Omnivore - Food Ink #1: Sarah O’Brien, The Little Tart Bakery
The French-trained baker pays tribute to her labor of love in the form of ink.
Introducing Food Ink, a series of indeterminate length in which we explore a bunch of creative, inspiring, and downright rad body art sported by members of Atlanta’s food service industry. We’ll be highlighting people whose passion for their work runs so deep, it’s indelibly inked on their skin. Feel free to follow along. (And if you know of any chefs, bakers, sous chefs, bartenders, line cooks, or anyone else with a particularly awesome tattooed homage to the culinary arts, let us know.)
Food Ink #1: Sarah O’Brien, owner of the Little Tart Bakeshop
Artwork: Butterknife, rolling pin, whisk
Artist: Phil Colvin, Memorial Tattoo
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If you’ve ever indulged in one of The Little Tart’s slices of quiche, sweet galettes, or (God help us) flaky, buttery croissants, you have Sarah O’Brien to thank. The French-trained baker opened the bakery in October 2011, and after six months of being in business, she figured it was about time to pay a tribute to her labor of love in the form of ink.
On one arm, O’Brien opted for an homage to Little Tart’s logo - a rolling pin and a whisk, crossed in an X - while her other arm features an intricate sterling silver butter knife whose inscription is equal parts life platitude and golden baking rule.
“‘Bend, Don’t Break’ is the rule for butter in croissants: if it’s too cold, it breaks,” O’Brien explains. “Croissants are both my biggest struggle and success.”
If you’ve had a taste of one of O’Brien’s croissants, which she spent months perfecting leading up to Little Tart’s opening, you probably have an idea of this baker’s dedication to her craft. And if not? Well, it’s pretty easy to spot: she wears it on her sleeve.