By Tyler Hickman - May 15, 2025

Cafe Aion Executive Chef Austen Vazquez got his first tattoo when he was 15. Credit: Tyler Hickman

Tattoos are forever. Sometimes, a good meal can be, too. While it doesn’t leave a mark on our bodies, like six hours of a needle punching ink into the outermost layer of our skin, taking a bite of truly good food can change us.

It’s no wonder the people behind these transcendent experiences are often covered head to toe in body art. For some, each piece has profound origins: the death of a loved one, a battle with substance abuse. For others, they represent spontaneous self expression, or perhaps an act of rebellion. 

Many of the chefs, bartenders and restaurateurs behind Boulder’s evolving food scene have injected the stories — literally worn on their sleeves — into the food we eat. 

“Everybody in the kitchen, we feel like pirates, in a way,” Cafe Aion’s executive chef Austen Vasquez says. “Maybe not at the nice Michelin-starred restaurants. But down and dirty, in the middle of service, we’re all dying. But we’re going down with the ship together, and there’s just a certain sense of camaraderie.”

“I think as chefs, if we see another chef with tattoos, we’re like, ‘OK, this guy’s been through it.’”

Boulder Weekly boarded the ship to capture the ink, and the people, who are raising the mast of the Boulder food service industry.

Quotes have been edited for brevity and clarity.

Executive Chef Austen Vasquez

“I think it’s super subjective for everybody, but it does kind of tie us together in that we have all experienced something, and we expressed our past and our memories through our food.” 

“My whole goal with making food is to evoke emotion. Memory is the best compliment somebody can give me. ‘I used to have this at my grandma’s, and it reminds me of home.’ That to me is the best thing that can happen. My past makes me who I am. My tattoos are more a story, like documenting my life. And so is my food.”

Director of Operations Ward Bedsole

“I had a near-death experience about eight, nine years ago, and afterwards, I didn’t think I had very long to live. But I also had a severe insensitivity to pain, so I maxed out one of my credit cards getting as many tattoos as I could.”

“When people go to describe me, one of the first things they say is tattooed. And that’s kind of where that started. I was also neck deep in a really nerdy cocktail bar at the time. So everybody had a shit ton of tattoos. I always wanted to be heavily tattooed; I just needed a couple of nudges.”

General Manager Maddie Curry

“I grew up in a very Christian household, being from Georgia, so I kind of wanted to piss my parents off a little bit. But I just fell in love with it. It’s a little doodle on my body that’s a part of me, and it’s fun and makes me feel good.”

“[Bartending is] creative. It’s something that I just fell in love with. It’s like not paperwork at work, which is really nice. I get to use my creative side of my brain instead of my analytical one. I’m a big multitasker, I don’t like to be standing still. I love talking to people here, but I also love making drinks. And you’re on stage.” 

Founder and Executive Chef Jesse Jensen

“I like getting tattoos when I travel. It’s cool to meet new artists and have a souvenir. I don’t have a ton of meaningful tattoos; I just have fun tattoos. I’ve got a lot of flash tattoos that are like small impulses.”

“I’ve always just had fun with food here. There’s all this rad stuff that’s associated with pizza. That’s kind of what drew me to pizza, I guess. I feel like I didn’t choose pizza, pizza chose me.” 

Jun. 17, 2024@10:56pm

So-called “dark money” has entered the…

Jun. 12, 2024@10:13pm

Picture in your mind’s eye the…

Jun. 12, 2024@9:29pm

Movement Workshop6:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 13,…