(left) Chef Gabriel Rucker, Le Pigeon; (right) Tattooist Amanda Myers, Infinity Tattoo
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(left) Chef Gabriel Rucker, Le Pigeon; (right) Tattooist Amanda Myers, Infinity Tattoo
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New tattoo: A tin of sardines and a can of deviled ham
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New tattoo: A tin of sardines and a can of deviled ham
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Thank-you meal: Pickled and grilled sardine salad with grilled bread, frisée, radicchio, and pork vinaigrette
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Thank-you meal: Pickled and grilled sardine salad with grilled bread, frisée, radicchio, and pork vinaigrette
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(left) Chef John Gorham, Toro Bravo; (right) Tattooist Rich Cuellar, Infinity Tattoo
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(left) Chef John Gorham, Toro Bravo; (right) Tattooist Rich Cuellar, Infinity Tattoo
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New tattoo: A six-year-old butcher knife given to him by a friend
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New tattoo: A six-year-old butcher knife given to him by a friend
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Thank-you meal: Sambuca-and-fennel pork sausages with sautéed bell peppers and onions, topped with Parmigiano-Reggiano
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Thank-you meal: Sambuca-and-fennel pork sausages with sautéed bell peppers and onions, topped with Parmigiano-Reggiano
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(left) Chef John Eisenhart, Pazzo; (right) Tattooist Tim Jordan, Optic Nerve Arts
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(left) Chef John Eisenhart, Pazzo; (right) Tattooist Tim Jordan, Optic Nerve Arts
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New tattoo: Barramundi (a large-scaled Australian river fish and member of the perch family)
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New tattoo: Barramundi (a large-scaled Australian river fish and member of the perch family)
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Thank-you meal: Panfried barrimundi with shaved heritage carrots and carrot vinaigrette
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Thank-you meal: Panfried barrimundi with shaved heritage carrots and carrot vinaigrette
For most chefs, cuts and burns are common—mere flesh wounds that come with their chosen trade. But the bodies of many Portland chefs also carry a more permanent decoration: tattoos. Even Anthony Bourdain, host of the Travel Channel’s No Reservations, noted the large number of inked arms wielding knives and whisks in Portland in a 2007 segment on the Pacific Northwest.
Of course, in a town increasingly known for cutting-edge cuisine, perhaps it’s not surprising that the folks behind our food are a little edgy themselves. “Our craft is really artistic,” says John Gorham, Toro Bravo’s chef-owner. “I think a lot of chefs really appreciate art. And a tattoo is this raw art that you get to carry with you wherever you are.” In late November, seven local chefs (and one bartender) added to their skin art at a private and perfectly Portland gathering. Chefs paired off with tattoo artists from four different shops to add a food-inspired tattoo to their bodies; that night, tats still bandaged, each chef prepared a meal for his or her tattooist, inspired by their new ink.
Published in the Hollywood PDX issue of Portland Monthly.
