Bourbon Steak's Will Morris' Tattoos Tell Of Staging, Cancer

Welcome back to Ink Spotted, a new feature in which Eater talks to DC's tattooed chefs and gets the stories behind their most intriguing ink.

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• "My dream is to own a ranch where I will have a pet pig named Bacon."
• "I’m from the DC area and I love it; there’s not a better city. I have a few District tattoos, but this McDonalds character with the flag balloon is probably my favorite."
• "I like to eat with my hands, so this is my reminder to use the fork and knife. Don’t be an animal!"

Will Morris, the executive sous chef at Bourbon Steak, got his first tattoo when he was 16 — "a stupid little dragon on my thigh" — and he’s gone on to get around 60 percent of his body tattooed. Some are souvenirs from his travels. The three stars are mementos from staging at a Michelin one star (Nobu), a two star (Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons) and a three star (The Oak Room, under Marco Pierre White). "The best year of my life; the loneliest year of my life; the scariest year of my life," says Morris. "But something that I will always treasure."

Perhaps his most personal tattoo is the "Cancer Free" tattooed on his hands. "I had it, I fought; I won," he says. "As soon as they gave me the clearance, I thought, 'I'm going to have a drink and get tattooed. Actually, I might have a few drinks.'" Morris doesn’t see himself stopping anytime soon either. He wants his next tat to be "something cartoon-ish." He’s thinking about getting a slice of pie and a milkshake put on his legs, inspired by the ads that play before movies depicting dancing boxes of candies.
—Nevin Martell

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