Need nails that’ll last? Ask where a chef or bartender gets their manicure

On a chilly February morning, Mallory Valvano walked up two flights of stairs to a second-floor atrium filled with exotic plants leading her to a salon suite. The baker behind Party Girl Bake Club found herself back inside the Fishtown building to see Alex Furst, also known as Pepper Holidays on Instagram.

But Valvano wasn’t in the neighborhood to deliver one of her whimsical, eye-catching cakes or catering displays. She was there on an equally important task: a manicure.

Valvano is one of many Philly culinary professionals who see their nails as an extension of their brand personality as well as a self-care treat — despite the taboo of chefs cooking with polished nails. (ServSafe, the food and alcohol safety-training and certification organization, discourages the use of nail polish and/or extensions and highly recommends cooking with gloves.)

Valvano is ServSafe-certified, which means she knows the impact of food safety really well. She also believes that shouldn’t stop her from expressing herself — especially when the products Furst uses ensure chip-free, perfectly intact nails for up to four weeks.

“I’m an artist, by trade, in textile manufacturing and design — the food thing came a little later in life,” she said. “So, [getting your nails done] is about, one, taking care of how you look and being presentable. It’s also an extension of your own personal style. I like to have this whole vision of what a party girl is: neon and pastels, colors inspired by art, architecture, and interior design.”

The key to nails that food professionals aren’t worried about working with? Regular sessions with a nail artist who emphasizes prep and uses gel builder, a thick-viscosity, strengthening product that creates a protective, hard shield with LED/UV light. And Furst is the woman to do the job for Valvano and Natalia Lepore Hagan of Midnight Pasta.

The 37-year-old nail artist is in her eighth year as a licensed nail technician. With two chef clients and a few nurse clients under her belt, Furst understands working on labor-intensive nails that exist in industries where unpainted nails are the norm.

“My philosophy for everyone is that the foundation is the most important thing — the prep or the way the product is applied, if that’s missing then you’re not going to have a long-lasting, strong manicure,” Furst said. “Gel body builder is strong enough that it allows the nails to maintain and support its structure so that they’re not going to be chipping or lifting in a three to four week time frame.”

Each session begins with Furst removing old product and chatting with the client about what their month is looking like to determine length of nail. Then it’s prep: shaping and smoothing nails, pushing back the cuticles , and exfoliating dead tissue, removing any sticky cuticle from the nail plate, and lightly etching the new nail growth.

“Our body naturally produces oil, so that prep is to ensure getting the gel completely adhered to the nail plate,” she said. “No one wants the gel to lift — when it lifts, it damages the nail. So, prep is important."

Design comes next. Both Valvano and Lepore Hagan love to experiment with colors and incorporate their brands into the nail designs.

Furst has drawn buttered toast designs for Valvano inspired by an all-butter event and tomatoes for Lepore Hagan inspired by an Italian picnic-themed event.

“I brought her an idea, and she sketched out all 10 nails in front of me,” Lepore Hagan said. “She said, ‘Let’s do tomatoes on this finger. We’ll do the checkers on your middle finger. And another with stripes.’ I love artists more than anything, and it’s so cool to collaborate with her on my nails.”

Midnight Pasta, a hands-on pasta-making class and BYOB dinner party, is a nontraditional dining experience, Lepore Hagan explained, where she is s both chef and host, leaving more room for self-expression with nails.

Gloves stay on while cooking, and nails come out for hosting. “Mallory and I are both really fashion-forward,” she said. “We care a lot about fashion. I am always looking at what she’s wearing and her nails because she’s a representation of her brand.”

But the pasta chef draws the line at gel extensions or acrylic nail tips, opting for only gel builder polish on her natural nails to ensure no attachments fall off when working.

“I want to be professional, and part of that professionalism is having my nails always done perfectly and interestingly,” Lepore Hagan said.

Jillian Moore, however, is an acrylic nail queen.

She’s behind the bar at My Loup and Pine Street Grill, where customers will catch her perfectly pointed, brightly colored nails around spoons and cocktail shakers. As bar director at the two hot spots, she’s using her hands differently then chefs Valvano and Lepore Hagan, allowing her to opt for long acrylics decorated with gel polish every two weeks at her nail appointment with @nailsbylinny.

Expressing oneself through nails is similar to wearing makeup to work, Moore said, as long as food safety rules are followed. And following the ServSafe rules isn’t hard with nails, she said. “You still have to make sure your fingernails are clean [and putting on gloves for prep work], regardless if you have extensions or not,” she said. “So that’s how I’ve always operated.”

For Moore, getting her nails done is way to share her personality, whether it’s with a specific color or theme — or repping the restaurants she works at. Every year for My Loup’s anniversary, she gets the color of the tiles at the bar with a little “ML” script on top. And when Pine Street opened, her nails were covered in little acorns.

“People are watching my hands all the time — it’s definitely something that people notice [and] we end up talking about it," Moore said. “It’s just a fun way to express myself, [and] why I like it so much.”

“I make this joke all the time — I say, there are three people that you should never piss off: your bartender, your hairdresser, and your nail tech," she added. “Maintain those relationships.”