Toro Bravo Cookbook
I met John Gorham around 2006, roughly a year before he opened his most successful restaurant in Portland, Oregon, “Toro Bravo”. He became a regular tattoo client and a friend over the years. Before he opened Toro I tattooed a bull on his left arm representing his new venture. It would become the logo and the personality of a Toro Bravo culture that lasted 13 years. Unfortunately Toro fell victim to Covid in 2020, as did many restaurants and bars in the Portland metro area. I introduced John to my then partner Liz Crain, who was already a successful food writer. They quickly became friends and collaborated on the Toro Bravo cookbook published in 2013 by McSweeny’s in San Fransisco. I had the privilege of designing the look and feel of the book, including the original logo, outside and inside cover, and aspects of the overall page design. We all put so much effort in to this project, it was so much fun! Between recipe testing at John’s house and tattooing everyone involved, it felt more like a big party than a job.
McSweeney’s is an independent nonprofit publishing company started in 1998 based in San Francisco. As well as operating a daily humor website, they also publish Timothy McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern, Illustoria and an ever-growing selection of books under various imprints. You can buy all of these things from their online store. You can support them today by making a donation.
John Gorham would always be front and center during service hours. He's a great leader, and always treated his employees well.
Some of my illustrations for the inside cover
John commissioned a metal worker to build the exterior sign using the logo I designed as a pattern
