Kitchen Tech is a family business started in 1980. With various backgrounds in design, commercial kitchen equipment and foodservice sales, construction, manufacturing and management, we are able to offer a variety of unique perspectives for each client and design challenge.
Larry Johnson Director and Owner, AIA PA: Along with being the company founder, I also have a long history in commercial foodservice design and commercial kitchen equipment. Beginning in the 1960’s, when I was generating shop drawings for Vic Molitor (Molitron, Moli-International). Later in my career, I worked closely with Fritz Knoebel to open the contract and design department at Nobel Foods, which is now Sysco Denver. In 1980 left Nobel Foods to start my own commercial foodservice design and stainless steel fabrication company, Transamerican Equipment and Design with over 25000 square feet of design and fabrication capacity. We designed interiors and built kitchens for single and multi unit restaurants, institutional foodservice operations and ships galleys for General Dynamics (builder of aircraft carriers and destroyers for the United States NAVY). We also built the Savon Air a line of commercial exhaust hoods, roof top units and air handlers. Years later I sold the company to Southbend Range Corporation and retired. Retirement lasted only about 4 months when I began receiving phone calls from friends and clients who I had worked with in the past, asking me to help design and consult on their kitchens. This is when I decided to open Kitchen Tech. This was over 20 years ago and while times and technology have changed I have not deviated from my original concept of attention to detail and under promising - over delivering for each of our clients.
Brian Johnson Director of Design, AIA PA: My experience in commercial kitchen design started at a young age while helping my Father on the drawing board when he was designing kitchens and restaurants in the 70’s. I have a 15-year background in foodservice design and equipment sales. Beginning with my time working at Sysco Denver for many years as both a food and equipment specialist. Along with the experience of running my own business for a number of years, I understand what it means to juggle income and expenses and make employee payroll. I use this experience when I am designing a kitchen, by looking at each area as unique to each client. Always keeping in mind the goal to design kitchens which are flow oriented, labor saving, utilizes staff multi tasking design and providing the return on investment our clients expect. I also have a hand in our green projects, where we see the use of water reclamation, recycling and waste pulping used to help the environment.
Keith Johnson Project Manager, Finance I have been in and around the foodservice equipment business for all my life. I find the constant change most interesting. We work very hard to stay informed of all the latest advancements, while holding close to techniques which have stood the test of time. This gives our clients a level of comfort not usually associated with our industry.
