Behind the Knife - tools, food, and the secret lives of chefs

Chef Profile: Mary Beth Lawton Johnson

The Chef: Mary Beth Lawton Johnson, certified executive pastry chef, certified chef de cuisine, and a mega yacht chef. (For the uninitiated, a mega yacht is over 100 feet in length.) She’s based in south Florida, or wherever she happens to dock.

The Toolbox: Johnson’s toolbox is a cupboard, and she crams it full since space in a galley kitchen is always at a premium. “Inside you’ll find pastry cutters, ring molds, different size scoops, silicon molds, Silpat mats, souffle cups, an iSi whip, and squeeze bottles,” she reveals.

The Sentimental Tool: A casual observer might say that Johnson has an unhealthy attachment to her ring molds. “When I first started years ago as a chef, I bought some non-descript 3 × 3 molds,” she says. “I still use them, but I’ve acquired others along the way. I am very possessive of my ring molds. I use them for everything, not just pastry.

The Long-Gone Tool: Decorator combs and decorated transfer sheets. They went missing one day because she simply forgot to put them into the cupboard. She used them for printed joconde (an almond sponge cake), and other desserts.

The Strangest Thing In Your Toolbox: “My mind.”

A Tool That Inspired A Recipe: Again with the ring molds. “I use them for salads, appetizers and desserts,” she said, citing one example where she uses it to make a coconut-crusted shrimp entree with tomato canteloupe kimchee.

What A Psychologist Would Say Her Tools Say About Her: “You’re Kidding, Right?”