Epicure checks out the world of kitchen brigade body art.
Forget toques and chef's whites, the men and women manning commercial stovetops are choosing an altogether more permanent form of tribal recognition - the tattoo. Enter Tasmanian chef Steven Cumper and his tongue-in-cheek tweet: "Do trade schools offer tattoo advice these days?"From koi fish and Celtic bands to Chinese dragons and family crests.
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/restaurants-and-bars/chefs-ink-20120514-1ymgv.html#ixzz1vFwYUrqQ




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Un named Canadian Chef with serious ink |
Daniel Dobra - chef, The Aylesbury and Collective Espresso
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A FIVE-minute chat turns into a 30-minute conversation as Daniel Dobra, 24, recounts the extent of his bodywork. With a left-arm sleeve and elbow, biceps, hand, feet, chest and even thumb tattoos, body art has been top priority for the chef since his first foray six years ago.
''I'm not going to stop until I'm covered from the chin downwards,'' he says of the artwork that ranges from tattoos celebrating his Croatian heritage to a nautical star on his elbow. And all at a price. ''My left arm alone took 52 hours and cost me $5000.''
Dobra says cheffing's ''crazy'' element draws workers to the artist's needle. ''You work in a kitchen that's 40 or 50 degrees over long hours and you don't get paid well,'' he says. ''It's this craziness and detachment from the outside world that means you can be open-minded and a bit more free- thinking toward a lot of things.''
The Aylesbury is at 103 Lonsdale Street, city; Collective Espresso is at 1/3 Cookson Street, Camberwell.
Benjamin Cooper - head chef, Chin Chin
AS FAMILIAR with body art as he is with the scent of Thai basil, Benjamin Cooper is discussing the two tattoos he plans on adding to his collection of five during a family holiday to Thailand.
''I'm looking at another couple of stars and potentially a Mexican Day of the Dead skull,'' he says, adding there is more work to do on the Japanese-inspired koi and dragonfly design that adorns half of his back.For Cooper, the link between tattoos and commercial kitchens is clear. ''Hospitality attracts people of an artistic nature,'' he says. ''The food that you put on your plate is a representation of yourself. And it's people with that sort of bent who take an interest in things like tattoos.''
Chin Chin is at 125 Flinders Lane, city.
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Chefs Ink
Chef Giovanni Pilu. Pilu has the names of his siblings Martino, Cri for Christian and Ale for Alessandra on his calf. "Some people go, 'Oh man, what's that on the back of your leg; your recipe for suckling pig or something?'" Photo: Jon Reid
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/restaurants-and-bars/chefs-ink-20120514-1ymgv.html#ixzz1vFum2BUU
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