Subject: Sheri LaVigne, owner/cheesemonger
Location: The Calf & Kid Artisan Cheese Shop, Seattle
Artist: Lucky, Artful Dodger Tattoo
“My ‘sacred wedge’ was my way of cementing the birth of a dream—my own cheese shop—that was over two years in the making. I decided a long time ago that I would get that image for my opening party, because, like the tattoo says, ‘Cheese for Life.’ No turning back now!”
Subject: Dave Puchta, manager
Location: Murray’s Cheese, Grand Central, New York City
Artist: Justin Urban-Styles
“I always believed that if I got a tattoo it would have to be something I felt passionate about and connected to deeply. When I had my cheese epiphany five years ago, I knew I had found that very thing. The traditional Parmigiano-Reggiano knives are a representation of the heritage that’s developed with cheese during its thousands of years of existence. Also, they just look badass.”
Subject: Felicia Johnson, cheesemonger
Location: Taylor’s Market, Sacramento
Artist: Wes, Forever Tattoo
“I got the tattoos after being a cheesemonger for six months and surviving my first holiday season. That’s when I knew I wanted to work with cheese forever!”
Subject: Gordon Edgar, cheese buyer
Location: Rainbow Grocery Cooperative, San Francisco
Artist: Max Ackermann
“Around 1997 I decided that no matter what happened in the rest of my life, my relationship with cheese—professional and personal—was significant enough to merit a permanent mark on my body.”
Subject: Jena Davidson-Hood, owner
Location: Sacred Wheel Cheese & Specialty Market, San Francisco
Artist: Stash, Tattoo 13
“I wanted a tattoo that captured the spirit of the beautiful animals we get cheese from!”
Subject: Adam Moskowitz, CEO
Location: Larkin, Cold Storage, Long Island City
Artist: Dave C. Walin
“Good food tastes like symphonies; great cheese is philharmonic and should be honored. When I committed to a career in cheese, I got a tattoo showing its life cycle and highlighting my favorites. Without cheese my life would stink.”
Subject: Christina Fleming, specialist/buyer
Location: Whole Foods Market, Louisville
Artist: Tim Rupp
“I got my tattoo after about five years of working in the cheese industry; I decided it was time to profess my love forever. I had also been told by a close friend/cheesemonger that they doubted I could get a realistic cheese tattoo, and I just had to prove them wrong! I can’t wear short sleeves without having someone ask me about it, but I don’t mind, because I always have time to talk cheese.”
Subject: (l-r) Ezekial Becerra, Nichole Becerra & Miranda Schoot; team leaders
Location: Whole Foods Market, Houston
Artist: True Blue Tattoo
“My cheese tattoo is an ode to many things. It represents the love I have for the company that I work for, the product that I work with, and, most of all, my team of coworkers.” —Nicole Becerra
Subject: Ezekial Ferguson, cheesemonger
Location: Di Bruno Bros., Philadelphia
Artist: Scott Bakoss
“Montgomery’s has been my favorite cheese for years. Once we got into a discussion at the shop about what our desert island cheese would be, and after several grueling days of debate, I settled on Monty’s. About a year later, I got to visit Manor Farm (where it’s produced). What an experience for a young cheese nerd! That’s when I knew my love of this cheese was going to last forever.”
Subject: Ian T. Peacock, specialist
Location: Di Bruno Bros., Philadelphia
Artist: Scott Bakoss
“Fiore Sardo is perhaps my all-time favorite cheese. It’s a true testament to ancient Roman ingenuity, and what better way to commemorate this gem than to have it hammered onto my chest? It’s a cheese with wings, and it’s funny. Ladies love it, and men wish they had the nerve to get one of their very own.”
Laurel Miller
Laurel is a contributing editor at culture and a food and travel writer based in Austin, Texas. She also serves as editor at Edible Aspen.
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