Ashley Brauze

Unlike some of her peers in this series, pastry chef Ashley Brauze came by her favorite spoon honestly. "This spoon was given to me by Georgette Farkas, chef and owner of Rotisserie Georgette. I ate there and fell in love with it. I asked politely and she offered me one," Brauze says. "I’m forever grateful! That spoon quenelles every scoop of ice cream that leaves the pass. Its bowl is curved just right—every quenelle has a perfectly fat waist and dainty finish at the tip."

Brauze views her spoon as the equivalent of a painter’s brush—it puts her ideas on the plate. In her Spoonful, she chose to plate the vibrancy of spring. "I created this at the beginning of champagne mango season, one of my favorites as it is usually the first sign of spring and warmer weather. These mangoes are super tender, balanced in sweet and acidity."