over time. Some of my fondest times bonding with other chefs involved roasting a whole pig, whether it was a chef’s birthday, an Urban Asado event or my favorite pop-up with my closest friends (Pickles, Pigs and Whiskey). Just like any dish, a tattoo brings back memories and this one will always remind me of all those long hot days. Plus I am a bit of a ham.
Chef Sebastian Sikora, La Cocina International Restaurant, @sweetchefpants

 
An artichoke was the first vegetable I ever actually liked. My mom adores French cuisine. If she could eat escargot and foie gras with a glass of Chablis every day, she would. I had a working mom who would typically pick us up from daycare, throw together a meatloaf or casserole, steam some frozen veggies in the microwave and call it a day. I was sure I detested all vegetables. One weekend afternoon, my mom found some fresh artichokes at the supermarket. I remember watching her dig out the steamer basket and timer, carefully trim the leaves and use the tiny copper-bottomed saucepan from her wedding registry to slowly melt a whole stick of salted butter. She presented a steaming artichoke alongside a small bowl of the melted butter on her grandmother’s flow blue china, and lovingly showed me how to pick off the leaves and eat them. After we polished off every one of the soft edible center leaves, she taught me how to prepare the heart, a surprise delicacy to me. I often think about how much love and care can transform even one simple ingredient.
Chef Ellie Schultze, Vilano Main Street Diner, @chefellierose

I think tattoos are a way to signify what’s happening to you — my baking career is a huge part of my life right now so it makes sense that I’ve gotten these two tattoos in the past year. The cake person I would say is my business mascot and was designed by Ryan Tempro and the M.C. Pressure crew and tattooed by Leda Balch (Stay True Tattoo). And since I bake cinnamon rolls on a weekly basis for Buena Onda Cafe I naturally had to get the cinnamon roll guy when I saw Shawn Dougherty's (Ink and Barley) flash design. I try not to take my tattoos too seriously and I enjoy that they are funny, clever and colorful. They bring me a lot of joy and I clearly just have an obsession with anthropomorphic food.
Chef Kelly Crawford, Bell’s Baked Goods, @bellsbakedstuff

 
I saw the pasta brush idea when I was younger. It represents everything without using words. The paint brush handle to the bristles show the art; the bristles turning into pasta illustrates that food is an art, my art. The plate at the bottom shows where my art will always find its home, my canvas. Food has always been my art. The smile is very important to me as well. A smile has always been a feature of people I’ve found important, as it shows a lot and means a lot about a person. My goal has always been to make people smile and bring happiness. This smile is of my friend “Gleet,” who passed away years ago; it has represented my brand since then. He smiled big and often. So, I do the same for him.
Chef Kalin Anderson, Feed the Ville, @feedtheville

I was never a big meat eater but upon further knowledge and understanding of what goes on behind the scenes to a lot of the animals served up on a platter for us to eat, and a bad chicken sandwich that still haunts me to this day, I knew that my days of eating meat were over and I never looked back. Simply put, I left that course knowing that Bruce from Finding Nemo was right - "fish are friends, not food." As someone that was always described as a picky eater by all my friends and family, becoming a vegetarian changed my entire way of eating and pushed me to not only be more open about what I'm putting into my body for fuel but allowed me to really open my mind and soul to what all nature has to offer. I wanted a tattoo that didn't just represent being a vegetarian but that represented the beauty in what mother nature can create.
Chelsea Fisher, @swamphaven