The Real Meaning Behind Aarón Sánchez's New York Tattoo

For those in the TV food space, tattoos are not exactly a requirement as hair nets might be, but they do seem to be pretty common among some of our favorite celebrity chefs. And while some are off the cuff for fun, others have some real significance behind them. For instance, Michael Symon has a tattoo of two cherub pigs on his chest simply because he counts pigs among his favorite type of meat (pork) and Duff Goldman has several hilarious tattoos that he earned from losing a bet or two. 

On the flip side, Kristen Kish has a variety of meaningful tattoos that highlight her connection to the culinary world. And Aarón Sánchez's New York has some significant meaning behind it as well. Given his history with New York in a culinary capacity and in relation to tattoos, it should not be surprising that he has a tat that speaks directly to his love for NYC. 

For those who are not die-hard fans, it might shock you to learn that while Sánchez no longer has a stake in his New York restaurant, he does hold the title of "owner" at another NYC establishment — a tattoo parlor. The celeb chef is at the helm of Daredevil tattoos, not a huge lift in logic for someone who is known to have a handful of tattoos himself and even espouse the tradition of tats in the kitchen.

And Sánchez's most recent Instagram post expanded on one specific tattoo — giant lettering of "NYC" just above his knee along his inner thigh. His post caption reiterates his love for NYC and notes that this tattoo holds a special meaning to him as it represents his first foray where he learned to "cook professionally" in the New York kitchen of a restaurant his mom opened in 1984 called "Café Marimba." As the chef recalls, "This is where it all began."

As one of his followers noted, the "tattoos with stories" are "the ones that mean the most to us." That certainly seems to be the case for Sánchez.