Christine Johanson

Executive Pastry Chef

Christine Johanson is the Executive Pastry chef at Chez TJ.  She initially joined us as 

Sous Chef in 2022 after 8 years of working in some of the top kitchens in the Bay Area.  

Upon receiving a traditional French culinary education at Le Cordon Bleu in San Francisco, 

Christine was mentored by the James Beard award-winning chef Roland Passot at La Folie, 

a cornerstone of French cuisine in the Bay Area for 30 over years. At La Folie, Christine 

worked several stations in savory as well as serving as their Pastry Chef.

Following her time with Chef Passot, Christine joined the pastry team at Madera, a 1-

Michelin star restaurant at the Rosewood Hotel in Palo Alto. There she built upon her

pastry skills and trained in their chocolate program and was part of their banquets team.

After more than a year with Madera, Christine joined the two-Michelin-star restaurant

Acquerello under Executive Chef/Owner Suzette Gresham, winner of the Antonin

Careme medal. Under Chef Suzette’s guidance, Christine added Northern Italian

cuisine to her knowledge base, and acquired another true mentor who helped her focus

on her core beliefs of commitment, precision, and training as central tenants of kitchen

leadership. Christine continued to work at Acquerello throughout the pandemic,

dedicating nearly three years of rotating through each station in the kitchen as a

Tournant, including a stint as their Pasta Maker.

Christine’s formative experiences stretch further back into her childhood in Maine,

where she experienced food production first hand at various family-run farms in her

local community before receiving a formal education in Environmental Science. It was

an experience which provided her with a deep knowledge and appreciation of sourcing

responsible ingredients and fresh produce that she would use as a chef later in life.

Christine was inspired to join Chez TJ by its reputation for being a crucible for creativity

and training, as well as the beautiful gardens on the property, bringing her back to her

farm-to-table roots. Her philosophy for the pasty program is that it has to always have

some elements from the garden year round, but above all taste exceptional. It’s not just

enough to drive curiosity and push boundaries on what diners think, but desserts need

to inspire beautiful taste memories as the final impression you leave your guest with.