The professional culinary world, especially that of fine dining, used to command a clean-cut look. A chef with tattoos kept them under wraps.
But as 225 details in a feature from the current issue, tattoos are a growing trend among Baton Rouge chefs, many of whom have broken with the fastidious image historically required by the industry.
Chefs are embracing a look they believe echoes the high-octane nature of their work. Nationally and locally, more chefs seem to be more comfortable displaying their ink. Take City Pork Brasserie and Bar Executive Chef Ryan André for example. Six months into his first job as a young chef at J. Alexander’s Restaurant in Baton Rouge, he had the word “chef” tattooed across his forearm.
“I knew then that it was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” André says. “And I wanted a tattoo that said so.”
As he advanced in his career, success brought more tattoos—each one reflective of his story, he says. Now he’s up to about 25.
“I wear them proudly,” he says. “I’ve worked at some restaurants where they wanted me to cover them up, but it’s my story. There was a reason why I got them.”
Personal chef Aimee Tortorich says the tattoo culture in the food industry is increasing—just as it is in other subsets of society, including the arts, design, the military and professional sports. Tortorich served in the military before returning to Baton Rouge and enrolling at the Louisiana Culinary Institute to pursue a career as a chef.
“We’re using food as a creative outlet, and with that comes creativity in other forms, like tattoos,” says Tortorich, who wears Eastern religion tattoos. “It’s a self-expression thing, and for me, it’s a reminder of who I am.”
