Cutting board staining?

A friend has asked me to make him a cutting board in the shape of a guitar. He also would like it to be sunburst. I have sunburst guitars before with water based analine dyes so I know how to do a fairly good sunburst. Question is, what would be safe to use as a dye to do the staining, and then what could I use to finish it? Usually I use Mineral oil / beeswax to finish my boards.

Next, if I wanted to add some text to the board, if I painted the board or used vinyl, is there anything I could use as a finish that would withstand cutting etc?

I think you need to have a conversation with your friend relative to how he intends to use the cutting board. If it's a "user", then about the best way to do a 'burst is going to be with hot sand (monochrome of course) because a "user" needs to occasionally have the finish refreshed and as you note, it's usually with a non-drying oil like mineral oil or a mineral oil and beeswax mixture applied hot. Any kind of dye stain you might use to airbrush in the burst is going to be seriously at risk for degradation over (likely a short) time on a "user" board. If it's decorative, you can spray the burst normally and seal with an appropriate clear coat.

The same advise goes for the text, but you can get it laser engraved and that would be "permanent" and just deep enough that occasional buffing up with fresh oil/wax will not cause issues.

I dont have first hand experience with it, so I'm speculating. But using chemical dyes or stains on a surface that will contact food seems like a risk of contamination. But again, that's a gut feel not an expert opinion. It will be good to see what others' here experiences show.
Fred

". . . a finish that would withstand cutting . . . " No I dont think there is. If they're actually going to cut things on it, even soft cheese, the knife will always win.

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Do you have any information regarding Hot Sand? I have never heard of this and google searches aren't bringing much up related to woodworking.

Try searching on "Hot sand intarsia". You'll have to probably work out the technique better or...get really good with a torch, but it is a potential method to do a "burst" without using dye if the board is going to be a "user".