From Chef to Author

Chef Tomm Johnson takes the inscrutable out of cooking

 

By Natalie K. Pollock

Staff Writer

Chef Tomm, who lives in Canton, the culinary educator and author of his first book on Chinese cooking. His next book will focus on Italian cuisine.

You have a wok. You love soy and hoisin sauces. Your favorite way to add flavor is with garlic and ginger. But where to go from here? Tomm Johnson of Canton has the answers and has written a book that explains the simple pleasures of Chinese cooking. His book, “My Wok Through Time: A Personal Journey Through Chinese Techniques” also offers access to teaching videos.

Chef Tomm has spent more than 30 years learning, teaching and perfecting the cuisines of multiple cultures and passing them on to others. He began his food journey in 1983 working at a Domino’s pizza shop.

“There is way more involved in making pizza than most people understand. For example, the crust must be light and airy for Neapolitan style,” he said.

During a stint in Germany with the U.S. Army during the Desert Storm campaign, Johnson began his self-education with German cuisine and then became interested in seeing the world through his palate.  His favorite German dish is Jaeger Schnitzel (hunter’s style), made with breaded and sauteed pork filet, and usually served with French fries and a rich mushroom gravy.

“I spent a lot of my life traveling to learn culinary techniques around the world. Europe including Slavic countries have had a big impact on our food, and Vietnam and Thailand too,” said the chef, adding that he remembers his grandmother making Lithuanian style foods growing up.

Today he teaches culinary arts at Torrington High School. Johnson loves teaching and has spent 13 years educating college students and 13 years with high school students passing on the techniques and culinary history he has learned.

“I love being a teacher. When a student says to me, ‘I can do that?’ I can say: ‘You can do it,’” said Johnson.

As part of his culinary arts program, he has also helped to design kitchens and mentored students on career opportunities. The well-traveled teacher and chef advised one aspiring high school student to look beyond her local community when she came to him for advice. He directed her to a college level program in Milan. Johnson had studied in Florence on a student visa for free and then the Piedmont region of Italy.

“I went for free to Europe because they wanted Americans to learn how to cook (their food) right. When the Italians came here, they had to change eggplant parmesan to veal parmesan. And our sushi? We kill their sushi. Our version of Chinese has more sugar and frying. And McDonald’s in Thailand is different. It’s different in other countries,” said Chef Tomm.

While teaching in New London, Johnson founded Whalers Helping Whalers, a nonprofit that has distributed more than a million pounds of food to hungry families and their children and won him national attention.

He also taught at a statewide culinary school before being recruited to California’s international culinary school in Campbell.

“There were all these famous people there. I was amazed they picked me. There I picked up new techniques and taught them to others. When you start learning to be a chef, the world seems so huge. Then it grows smaller when you begin to see the similarities of cuisines. For example, paella is like jambalaya and like Chinese rice dishes,” said Johnson.

He enjoys learning the cultural history behind foods and cooking.

“But,” said Chef Tomm, “being a chef is interesting because people don’t invite me (to dinner) at their house.”

His wife Jum Johnson also works as a chef, at the Green Papaya Thai restaurant in Canton.

“She is very critical about food,” he said.

“My Wok Through Time” is only his first book. He is working on his second one which will focus on Italian cuisine.

“Many people don’t understand Chinese cooking. Most look for recipes. But there are only three mother sauces to learn: white, brown and Yu Shong (sweet and spicy with garlic). In my book I show five to 10 dishes with each sauce,” said Chef Tomm.

He added, “In California I was one of the first students to work in a Chinese restaurant (in the kitchen). I learned the techniques within six days,” said Chef Tomm.

He was particularly excited to learn how to make hand-pulled noodles.

“No one would teach me. I had to reach out to people from around the world because of my book. I learned on my own and it’s in my book,” said Chef Tomm.

His book not only offers recipes but also each page has a QR code that can be scanned to watch a video of the chef cooking the recipe and teaching a particular technique. Johnson also has a YouTube channel with video demonstrations (youtube.com/cheftomm).

Italian food is his favorite.

“I love the culture and the techniques. I love the heart and soul of Italian cooking. I used to milk cows to make cheese, and make my own sausages, including soppressata, and wine and beer. Everything is made by hand. They make their own sauce and pasta. In Thailand they think you’re crazy to make your own because some ingredients are so cheap to buy. In Italy there are no winter tomatoes, so they wait until summer for tomatoes,” said Johnson.

He pointed out that considering the wine with dinner is important “because it changes everything just as cheese with fruit changes the flavor.

After traveling the world and being visible on the social scene as a chef, Chef Tomm said he likes that “in Canton no one knows who I am.”

Instead of inviting friends to his home and entertaining, in his spare time he enjoys attending sports and school functions with his three children who are 19, 17 and 14 and his wife.

“The best thing about the book is that it will be there for my grandkids, who will not meet me but will see me in the videos that have some of my history with my cooking. This book is me. It’s not just a collection of recipes. It is a journey of service, flavor and the joy of feeding others,” said Chef Tomm.

“My Wok Through Time: A Personal Journey Through Chinese Techniques” is available on Amazon.com. Each copy is printed on demand.

Featured recipe: Potstickers

Yield: About 30 dumplings

Ingredients

Wrappers:

- 30 round potsticker wrappers (thin)

Stuffing:

- 6 oz ground pork- 1 tsp finely chopped fresh ginger- 1/2 tbsp rice wine or dry sherry- 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce- 1/2 tsp light soy sauce- 1/2 tsp salt- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper- 1 1/2 tbsp finely chopped green onions- 1 tsp sesame oil- 1/2 tsp sugar

For Cooking:

- 1 tbsp canola oil- 1/2 cup chicken stock- 1 tbsp soy sauce

Method

Make the Stuffing:

1. In a large bowl, combine all stuffing ingredients.2. Mix well until fully incorporated. Chill if not using immediately.

Wrapping:

1. Place about 2 tsp of filling in the center of each wrapper.2. Moisten the edge of the wrapper with water.3. Fold the wrapper in half and pinch to seal, pleating along the edge if desired.4. Place finished dumplings on a parchment-lined half sheet pan.   Keep covered or freeze until ready to cook.

Cooking:

1. In a large sauté pan, heat 1 tbsp of oil over high heat until it just begins to smoke.2. Place dumplings flat-side down into the pan.3. Lower the heat and cook for about 1 minute until the bottoms are lightly browned.4. Add chicken stock and soy sauce, then cover tightly.5. Simmer gently for about 8 minutes.   Chef’s Note: Do not let the pan dry out—add more stock if needed.6. Uncover and cook for an additional 2 minutes to crisp the bottoms.7. Serve hot with your favorite dipping sauce.

Chef's Notes

- These freeze well—freeze uncooked on a tray, then transfer to a bag for long-term storage.- For added flavor, serve with a dipping sauce of soy sauce, vinegar, and chili oil.- A video tutorial is available on your YouTube channel for visual learners.

To view the techniques involved in making potstickers from scratch, scan the QR code in the image below: