PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF KELLEIGH STEWART
INTERVIEW BY LINDSEY KESEL

Kelleigh Stewart was raised in the farming community of Draper, Utah. Her father was a farrier/blacksmith (aka cowboy) and her mom, an Avon lady. She spent a decade in Portland before buying a dilapidated farm in Puna, Hawai‘i off of Craigslist. Today, the restored farm serves as a home base where she and her husband, along with their staff, farm, mill, and roast beans to provide specialty-grade coffees for customers of the two wholesale companies she co-owns, Big Island Coffee Roasters and Paradise Roasters.

“For me, blue collar work is a deeply honest and real form of work,” says Stewart. “Perhaps it can be reduced to a particular love language, or being a bit obsessive to aim for the highest quality work in what you do, but I strongly feel that the passion you put into the product becomes the respect and appreciation you have for the people you’re providing it to.”

What is your tattoo?

On the top of her back, she has a blackberry bush and sycamore tree that are transitioning between their spring and autumn stages.

When did you get it?

She got inked in 2006 by famed Portland artist James Kern.

What was the inspiration?

This tattoo marks a particularly blissful time in Stewart’s life when she spent much of her days harvesting Oregon’s prolific berries, wild and cultivated mushrooms, figs, and nuts, and making yogurts and kefirs. Her husband farmed organic vegetables at a local CSA, and she would often dream up creative meals for the week with whatever random assortments he came home with. “I had quit my higher- paying, career-line position at the American Red Cross’ national blood laboratory to try something different, and I’m so glad I did,” she says. “It afforded me the time to delve into what I’m now passionate about: serving people and high-end local products.”

COFFEE BLOSSOM & BLACKBERRY SPRITZER

In our 2015 Winter “Skin” issue, edible Hawaiian Islands ran a story called “Culinary Ink,” featuring five incredible local personalities with food-related tattoos. It became one of our most popular issues to date, but we regretted the fact that we didn’t get a chance to highlight any inked women (though not for lack of trying!). This is the long overdue follow-up, where we showcase ladies from four islands who love food so much they’ve creatively stamped themselves with captivating foodie artwork.

PHOTOGRAPHED BY MIEKO HORIKOSHI
INTERVIEW BY LINDSEY KESEL

Dabney Gough spent her childhood on a Virginia farm that has been in her family for six generations and marks the spot where she first fell in love with food. “I was spoiled early on by the bounty of locally grown produce from our garden and nearby,” she says. “Perfectly ripe, sun-warmed tomatoes, amazingly sweet Halifax cantaloupes, and mulberries right off the tree.”

In San Francisco, she worked for Bi-Rite Market in the Mission District and co-authored two cookbooks. These days she rocks the role of marketing manager for Hawaiian Ola, a local company that uses responsibly grown ingredients to make healthy beverage products. “Food is so much more than fuel,” says Gough. “The choices we make about food tell us who we are, and what we care about.”

What is your tattoo?

Gough designed her tattoo: a whisk and a chef’s knife crossed in an “X” shape, like a coat of arms. “I wanted something iconic and simple that spoke to the tools of my new trade,” she says. “There’s a kind of yinyang aspect to it too… the knife divides, whereas the whisk unites (it can fix a broken sauce, for instance).”

When did you get it?

She got her one and only tattoo while training at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, at Black + Blue Tattoo, a woman-owned studio in the Mission District.

What was the inspiration?

After quitting a “comfortable but uninspiring” corporate job to do the culinary program full-time, Gough wanted to commemorate taking a leap of faith to follow her passion. “I got the tattoo to remind myself that I could take measured risks like that and still be OK,” she says. “After I got it, my mom warned me that potential employers might not hire me as a result. I laughed and said I didn’t want to work at those kinds of places anyway!”

ZERO WASTE BEAN SOUP

In our 2015 Winter “Skin” issue, edible Hawaiian Islands ran a story called “Culinary Ink,” featuring five incredible local personalities with food-related tattoos. It became one of our most popular issues to date, but we regretted the fact that we didn’t get a chance to highlight any inked women (though not for lack of trying!). This is the long overdue follow-up, where we showcase ladies from four islands who love food so much they’ve creatively stamped themselves with captivating foodie artwork.

PHOTOGRAPHED BY MIEKO HORIKOSHI
INTERVIEW BY LINDSEY KESEL

Pastry chef Betty McDonald grew up in Rhode Island baking with her mom and grandmothers. “I definitely come from a family that LOVES to eat,” she says. “We are always discussing our next meal! And now I get to share some of my family recipes with others.”

Her husband’s charter boat captain/fishing guide career took them to the keys of Florida, the bush camps of Alaska, and finally Lahaina, Maui eight years ago. She worked in award-winning restaurants for several years before venturing out on her own. Today she runs the wholesale bakery, B3 “A Beach Bunny Bakery.” McDonald caters to Kīhei and Maui’s west side, creating beautiful, palate-pleasing treats for customers and catering weddings and other special events. She’s also a volunteer chef for the Maui Kids Cook With Heart program.

What is your tattoo?

In the elaborate full sleeve on her left arm, there’s a green KitchenAid mixer at the top outer shoulder spilling out pink cream in Japanese style waves. Cupcakes, cupcake pans, and eggs cover her upper arm, with a cherry pie tucked in her inner elbow and a sifter, rolling pin, and measuring spoons on her lower arm. Cherries, strawberries, and chocolates are weaved throughout.

When did you get it?

She got the entire work of art from March to June in 2012, care of a Lahaina tattoo artist.

What was the inspiration?

After admiring a friend’s full sleeve made up of traditional Japanese wave and flowers, she knew she wanted something similar, but tailored to her love of sweets and baking. In the design, she decided to include a jar of jam as a special shoutout to her friend, who is named Jamille.

CHERRY CREAM PIE WITH CALAMANSI BUTTER

In our 2015 Winter “Skin” issue, edible Hawaiian Islands ran a story called “Culinary Ink,” featuring five incredible local personalities with food-related tattoos. It became one of our most popular issues to date, but we regretted the fact that we didn’t get a chance to highlight any inked women (though not for lack of trying!). This is the long overdue follow-up, where we showcase ladies from four islands who love food so much they’ve creatively stamped themselves with captivating foodie artwork.

PHOTOGRAPHED BY MALLORY FRANCKS
INTERVIEW BY LINDSEY KESEL

On vacation visiting a girlfriend on the Garden Island, Erin Keller got a taste of paradise and an introduction to her future husband. Love was the perfect excuse to return several times during the summer of 2015, and to apply for an executive chef position at a resort restaurant in Princeville. She got the job and became a Hawai‘i resident by October. A few months later, the couple decided to go all in and open a restaurant together. Today at The Local Kaua‘i, she runs the back of the house while her husband, Jose, handles business in the front.

What is your tattoo?

Keller has two large branches of wheat inked on her left forearm that are tattooed in Realism style, known for its signature intricate detail.

When did you get it?

Right before her official move to Kaua‘i, she walked into a Portland tattoo parlor with stalks of wheat in her hand. The artist photocopied the stalks and traced them on to her arm to duplicate the actual size and detail of the grain.

What was the inspiration?

Cooking professionally since 2006, Keller spent most of her time crafting dishes for inspiring chefs in Portland, Oregon, before owning her own spot. “I found fresh wheat at the Farmers Market one day in a flower arrangement and it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen,” she says. “I was slinging pizza out of my mobile wood-fired pizza oven and I was in full-on pizza-loving, wheat-loving, pro-gluten mode.” Before saying goodbye to the City of Roses, she scheduled a tandem tattoo appointment with her best friend, Amanda, the executive chef at Portland City Grill. “We both got tattooed on the last day that I lived in Portland before I moved to Hawai‘i,” she says. “Great memories all around.”

PIZZA WITH PAPAYA JAM, BACON AND BRIE

In our 2015 Winter “Skin” issue, edible Hawaiian Islands ran a story called “Culinary Ink,” featuring five incredible local personalities with food-related tattoos. It became one of our most popular issues to date, but we regretted the fact that we didn’t get a chance to highlight any inked women (though not for lack of trying!). This is the long overdue follow-up, where we showcase ladies from four islands who love food so much they’ve creatively stamped themselves with captivating foodie artwork.