ST. CLOUD — Braden Martini said he's heard all sorts of stereotypes about people with tattoos.
“Back in the day, if you had a lot of tattoos you couldn't get a mortgage, you couldn't rent a house, you couldn't get a loan from the bank,” said Martini, a chef at the White Horse Restaurant and Bar in downtown St. Cloud.
“I think as time goes on, people will see it less and less,” he added.
Martini is one of St. Cloud's restaurant workers who expresses herself on her plate and with her body.
Several chefs shared their creations with St. Cloud Live, explaining their meanings and why tattoos are so common in the kitchen (though bare arms are welcome).
“I've worked in kitchens and I think everyone has tattoos, but I don't think you need tattoos to work in a kitchen,” Martini said.
Macy Moore/West Central Tribune
position: Jules Bistro chef
Tattoos: Kirby-related tattoos, geometric patterns, etc.
Macy Moore/West Central Tribune
Trent Abrego / St. Cloud LIVE
position: Whitehorse Chef
Tattoos: Wolf jaws, blackberries, punk rock ladies with freedom spikes, Nordic runes, moons and sleeves, and many more.
“I definitely think getting a tattoo is similar to working in a kitchen,” said Martini, who has worked in the restaurant industry for about seven years. “It's a badge of honor to have to endure this stressful situation, regardless of whether you can tolerate the pain or not.”
And Martini knows pain: He spent an hour and a half getting a large tattoo of a wolf's jaws.
“Physically, it was the worst experience I've ever had, but I got through it. I think this relationship to working in stressful situations applies to any job, not just in the kitchen.”
I've worked in kitchens and everyone assumes they have tattoos, but I don't think so…tattoos are not a requirement to work in a kitchen.
Braden Martini
Trent Abrego / St. Cloud LIVE
Macy Moore/West Central Tribune
position: Jules Bistro chef
Tattoos: Fish scales, demons, Coraline-inspired pieces, black cover-ups and more.
Martinez has always channeled her creativity into body art, beginning with tattooing herself using needle, thread and ink, also known as stick-and-poke tattoos, at the age of 19. Eventually, she bought a tattoo gun and began inking herself and her friends.
“I've always thought tattoos were really cool, and that's actually one of the reasons why I got into the culinary world, because I knew it was pretty accepted within the industry,” Martinez says. “The people that are heavily tattooed are mostly chefs, tattoo artists, that sort of thing.”
Macy Moore/West Central Tribune
Macy Moore/West Central Tribune
Macy Moore/West Central Tribune
position: Kitchen Manager at Jules Bistro
Tattoos: A phoenix depicting his nickname DJ, a wolf highlighting a Cherokee proverb, and other tattoos include a DJ controller and one in memory of a friend who passed away.
“Tattoos are definitely very visible in our industry,” Zelloul said, “…maybe because it's just more socially acceptable, and if you decide to do this as a career, you don't have to worry about your tattoos.”
Zellour offered a theory as to why body art has become so popular within the industry.
“There are probably a few reasons for tattoos, especially in the restaurant industry. First, we don't have a lot of rules and regulations, so people are free to express themselves through body art,” Zellur says, “but it also means we're a very passionate type of people.”
Macy Moore/West Central Tribune
Contributor / Donnell
position: Aroy Thai & Philippines Owner
Tattoos: These relate to personal interests and various fandoms, including Marvel characters, X-Men, Dungeons & Dragons tattoos, Darth Vader tributes, wedding rings, Freddy Krueger, and more.
Contributor / Annie Meyer
“As chefs, I can attest that we have a high tolerance for pain,” Donnell says. “We run the risk of cutting or burning ourselves by standing for long periods of time.”
“It may sound strange to some, but for me getting a tattoo is a great stress reliever.”
What's more, Donnell said he sees a clear connection between body art and working in restaurants.
“I look at tattoos the same way I look at a plate of food. A plate is not just a place to put food, it's a canvas that you can decorate with texture, color and glamour,” she said. “Tattoos are the same. I look at my body as a canvas and I want to decorate it however I want.”
Contributor / Donnell
Macy Moore/West Central Tribune
position: Assistant Kitchen Manager at Jules Bistro
Tattoos: From Kobe Bryant inspired King tattoos to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles pieces.
