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Julia Child, move over: there’s a new breed of chef in town. Modern chefs aren’t the rigid, authoritarians of yesterday. In fact, chefs are shattering traditional molds not only with ground-breaking cooking techniques, but also with unique lifestyles. It’s no wonder that we were able to find three such iconoclasts willing to share their stories.
You might be surprised to see a colorful collage of body art beneath chef Jason Santangelo’s crisp, white chef’s uniform. But for this kitchen rebel, self expression is a way of life. His first experience with body art occurred at age 17, when he received a tribal tattoo on his shoulder. “I’ve been drawn to tattoos ever since I was a kid, seeing guys with full arm sleeves…it’s always been a fascination of mine. I’ve always wanted tattoos,” he explained. Since then, his collection of body art has expanded so greatly that Santangelo has completely lost track of how many tattoos he actually has. “I have two full arm sleeves, a stack piece, a chest piece, I have my neck done, and I’m starting work on both of my thighs right now…I’d say I’m probably well over 50 tattoos,” he detailed. His favorite tattoo is a songbird on his neck. The cost of such expression would normally be quite a pretty penny, but the tattoo veteran has a fair share of friends in the body art industry to make his passion for ink viable and affordable. His love for expression may quite possibly be linked to the fact that he also has a BFA in photography from the Art Institute of Boston, giving him a deep connection to the arts in general. Although Santangelo is still in recovery from his latest tattoo (a Koi fish), he plans to continue adding to his body art for a very long time. Jason is the Chef at Red Sky Restaurant in Boston's Faneuil Hall.
Chef Steven Sprague is also enjoying life on the edge with a passion for motorcycles. “It’s a great escape. Being in a kitchen all the time, it’s a great way to get outside and enjoy the outdoors, and forget about all the nonsense,” he said. He began his love for motorcycles late at age 32, but the joy it gave him has lasted for 8 years, and seems likely to stay. “My brother always rode, and I had always been a little envious of him. The first time I got on his bike (a Harley Davidson), it was a little scary…and you’re not so much scared of crashing, but you’re more scared of ruining the bike itself,” he jokingly remarked. Since his first experience, he has been the proud owner of three different motorcycles, but his love for bikes was almost cut devastatingly short. “A young woman ran into me, and I flew over her car and broke my leg. That’s what led to the second motorcycle!” he stated. Luckily Sprague was wearing a helmet. When asked about those bikers who prefer not to wear such protective devices, his answer was simple: “They’re probably just enjoying the freedom, but myself, I prefer to wear a helmet - especially after my experience,” he said. With a love for the outdoors and the feeling of a great escape, Sprague hopes to ride motorcycles for the rest of his life. Currently, he rides a soft tailed custom Harley, and claims that cooking and riding give him a similar sense of freedom. Steven is the Executive Chef of J's Restaurant at Nashoba Valley Winery in Bolton, MA.
Chef Wayne Clark also enjoys an unusual and semi-dangerous hobby. Clark and his father began collecting antique guns and rebuilding them to their original quality when he was only 10 years old. “I started with my Dad, helping him repair, fix, and refurbish guns in the early 70s. He had a workshop in the cellar and we would fine-tune his guns. As I got older, I started collecting pieces of old military firearms and I decided that I would do my part in bringing them back to almost original shape,” he explained. Military history and American history in particular are all subjects of interest that fuel Clark’s passion for gun making. He describes his hobby as a great way to wind down after a long day at the restaurant, and his description of it sounds almost therapeutic. “You have to love it, because it’s very time consuming. And I absolutely love the wood to metal fit…you know, crafting the wood and getting the metal to fit properly, and getting all of the pieces functional. I want to leave them as original as possible, but every now and then, you come across guns that have cracked stocks and worn parts, and you have to sometimes search high and low to find parts that will work,” he said. For Clark, this pastime is stress relieving and fun. “You walk away from it after months on a project, and you’ve got a beautiful, antique firearm.” Clark has helped to restore over a dozen firearms that he proudly displays in his Victorian style home. Wayne is the Chef and Owner of Il Piccolo in Johnstown, RI.
Whether or not you encounter these chefs within a kitchen, you will surely be pleased by their unique personalities and original pursuits of happiness.
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