Text by Charles Miller

Abigail Johnson Dodge–Abby to her family, friends, and fans–was only four years old when she fell in love with baking. Working alongside her mother with a light-bulb-powered easy-bake oven, she happily baked cake after cake. “For me, it was all about desserts,” says Abby.

And it still is. After studying at École de Cuisine la Varenne in Paris and working as a pastry chef under superstars Michel Guérard and Guy Savoy, Abby became the founding test kitchen director at Fine Cooking. These days, she’s an FC contributing editor, baking instructor, and cookbook author who’s written nine books on baking, most recently Mini Treats & Hand-Held Sweets.

Last summer, I stopped by her Southport, Connecticut, kitchen/office to learn about how the space helps her bake better, and was lucky enough to snag a strawberry cupcake, too.

Leave a comment on Abby’s Must-Have Baking Tools post for your chance to win a KitchenAid stand mixer and more of Abby’s favorite tools. (Now closed)