Restaurant Ink: Cori Murphy and Hannah Ford
Restaurant Ink #3: C100B talked to pastry chef Cori Murphy about food-inspired tattoos and Hannah Ford on the creative link between cooking and tattoos.
Cori Murphy
Pastry Chef: formerly of Alo restaurant
Tattoo Tally: 6
On her favourite tattoo
I have an owl in a teacup. Me and my nana have a thing for owls. She’s collected them throughout her whole life, and I started getting into it in my late teens when she would buy me cute little knick knacks. My mom hates the tattoo but my nana thinks it’s cute.
On food-inspired tattoos
I always baked throughout my whole life, so I got the wheat flour and lavender one two years ago to represent that. On the prevalence of tattoos in the industry I think it’s more accepted now in most professions but in the food industry it’s definitely easier to get away with.
On having regrets
There’s no point. None of mine really have any super significant meaning, so we’ll see what I think in 20 years.
Hannah Ford
Professional Fromager Instructor: George Brown College, Manager at Los Colibris
Tattoo Tally: 2
On her first tattoo
It’s a memorial tattoo. My grandfather fought in WWII, and his birthday is November 10, so poppies were always strongly associated with him. After he passed away, I just wanted to honour him.
On the experience of getting inked
It was the best. I was elated. I was so happy to have it and to show it off. I was just over the moon.
On finding an artist
Jo Barry has a light hand and such a great eye for detail that I’ll never go to anyone else. This one is a 1950s art deco piece that I found on textiles in high school. When I got this one done, my mom was such a fan she wanted to get a matching tattoo, but I think she chickened out.
On the prevalence of tattoos in the industry
A lot of front of house staff work part time serving jobs to supplement their artist income, and chefs think of their food plating and food design as artwork themselves. I think it’s all just the art community finding various ways to express itself.