It’s probably the most exciting thing to see chefs in the kitchen, so we provide you with the most exciting list of the top 28 chefs with tattoos. Not only are these chefs experts in cooking, but they are also great role models. They have worked hard to perfect their craft over the years. These days, tattoos are the craziest fashion trend among chefs. There are bright, bold, colorful tattoos with crazy images and compositions. Having these tattoos adds to the overall appeal and personality of the individual. Here are the top 28 chefs with tattoos. We need to find the coolest one.
Chef Sean Brock
Sean Brock is a chef who works for the Southern Cuisine of the United States. Previously, he was an accomplice at McCrady’s Restaurant and official chef at Husk in Charleston, South Carolina. In addition to his tattoos, he ranks among the Top 10 chefs with tattoos in America.
The experience of his family developing their sustenance left a lasting impression on Sean Brock, who grew up in Virginia. He was a chef for many years, introducing a sustained passion for examining the underlying foundations of Southern cuisine and reproducing them through the preservation and establishment of treasure fixings.
Jeff Mahin
Jeff Mahin was born to a scientist and a researcher, so he may have seemed destined for a career at NASA, but he is now a chef. Jeff was ranked second as the Top 10 chefs with tattoos as he is most dashing and talented. After beginning his culinary career at the age of 13 in restaurants near his home, he attended the California Culinary Academy. Also, he pursued a science degree and an arithmetic degree at the University of California, Berkeley, but his grades could not keep him out of the kitchen. With the gathering, Mahin has opened M Street Kitchen in Santa Monica and Summer House Santa Monica in Chicago, as well as Do-Rite Donuts, which will open its second location in Chicago in 2014. A Rising Star Restaurateur Award for Mahin’s work was presented by Star Chefs in 2014.
“My first tattoo I got when I was 16 – that my friends and I did to each other – probably wasn’t the best idea.
I met a guy when I was 18 who was totally covered in tattoos, and he was 75. I randomly talked to him and he told me a story that I still remember to this day. He always wanted tattoos but his wife didn’t really like them. When she died, he decided to move to Japan and find the best tattoo artist and do a full body tattoo.
Japanese artwork has always been a big part of my life, as my dad was an engineer.
Michael Voltaggio
Michael Voltaggio is an American chef who lives in Los Angeles, California. Voltaggio won the 6th season of Top Chef, Bravo’s cooking rivalry reality show, in which he competed with his sibling, Bryan Voltaggio. Voltaggio is ranked third among the top 10 chefs with tattoos. The two finished in the finale, near Kevin Gillespie, with Michael winning the challenge. Tom Colicchio, the head judge on Beat Chef, said that Voltaggio is the most capable out of the enormous number of chefs who have advanced to the next round-both from a sensibility and a specialty standpoint. Despite what he is attempting, he managed to pull it off. Voltaggio appeared on the finale of season seven of Top Chef in September 2010. He also appeared as a visitor judge on season three of Top Chef Canada.
Chef Kristen Kish
Kristen Kish was born in South Korea and raised in Kentwood, Michigan, where she developed a passion for cooking at a young age. Kristen’s mom encouraged her to attend culinary school, and since she’s attended Le Cordon Bleu in Chicago, she has never looked back. It is said that she is the top sexiest female chef and ranked fourth among the top 10 chefs who have tattoos.
Kristen worked in Boston’s prominent restaurants including Guy Martin’s Sensing and Barbara Lynch’s Stir as Chef de Cuisine, overseeing all back of house operations, including the outline and execution of daily menus and show suppers for 10 guests. People follow her show and tattoos because she is among the top 10 chefs who are young. She moved on to compete on Top Chef, where she won the coveted title, becoming the second female chef to win the rivalry. In her most recent role, Kristen served as Chef de Cuisine at Menton, Chef Barbara Lynch’s fine eatery.
Chef Michael Symon
Cooking with soul is the hallmark of Michael Symon. Cleveland local who grew up in a Greek and Sicilian family makes uniquely enhanced, profoundly satisfying food at his restaurants across the country. His restaurants include Lola, Mabel’s BBQ, Roast, Bar Symon, and B Spot Burgers. In addition to being an Iron Chef on The Food Network and co-host on ABC’s The Chew, he has an extravagant, agreeable cooking style and an irresistible giggle. A few of Michael’s appearances on Food Network have been a success, and he has written four cookbooks that have become bestsellers. When Michael isn’t working, he rides his bike through Cleveland, cooks at home, plays golf, ponders about his next tattoo, plants in the lawn, and invests energy with his significant other, Liz, and their Old English bulldog, Ozzy.
Hugh Acheson
In addition to his work at 5&10 and The National in Athens, Georgia, the Atlanta eatery Empire State South and the bistro Spiller Park Coffee in Atlanta, as well as the Savannah restaurant The Florence in Savannah, Georgia, he is a chef as well. James Beard grant winner and Food and Wine Magazine’s Best New Chef, he also won a James Beard grant for Best Chef Southeast. Hugh competed in Bravo’s Top Chef Masters, Season 3, and, as of now, is a judge on Top Chef and is among the top 10 chefs with tattoos.
Chef Jefferson Rueda
In Jefferson Rueda, a thirty-something chef from So Paulo who typifies the combination of French strategy acquired through his training at Le Cordon Bleu with chef Laurent Suaudeau, and the Italian experience he gained during his numerous trips to the promontory. The inspiration behind the “Italo caipira” cooking. For many years now, he has been the owner of the eatery Attimo in the sumptuous estate of Nova Conceiçao, in Sao Paulo. He is the seventh most successful among the top 10 tattooed chefs.
Marcelo Fernandes is his partner and business partner; a flawless affiliation identified with many awards and mentions in publications, for example, Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants 2013, and Rueda seems to be working his way up the food chain. His significant other Janaina is likewise in the business with her Bar da Dona Onça: undoubtedly, she serves the best feijoada in Sao Paulo.
Jessica Gelt
Among the top 10 chefs who have tattoos, Jessica Gelt has secured a place. Having joined The Times in 2003, she has written extensively about TV, music, movies, books, craftsmanship, form, sustenance, and mixed drinks, just to name a few. Despite playing bass in a band with a mysteriously huge following in Spain, she still gets stopped by fans (OK, perhaps a fan) in Barcelona. She loves jump bars and exceptionally dry martinis with olives, but never both at the same time.
Justin Girouard
A standout amongst the best approaches to experience Louisiana culture has dependably been through accustomed cooking. In terms of the top 10 chefs with tattoos, Justin is the ninth most famous chef with tattoos. Justin Girouard, who, with his better half Margaret, owns and runs The French Press in Lafayette.
In his first job, Justin washed dishes in a restaurant kitchen, where he also learned how to do some cooking and preparation. Justin climbed the ranks to arrive at the exquisite Stella after working his way up through various positions. He spent a long time working in New Orleans. Justin became one of the top 10 chefs with tattoos and a sous chef at Stella.
Iliana Regan
Having worked as a dishwasher at an Italian diner in her teens and at the front of the famous Chicago restaurant Alinea, Chef Iliana Regan is well known for her delicate dishes strongly influenced by the Midwest and her tattoos. The chef is ranked 10th out of the top 10 chefs with tattoos.
She opened her restaurant Elizabeth, named after her late sister, in Chicago in 2012 and won her first Michelin star the following year. Her underground ventures in underground eateries where she created dishes that would later appear on the menu at Elizabeth had earned Chef Regan considerable notoriety before opening Elizabeth.
Jesse Schenker
“My left arm is tattooed with the words ‘ALL OR NONE,’ written in my own handwriting. It’s inspired by the Pearl Jam song that reflects my mentality for the extreme, whether it be my dark past with drugs or intense passion for cooking. The words are surrounded by a piece of caul fat – the membrane surrounding a pig’s internal organs – wrapped around a piece of meat and punctuated by a slicer from Japanese knife-maker Misono. I got it in 2005, while I was in a work release program, newly sober and cooking my heart out.
I’m a longtime Pearl Jam fan and the band has been a big part of my life through thick and thin. Serendipitously, the song “Alive” even came on in the back of a cop car after my final arrest, which signified a moment of life-changing clarity.”
Marc Forgione
“I use [tattoos] almost like a roadmap of my life. They all have their own little story. It’s a badge of memory. The wild turkey feathers are a sign to the great spirit that I’m always listening and paying attention to the simple gifts in life.”
Stephen Collucci
“I wanted to get a tattoo that reflected my love of the craft but wasn’t feminine. The tattoo [the Italian word for sugar] is meant to express my dedication to my art and pay homage to my roots, which inspire me on the daily.”
Luke Wallace
“My father was in the navy and served in the Vietnam War. I always loved his stories of travel, food, and excitement in Southeast Asia. He had a similar tattoo of an anchor that he got in the navy, with ‘made in Brooklyn’ written underneath it. By the time I was born it was already a blurry mess, but I still remember thinking it was so cool.
When [my father] passed away from cancer a few years back, this seemed like a good way to honor his memory. I also took my first Southeast Asia trip to Vietnam shortly after.
The banner at the top is a part I added – it stands for act 3, scene 1, lines 58-92, probably one the most famous speeches ever written, the to be or not be’ speech from Hamlet, a classic tale of life, death, and loss of fathers.”
Michael Chernow
“On my left arm, I have a tattoo of my first dog, Duke. I got him when I was 18 and he was truly like a son to me. My right arm is tattooed with orchids because they are my mother’s favorite – and now I can give her flowers every time I see her.
Every tattoo I have represents something very near and dear to my heart. They keep me grounded and remind me what matters most in life.”
Adam Geringer-Dunn
“My first and only tattoo is of Wellfleet oysters. I’ve been going to Cape Cod with my family for 25 years. I think Wellfleet consistently produces some of the best oysters in the country.
Being a pescatarian, I believe oysters to be a perfect protein. They have a net positive effect on the environment, [they’re] totally sustainable, incredibly healthy, delicious, and [don’t] need any cooking or significant preparation to eat.”
Emily Chapman
RIGHT: “I got this tattoo on the second year anniversary of Louro. Some restaurants really change you as a chef and person, and I wanted to carry those lessons with me always.”
LEFT: “These are all warriors from ancient history, what I used to study before culinary arts. They help support my inner warrior and remind me of my love of history.”
Kevin Adey
RIGHT: “‘Commis’ represents the lowest/least experienced person in the kitchen. It’s a symbol that we are always learning.”
LEFT: “[Called ‘Pig Arthur’] this represents that the meat I cook came from animals that had to die – so don’t mess it up!”
Sean Olnowich
“The one large tattoo I have stems from my studies of Eastern cultures and, more specifically, the way of the Bushido and Japanese ideology in general. There are three major components to the tattoo: The most prominent is the dragon, which represents wisdom, strength (for the good of mankind), and generosity; next is the koi fish, which represents courage, desire, and determination; and last is the cherry blossom tree and petals, which represents beauty, love, and the essence of life.”
Raymond Alvarez
“This tattoo serves as a thank you to my mom for all she has done, and for making me who I am today.”
Sam Mason
“Believe it or not, I actually have no reason or inspiration behind my tattoos. I don’t give a concept to the artist.
I just seek out great artists that I trust and give them free rein to do what they do best. All of my tattoos are original work that I’ve consented to right before going under the needle. So far, so good!”
Luis Jaramillo
RIGHT: “The Inca god Viracocha represents the heritage where I come from, Ecuador.”
LEFT: “It is a philosophical way of not being afraid – freeing your thoughts, mind, soul.”
Anthony DeVanzo
He is an owner at Velo Bistro Wine Bar, Nyack, and has 5 tattoos in total. First one: “I got it at 18. Probably less than six months after that, I got another. It went from there, though I haven’t gotten new ones in about three years.”
Three-fourths of the sleeve is decorated with Japanese art featuring koi, theatre masks, flora, wind, fire, and water; the other arm has a penny-farthing bicycle on the wrist; the inner bicep shows a bicycle cassette; skulls and crank arm on the shoulders; a portrait of the rescue dog shows up on the right chest. They all have meaning, though nothing too deep.
“I like the idea that I’m wearing art and am a walking canvas if you will. Cooks and chefs are artists so tattoos are appreciated as art as well as an expression of an individual. I used to paint, draw etc. before I was cooking so I guess my artistic medium changed.”
George Kringas
He is an owner at, The Souvlaki Truck, Yonkers, and Niko’s Greek Taverna, White Plains, and has 11 tattoos in total. He says, A spartan soldier portrait on the left forearm; the Greek word “Agape,” which means love on the left wrist; a Jesus cross on the chest; the name “Olivia” in script on the right forearm (for his daughter); his own design of ‘truck life’ in honor of his Souvlaki Truck on the right forearm; an octopus (and first color tattoo) also on the right forearm; a “fun little garlic clove” right above that; a rooster on the back of the right arm (still a work in progress which reminds him of his mother’s hometown in Greece); a pig has broken up into the different cuts of the animal on the right shoulder and a little skull on the left shoulder which morphed into a Power Ranger which he recently covered up. “I always regretted it,” he said. “I got it when I was on vacation 16 years ago.”
In his words, the significance of the tattoos, “I don’t really know how to beautifully describe the meaning for each tattoo that I have, just that each one symbolizes something about me and the things that I love. I like to think of myself as an artist so I just really love tattoos and the whole process. (Of note: the “Agape” one was done for his wife and matches the “love” one she has on her wrist.)
Sajin Renae Perino
He is an owner at, Chef de cuisine, The Cookery, Dobbs Ferry, and has 17 tattoos in total. He says, “I’m a Pisces so I have two koi fish going in the opposite direction of each other. It’s a larger piece on the upper part of my back and I haven’t quite stopped from there. I was 18. My mom had a couple of tattoos and I really wanted to get one. I do wish I would have waited until I was a bit older, but when you’re young you know everything and there’s no talking you out of what you set your mind on. I’m saving up money now to bribe my daughter to not get a tattoo ’til she’s at least 25.”
His latest tattoo in his words, “It’s already three years old; I haven’t gotten anything new lately. It’s on my left forearm. I have a bunch of flowers tattooed, a rose for my grandmother, sunflowers for myself and my daughter, and a couple of others just because they’re beautiful. I also have a lot of words because I feel like words carry a lot of emotion and thought behind them and are good reminders to have. Eventually, I’ll probably get a portrait of my daughter but I just have to get the right picture.”
He also has food-related ink on his body. In his words, “I have a cow on my half sleeve; I used to have a pet cow when I lived in Alabama. I also have tattoos of my knives and a banner in Spanish that says ‘passion of the heart’ that’s got a bunch of my favorite things like tomatoes, lemons, mushrooms, broccoli, and asparagus. I have a sushi chef that is an octopus that is cutting up his own tentacles and making sushi. Who doesn’t love sushi?”
His tattoos have a lot of significance for him! He describes the meaning of the tattoos as, “I have large mouth bass for my stepfather who passed away; he was a wonderful man who loved to fish and hunt and would always give me the best life advice when I needed it. I also have a saying tattooed across my index fingers, so when they are put together they read ‘Today is a Gift.’ It’s so easy to get caught up in day-to-day stressors and it’s so easy to take everything you have for granted.”
Christian Petroni
He is an owner at, Fortina (Armonk, Rye Brook, Yonkers, Brooklyn) and winner of the Food Network’s “Food Network Star” and has over 10 tattoos.
My first tattoo was over 15 years ago when I worked at Trotters in White Plains and I had the words ‘The Bronx’ tattooed on my inner lip. The funny thing is lip tattoos are supposed to fade after a couple of years but mine is still going strong after all this time.”
He explains the significance by saying,
“My tattoos are mostly for fun; a lot of them are to remind me of times in my life, like the tugboat with the S.S. Garlic Bread. We lived in an apartment and I got to see tugboats going by every day and night and we named it the S.S. Garlic Bread. And then I got a cheese grater, a parmigiano-reggiano stamp, a Steve Zissou tattoo, and a bird-hunting landscape. There’s no real rhyme or reason here. I’m just trying to have fun. And things that I like, I choose to put them on my body.”
He is super close to his tattoos because of the meanings they hold for him. He says,
“It’s a way for me to not only express myself but it’s a great way to remember different periods of my life and different things I’ve gone through. I’m leaving this interview, in fact, to go get another one in regards to loyalty, something that’s very important to me. Whatever‘s going on in my life I’m always trying to market or commemorate it in some way on my palette which happens to be my beautiful body. “
Michael Russo
He is an owner at, Russo’s House of Pizza, Pearl River, and has 7 tattoos in total. He explains, “On my forearm, I have two of my all-time favorite movies combined: ‘Nightmare before Christmas’ and ‘Ace Ventura.’ Jim Carrey was my idol as a child. On my bicep, I have two hands over each other saying ‘like father like son’ with my father guiding me throughout life because I can’t avoid it: I’m like him. On my tricep/bicep: old school New York City with the street my father was born on and the street where my mom was born. On my shoulder are two crazy twin skulls because I’m a crazy Gemini and I also have the Italian flag, because of the obvious. On my right ribs: a quote about why I will succeed in life so in case I get discouraged, I can look in the mirror and remember where I am and what point in life I’m at today. Left ribs: A tribute to my mother; she beat a battle many times but very few know that. I also have my dog’s collar; he passed away a few years ago but he was my best friend. I can’t walk around with his collar every day so instead, I got a tattoo honoring him.”
He distinctly remembers the fond memories of his first tattoo. He says, “I wanted a tattoo because my older brothers had them. I was 18 and nervous as heck because my father hated tattoos but he took me. But the best part was I asked my father if I could say a curse word because of the pain I was in and he said yes. He hates curse words generally but that day he let me have the chance to say one curse word — and I did!”
Matthew Safarowic
He is a Chef/operator at The Whitlock, Katonah, and has at least 10 tattoos, A full sleeve on one arm and two on the other arm.
“There’s a peony on my wrist to match my wife’s and a bull skull on my forearm; I’m a Taurus. Other tattoos include a skeleton chef with knives and fire flames; a pineapple, (a sign of hospitality); a robin sitting on a cherry blossom branch, for my mother Robin Safarowic. She hates tattoos. I also have a phoenix rising from the ashes that I got after getting out of an outpatient rehab facility nearly 10 years ago; a warrior with a bow and arrow fighting a dragon; a New York Giants logo and some bad 90’s tribal around my ankle and wrist. My wrist tribal also has an eye that I got for my grandfather and ‘grandma’ spelled out in Hebrew on the inside of the wrist for my grandmother.”