Knives & Ink: Chefs and the Stories Behind Their Tattoos

by Isaac Fitzgerald, Wendy MacNaughton

From the authors of Pen & Ink -- New York Times bestselling illustrator Wendy MacNaughton and BuzzFeed books editor Isaac Fitzgerald--the stories behind the tattoos that chefs proudly wear, with their signature recipes.

Winner of the International Association of Culinary Professionals [IACP] Cookbook Design Award.

Chefs take their tattoos almost as seriously as their knives. From gritty grill cooks in backwoods diners to the executive chefs at the world’s most popular restaurants, it’s hard to find a cook who doesn’t sport some ink. Knives & Ink features the tattoos of more than sixty-five chefs from all walks of life and every kind of kitchen, including 2014 James Beard Award-winner Jamie Bissonnette, Alaska-fishing-boat cook Mandy Lamb, Toro Bravo’s John Gorham, and many more. Each tattoo has a rich, personal story behind Danny Bowien of Mission Chinese Food remembers his mother with fiery angel wings on his forearms, and Dominique Crenn of Michelin two-starred Atelier Crenn bears ink that reminds her to do “anything in life that you put your heart into.” Like the dishes these chefs have crafted over the years, these tattoos are beautiful works of art. Knives & Ink delves into the wide and wonderful world of chef tattoos and shares their fascinating backstories, along with personal recipes from many of the chefs.

Genres: Nonfiction, Food, Art, Cooking, Cookbooks, Culinary, Food Writing

208 pages, Hardcover

First published October 18, 2016

About the author

Isaac Fitzgerald appears frequently on The Today Show and is the author of the bestselling children’s book How to Be a Pirate as well as the co-author of Pen & Ink: Tattoos and the Stories Behind Them and Knives & Ink: Chefs and the Stories Behind Their Tattoos (winner of an IACP Award). His writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian, The Best American Nonrequired Reading, The Boston Globe and numerous other publications. His debut memoir, Dirtbag, Massachusetts, is forthcoming in July, 2022. He lives in Brooklyn.

Reviews

[Roxane · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gorgeous book that is a fine follow up to Pen & Ink. Every tattoo has a story behind it and here we learn the stories behind the tattoos of chefs and we also get glimpses of life in professional kitchens. There are also lots of interesting recipes that are way too complicated for me to imagine trying.

[Brandi Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Popsugar Challenge: A book about food

I loved this book. Tattoos have always fascinated me and finding the stories behind the artwork on various chefs did not disappoint. I was unsurprised by how many pay homage to loved ones, as memorial tattoos are one of the most common types but I was impressed by how many featured pigs and chickens. I was a big fan of the flying fried chicken wing on the right calf. I also loved that there were recipes peppered throughout the book; recipes ranging from easy peasy oatmeal to very intense chili featuring a pig snout & ears.

Sad I'm just borrowing this book from the library, as it would make an excellent coffee table/bathroom commode companion.

[Dana Gisser · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love these stories so much! I have an "about me" book I started writing because I had a pretty journal and no plan for it and this book made me decide to put a tattoo page in that book for my own tattoos.
I love the variety of stories (from really heart breaking to really uplifting to "they're just pretty"). When I first saw this book I didn't notice the "with recipes" in parenthesis so that was a super fun nice surprise for me too.
A few of the tattoos I would have liked actual pictures of rather than the illustrations but overall those were cute too.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Knives and Ink is a collection of illustrations of real-life chefs and their tattoos, with a quick paragraph about themselves and the tattoos they chose to feature. Some of them also include recipes. This book caught my eye while I was shelving cookbooks at work, so I borrowed it and read it in a day. It features a lot of things that I like -- personal anecdotes from people I've never met, unique, well-loved recipes, and beautiful illustrations from the person who also illustrated Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. I think the authors chose a really great, diverse range of chefs from different restaurant scenes and with unique specialties, and engaging stories. I'm not one to assign meaning to my tattoos so I appreciated that there were several tattoos that people got just because they felt like it. I really liked that the last part features all of the tattoo artists and the shops they work at. This was a good one!

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting insight. Makes you want to go out and get a tattoo!

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely illustrations, cute anecdotes in regards to various tattoos and recipes that I doubt I will ever make in my life. Can someone tell me what the hell summer savoury is??

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting perspective from each Chef, but I didn't think the book had any flow to follow.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great coffee table book. I picked this up after really enjoying MacNaughton’s illustrations in Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, and wasn’t disappointed.

[Karin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an Advanced Readers Copy for free through Goodreads giveaway.

I was really excited to get this book, two things I love are tattoos and food. At first, when I quickly flipped through, I saw that all the pictures of tattoos were drawn instead of photographs like I expected and was a little disappointed, however, in the preface the author explains this decision by saying he was hoping it would make people slow down and notice details they might otherwise miss in photographs. After about 5 pages, I found that I agreed with him and really enjoyed the drawings. My favorite has to be Monica Lo's tattoos, for some reason, her story gave me chills, loved it! On the front of my ARC of the book, it does state that the final book will be 4-color throughout. I wish I would have won a copy of that because most of mine is in black and white & it is hard to see some of the details on the more intricate details. I'm sure the final book will be stunning.

The other aspect of the book is the recipes from some of the chef's. Unfortunately, a lot of them are not really feasible for probably a lot of people to make (definitely not going to be able to find fresh sea urchin in small town Midwest!) but these are supposed to be people who are professional chef's and I can imagine they don't have a lot of reason to make meatloaf at the restaurants they work at. Even though I won't be able to make a lot of the recipes, I still enjoyed reading through them, it's like a behind-the-scenes peek at how in-depth and detailed good food really is.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally posted at For What It's Worth on 12/8/16: http://www.fwiwreviews.net/2016/12/re...

I’m not a chef nor do I have (permanent) tattoos – but I sure do like to eat and have had fun using temporary tattoos. During my visits to NYC, I’ve been fascinated by how many chefs I see with gorgeous tattoos, usually of knives or vegetables for some reason, snaking up their arms. I always wonder what the story is behind the tattoo. Now I know at least some of those stories.

Knives & Ink is a “coffee table” book that’s both interesting and visually pleasing. Each chef profile is 1-2 pages with a drawing of the tattoo, the story behind the tattoo and occasionally a recipe.

The stories are deeply personal and range from funny to touching. They offer a peek into the mind of a chef and the the passion that fuels them through difficult times.

The recipes are fun but not the focal point. Not every chef has one. They range from simple salsa's to cooking a whole pig. This is not a recipe book. Those are just a bonus.

I was surprised that the tattoos themselves were shown as full color illustrations rather than photographs. In the forward the author explains that they felt a drawing would make the reader slow down and notice the details. I can understand what they were going for. The chef was drawn very simply vs the tattoo in great detail to make it pop. But honestly, I still would have preferred the photograph. I think the person and the tattoo are intertwined and enhance each other. Nevertheless the artwork was gorgeous and I enjoyed this book very much. Also, in this day and age of celebrity chefs, I was able to Google quite a few of them and see the real deal.

This would make a great holiday gift for the foodie in your life. Because of the short chapters, it could be a long leisurely read over many weeks (like I did), picking it up when you need a dose of something fun or breeze right through the whole book in a day.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

The concept is cool, and I dig the art and stories, but that's what I thought when I read the Pen & Ink version. Having read the other book, this kind of seems repetitive. I didn't feel like I really wanted to read both, and the writer one I'd already read interested me more. A good portion of the book is recipes too, which isn't useful to me and isn't much fun for me to read. It just didn't interest me much after reading Pen & Ink and I'm a little disappointed that a book club would send me both.

[Noelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a unique book! Great stories from great chefs about the inspirations behind their tattoos, beautifully illustrated by Wendy McNaughton. Borrowed a library copy to read, but will now buy my own to enjoy.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read, beautiful illustrations and neat stories behind the ink/chefs. Really I gave it 4 stars for the illustrations though. Beautiful work!

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Knives & Ink is a beautifully done book. Approximately 70 chefs shared the meaning behind their tattoos. This book showcases many different ways that tattoos commemorate our lives. Some of the stories are very touching and others are creative. One of the chefs Jennifer Lyn Parkinson, has a tattoo with an abundance of fruits and vegetables, each one representing a close friend or family member. Many of them have tattoos that are dedicated to lost family members.
If you are interested in a cookbook this might not be the right choice for you. There are limited recipes and they are, for the most part, beyond what many home cooks would undertake. But as an art book with some recipes, this is perfect.

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cool stories BUT WHY ALL CAPS BRUH MAKES IT ANNOYING TO READ.

But, again, the stories of love, loss, commitment and commemoration are just fascinating to read. The effed-up post-Katrina fleur-de-lis was my favorite.

I might have preferred photos of the real tatts versus the illustrations-but Wendy MacNaughton’s illustrations were amazing as always. They reminded me a bit of Jane Mount’s book spines. And I suppose it was the logical way to isolate the tattoo being talked about on arms that more often then not are packed with many others.

But overall fun to read and you’re on the fence about getting a tattoo, this book will probably push you over.

[Kendall · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a dope concept!!! I love tattoos and I do eat out at restaurants/bars...so I see chefs lol. A great combo indeed! My only wish was that it was real photographs of the tattoos. The cartoon idea is cute and may be cool in theory. In reality, however, it just made it nearly impossible to read the words or get the actual full view of the art. This was a very simple read, which I really enjoyed. I don't need your whole life story to understand your tat. So, I love that these were 1 sentence-2 pages for each chef and their tat. I read this in approx. 1 hour. Recommend for a quick read to those who love art/food/fun.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I dabble in cooking and do not follow all the celebrity chefs, and I only have a couple of tattoos, but hearing the stories of chefs and their tattoos was fun and entertaining. Plus, I had no idea how many chefs held pigs in such high esteem.

The illustrations are amazing. Some may not be fully realistic, but they none the less capture the spirit of the tattoos and are worthy of studying this book on their own merits.

This book is fully worthy of a place of honor on any coffee table as a fun and interesting conversation starter.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have no tats, I want no tats, I still find them fascinating.

There's a lot of grief in the tattoos on display here but there's also a lot of hope.

Having the tats illustrated does exactly what is intended - it forces the reader to focus on the single tattoo in question and not be overwhelmed by other body art or physical features.

I am a pretty advanced cook but with a few exceptions, most of the recipes are definitely chef level and not so easy to reproduce at home.

Seems like this would be a great gift book.

[ricardo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I honestly didn’t care for the recipes. I bought this book online for the “ink” portion, expecting there to be actual photos of the finished work. Even though they’re hand drawn pictures, I wasn’t disappointed. The art is stunning. The stories behind them are great and some even got me wanting to cry.

I’m not big on cooking and though I wanted to give the recipes a try before buying it, I was lowkey discouraged with the names of them. LOL. Guess I’ll try that hot chocolate one and try to not fuck it up.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars😊 I enjoyed this book. It’s more of a coffee table kinda book, meaning you can pick it up, read a few pages, and put it down. You can read it in any order.Chefs and cooks give brief descriptions about their tattoos and the meaning behind them. Some tats are amazing, some plainer, and some are deeply soulful- all are meaningful! Some of the stories behind the tats are profound and will hit your heart, while others are funny and/or fun. I loved the illustrations too. I like Isaac Fitzgerald’s energy if you’ve ever seen him on a show❤️. I look forward to his latest book.

[Breanne Nance · Rating 4 out of 5]

I throughly enjoyed this book. Fitzgerald does a good job of showing us the tattoo but also focusing on the chef telling the story. I personally would have liked to see actual pictures of the tattoo but I understand why he would have had to draw it instead. The book was all hand written so it had a homy feel like you were looking into someones sketch book/ journal. I really enjoyed the stories and all that represented each tattoo (or because they just liked them). Very good book.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This a really interesting coffee table book with a plethora of stories. There's some truly personal tattoos and some totally whimsical ones that helped cut up how raw it would have been otherwise. The illustrations were really niceand I think it works better than clinical photos, but some of them needed to be more detailed then because it was hard to tell what some were supposed to be. I will say, now it has me thinking about getting a tattoo for my love of baking...

[Donna Emerson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun, interesting read. The illustrations are beautiful drawings of different chefs' tattoos and the chefs give the stories behind them. Lots of thought went into the tattoos which reflect very personal times and people. The recipes are not really doable for a person with grocery stores that don't stock sea urchins but they also were an insight into a different way of life.

[Adrienne Michetti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it, but maybe not as much as Pen & Ink. Some of these stories are hilarious. I felt like there were too many similar stories, though, which I suppose is expected given that they are all stories of chefs' ink. Still, I'm glad I have this book. The recipes are kind of meh, but that's not why I read the book, so I don't mind.

[Laurel Purdy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The concept is great! The stories from the chefs are also fascinating. The illustrations often sadly don’t do justice to the tattoos - I am not the sort of person who prefers photographs in a graphic work, so it pains me to say that often in this book photographs would have been more interesting and rendered the tattoos more intelligibly.

[Емил Антонов · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely awesome design, some really heartfelt stories - personal stuff, heavy stuff, but also fun here and there.

All the illustrations and the fonts give the overall look of the book a lot of character. I loved the creative decisions.

Definitely go for it if you love either the culinary world and/or tattoos.

[Beth Voecks · Rating 4 out of 5]

As cool as this book was I was hoping for actual photos of the chefs’ tattoos. The drawings are beautiful but I’m sure the real thing would’ve been awesome to see. Their stories behind the tattoos were deep and some were very lighthearted.

[zac carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

similar to how i felt reading this book’s predecessor, if you love tattoos and you enjoy brief glimpses into people’s lives, this book is that PLUS RECIPES. some of the recipes are for dishes i would likely never attempt, but i hope to try out more than half of em. once again i wish it was longer, but i do recognize the need to be selective for such a project and the book was great company.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not sure when I came to own this book exactly but I came upon it at a library near an organic farm garden and that seems appropriate. Food and art and growing good things all go together nicely.