
Ravenous is a new column powered by our friends at ZESCO.
Professional chefs and industry pros regularly get to work with top-of-the-line kitchen equipment, but when they’re in their own homes, you may be surprised to find that many of their go-to tools are accessible and inexpensive. Here’s what is in the arsenal of a dozen of Indy’s most influential women in food—along with some tips to help set you up for culinary success.
ERIN KEM, EXECUTIVE CHEF
AT SCARLET LANE GASTROPUB
SCARLETLANEBREW.COM, @SCARLETLANEBREW
Lodge is my go-to brand; it’s super affordable and lasts forever if it’s taken care of—hell, ones that HAVEN’T been taken care of can be revived with some TLC! Here’s a picture of a cherry clafoutis that I baked in my skillet recently.”
JANINE BOOTH, TOP CHEF ALUM AND CO-OWNER OF ROOT & BONE INDY
ROOTNBONEINDY.COM, @ROOTNBONEINDY
ERIN GILLUM, EXECUTIVE CHEF AT SPOKE & STEELE
SPOKEANDSTEELE.COM, @SPOKEANDSTEELE
TWINKLE VANWINKLE, EXECUTIVE CHEF OF THE PATACHOU FOUNDATION
THEPATACHOUFOUNDATION.ORG, @THEPATACHOUFOUNDATION
The second is a Lazy Susan. Is that capitalized? Should be, because it is worth the accolades. Mine is square, it’s about a 2-foot by 2-foot handmade one my granddad made out of plywood for my grandmother when she was elbows deep in the wedding cake era of her life. I had to make a place to store it in my kitchen because of its size. But not only is it worth the ease and accuracy during cake making, there is just the total nostalgia wrapped up in it as well. It’s definitely not pretty, but it is beautiful to me. Look for a lazy Susan that is at least a foot across for good balance and that turns very smoothly. Make sure to test them out before you purchase if possible. Any little bumps in the turning will create an unleveled cake or uneven icing.”
CANDACE BOYD WYLIE, CHIEF FOODIE & SPICE SLANGER OF FOODLOVETOG
FOODLOVETOG.COM, @FOODLOVETOG

“The one piece I can’t live without and will absolutely stand on is a heavy-bottomed pot, aka the Dutch oven. I’m partial to the Le Creuset brand, but I’ve got others in my kitchen arsenal, too. What I love about them is their ease of use and they can literally do it all: Braising, baking and frying. They also conduct heat well and are pretty easy to keep clean.”
JORDAN JUSTICE, PASTRY CHEF AT KING DOUGH INDY AND OWNER OF JAJUSTICEBAKES
KINGDOUGHPIZZAS.COM, @KINGDOUGHINDY, @JAJUSTICEBAKES
RELATED: 11 OF INDY’S MOST RESPECTED WOMEN IN FOOD SHARE THEIR FAVORITE RECIPES
ALISON KEEFER, CO-OWNER OF THE GALLERY PASTRY SHOP
GALLERYPASTRYSHOP.COM, @GALLERYPASTRYSHOP
TAWANA GULLEY, CHEF, CATERER AND FOOD VLOGGER AT BLACK BOWE BISTRO & BAKERY
BISTROFOODFORTHESOUL.COM, @BLACKBOWEBISTRO_BAKERY
BETH BELANGE, PROMOTIONS DIRECTOR AT SUN KING BREWERY & SPIRITS
SUNKINGBREWING.COM, @SUNKINGBREWING
RUCHI SHAH, PLANT FORWARD PERSONAL CHEF AND FOOD PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE TIFFIN KITCHEN
THETIFFINKITCHEN.COM, @TIFFINKITCHEN
ASHLEY R. BROOKS, CULINARY CURATOR & CONSULTANT AND CO-FOUNDER OF INDY WOMEN IN FOOD
AROSEINDY.COM, @A.ROSE.BROOKS, @INDYWOMENINFOOD
MANDY SELKE, CO-OWNER OF JUST POP IN!
JUSTPOPINPOPCORN.COM, @JUSTPOPIN
Want to win a treasure trove of cooking tools from ZESCO? Enter our giveaway here.
Stephanie Groves is an Indianapolis-based freelance writer whose go-to kitchen gadget is a handheld Chef’n citrus juicer that her mother-in-law gave her.
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