The Love Tool: Sharpie Love in Grand Cayman
"More important than a knife," says one chef.
Anthony Bourdain loves Sharpies because of the fumes.
Gail Simmons loves Sharpies because she can write on anything with them.
An informal survey of other chefs I met in Grand Cayman in early January reveals a whole lotta Sharpie Love.
- From Ron Jacobson, executive chef at Abacus, “I rarely have a Sharpie with me, but everyone in my kitchen knows it’s part of their uniform. That way, I always know one will be nearby.”
- Keith Griffin of Bacchus Restaurant & Wine Bar
says that he uses Sharpies to label food orders, date packages, and mark lunch deliveries, among other things. “You never quite finish them, and then they disappear,” he says. “I go through at least a dozen every two weeks.” How does Chef Griffin like his Sharpies? “Black and thick.”
- Michael Schwartz of Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink in Miami will be opening a new outpost in Grand Cayman at Camana Bay in the spring, and he also hearts his Sharpies. “Sharpies are the Kleenex of Magic Markers,” he says. “I look at Sharpies as knives. It has to be black and medium. Once it gets worn down, it’s done.”
- Finally, Cindy Hutson of Ortanique in Coral Gables, Florida, says, “Every good chef needs to carry a Sharpie.” Like Jacobson, she doesn’t carry one, but it’s the only way she can make sure every one of her chefs has one. She’s partial to blue Sharpies.
