When he finally did it, Francis decided he would get three tattoos, one for each of the things most important in the world: food, art, and love.
"But what about politics? What about justice?" he later fretted.
His friend said, "My politics all come out of love." And so he stuck to the three tattoo plan.
Before he was telling you about his tattoos, Francis worked with nonprofit organizations and taught writing and literature to students in the woods. He is currently Features Editor at GiltTaste.com and provides what might be called color commentary for the Cooking Channel show Food(ography).
He was a Contributing Editor at Gourmet magazine (RIP), a contributor to the Financial Times, and has been nominated for a James Beard Foundation Award and several International Association of Culinary Professionals awards, winning one.
His work has also appeared in the 2006 - 2010 editions of Best Food Writing. He believes that, in professional football, that would count as a dynasty; in ancient China, not so much. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan and the Culinary Institute of America, and makes the meanest ratatouille.