Star Chef From New York City’s NoMad Hotel Moonlights as Graffiti Artist

James Kent of the NoMad Hotel has made a name for himself as one of the best chefs in the New York City food industry, but he is now also gaining notoriety for his side job as a graffiti artist. Kent’s latest project involves decorating the Manhattan office of tech company Salido with artist and fashion designer Harif Guzman.

“We wanted to create a space where art, food, and technology converge,” Salido CEO Shu Chowdhury told Bloomberg. “James’s work shows that chefs can use different mediums to show off their talent. It’s a great way to show how intimately we know the hospitality industry—to highlight a chef that’s also a wildly talented graffiti artist.”

Kent made his way into the graffiti world in the early ‘90s in downtown New York by tagging walls and subway cars. His graffiti style consists of large, multi-colored, dramatic letters.

He transitioned his focus to cooking when he was arrested at age 17 while tagging on a Friday night, Bloomberg reported. He has been able to get back in touch with his art through working on projects with the Make It Nice restaurant group.