Kyrelle Leefatt

Connect What inspired your most recent tattoo?

My most recent tattoo says “save me”. I did it myself during a period when I was really struggling with depression. For me, tattoos have always been a form of therapy. There’s meaning not just in the words, but in the act of creating them. It’s like carving a message into the silence when I didn’t know how else to speak. Tattooing myself was a way of taking back some control, of feeling something real, and of honoring the fact that even when I felt lost, I was still

If your ink could speak, what would it say?

It would tell my story. Just unfiltered, raw, and honest. From my obsession with the morbid to the roots I carry from New York, every piece is a chapter of who I am. Some were done by others, some I did myself, but all of them speak to my truths. My ink would say: “This is me. All of it. The light, the dark, and everything in between.”

What would you do with the $25,000?

I’d invest it into a business rooted in food justice. Something that tackles food insecurity while honoring the community that raised me. I’ve been a chef for 16 years, working at a high level, but the most meaningful work I’ve done has been feeding people who needed it most. I want to build something sustainable that nourishes, employs, and uplifts. And that’s because good food should never be a privilege.