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Christina Tosi

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Christina Tosi
Tosi in 2013
Born1981 (age 42–43)
Ohio, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Virginia
James Madison University
French Culinary Institute
Occupations
Known for
Spouse
​
(m. 2016)​
Children2
Culinary career
Cooking stylePastry, dessert, French, Italian, Southern American cuisine
Websitechristinatosi.com

Christina Tosi (born 1981) is an American chef and cookbook author. She is founder and co-owner with Momofuku of Milk Bar and serves as its chef and chief executive officer. Food & Wine magazine included her in their 2014 list of "Most Innovative Women in Food and Drink".[1][2]

She is the author of several cookbooks. She has served as a judge on the reality competition MasterChef and presented for the Netflix series Bake Squad. She has won two James Beard Foundation awards.

She created Milk Bar Pie and Cereal Milk.

Early life and education

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Tosi was born in 1981[3][4][5] in Berea, Ohio;[citation needed] her father, Gino Tosi, was an agricultural economist and her mother managing partner in an accounting firm. The couple divorced while Tosi was a teenager, and she was raised primarily in Springfield, Virginia.[6][7][4][8] She has an older sister, Angela.[7] Tosi recalls not being allowed to say "I can't" or "I'm bored".[7]

Her interest in baking dates to her childhood;[9] both of her grandmothers are "avid bakers", according to Tosi.[10] Her parents both had a sweet tooth.[10] She ran track in high school and still runs regularly.[11] She was interested in math and foreign languages.[10] In college she worked serving tables and then as a prep cook and baker.[10]

Tosi studied electrical engineering for one year at the University of Virginia[6] and graduated from James Madison University with degrees in applied mathematics and Italian,[6][12] then enrolled in the French Culinary Institute's pastry arts program.[4] While attending culinary school she worked as a host at Aquagrill, eventually being promoted to maître d’hotel.[6]

Culinary career

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Tosi externed[clarification needed] and then worked at Bouley, interned at Saveur, and then worked at wd~50.[13][10] She found the exacting plating required in fine dining wasn't something she enjoyed and decided she didn't want to work as an executive pastry chef in fine dining restaurants.[14][6] Tosi had In 2005 helped to write wd~50s Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point plan.[15] On the recommendation of Wylie Dufresne, David Chang hired Tosi in 2005 at Momofuku to create a plan for Momofuku, which had just discovered they needed such a plan in order to cook with a vacuum-sealing system.[10] Chang hired Tosi to create the plan, then eventually to do other administrative work and liaise with the NYC Department of Health.[15][6] According to the New York Times the job was "so loosely defined" that her duties were described as "et cetera".[6][10] Now not baking professionally, Tosi started baking at home again and brought her homebaked items in for other staff.[6] Chang eventually moved her to a position developing and overseeing the restaurant group's pastry program.[16][6]

Logo designed by Tosi by typing 'milk' in Brush Script Medium.

There were no desserts on Chang's menu when Tosi came on board,[4] and she created her own pastries inspired by the flavors of childhood favorites, developing recipes such as Cereal Milk-flavored panna cotta.[16] In 2008, a space next door to Momofuku Ssam Bar's became available, and Chang encouraged Tosi to open her own shop, which she named Milk Bar.[16][17] Tosi created the original logo herself by simply typing 'milk' in Brush Script Medium.[7]

Milk Bar first opened its doors on November 15, 2008. When they first opened, Milk Bar had a team of only five people and were often open for 16 hours a day.[14] Tosi's approach was to use pastry chef techniques to create comfort-food influenced desserts served in a casual setting.[9] She serves as Milk Bar's chef and chief executive officer.[18][19]

Culinary influence

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She developed recipes such as Cereal Milk, Compost Cookies, Crack Pie (now known as Milk Bar Pie) and Candy Bar Pie.[16]

In 2017 Ben & Jerry's introduced a line of flavors that Eater called a [blatant ripoff] of Tosi's Cereal Milk.[20]

According to the New York Times in 2021, "Nothing bears the trademark of the pastry chef Christina Tosi more than her cereal milk flavor."[21] According to the Seattle Times in 2022, Tosi is "often credited with starting the soft-serve craze in restaurants".[22]

Axios in 2022 called Tosi's cereal milk and crack pie creations "cult favorites".[23] Francis Fabricant said Tosi "made Cereal Milk soft-serve and the Compost Cookie household names".[24]

Books

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Tosi at Hot Bread Kitchen in 2012

Tosi has written several cookbooks and a memoir.

Tosi's Momofuku Milk Bar (2011), a cookbook containing recipes from the restaurant, was published by Clarkson Potter.[25] Susan Chang in The Washington Post called it "a hard-core baking book, dense with text, full of sub-recipes",[26] recipes which are ingredients for the main recipe and need to be prepared prior to preparing the main recipe. Melanie Haupt in the Austin Chronicle agreed that preparation of some of the recipes was "a massive pain" to prepare due to the many sub-recipes required.[27]

Tosi's Milk Bar Life (2015) was published by Random House.[28] Washington Post reviewer Chang said "There’s something intellectually provocative about 'Milk Bar Life,' with its mad juxtapositions of Fruity Pebbles and slow-simmered sauces", but that "after the chemical party in your mouth subsides, you might just find yourself longing for a poached pear".[26] Jenny Rosenstrach of the New York Times Book Review wrote of her second book, "It's impossible not to be charmed by the chatty Tosi and her hot pink and bubble-letter-filled never-never land..."[29]

Tosi's Dessert Can Save the World (2022) was described by Publishers Weekly as a "clumpy mix of memoir and self-help", saying that "Despite the delicious premise, the filling leaves much to be desired."[30]

Media

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Tosi joined the judging panel of MasterChef on Fox beginning with its sixth season, which premiered May 20, 2015, as well as the fourth season of MasterChef Junior, which premiered November 6, 2015.[31][32][33] In April 2018 she was featured in an episode of Chef's Table: Pastry.[34][35][14][36] She has presented for the Netflix series Bake Squad[37] and been a judge on Chopped.[36] In 2024, she appeared as herself in season 3 of The Bear.

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Tosi launched Bake Club, a virtual space where participants could bake alongside her daily.[38]

Tosi has made advertising appearances for Subaru,[39] American Express, Kellogg's, Estée Lauder,[40] and Verizon.[41]

Recognition

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In 2014 Food and Wine Magazine named Tosi to their list of "Most Innovative Women in Food and Drink".[42][36] The New York Times. called her Cereal Milk "the brilliant idea of making soft-serve from the milk at the bottom of a cereal bowl."[43][7]

Tosi received the James Beard Foundation award for Rising Star Chef of the Year for her work at Milk Bar in 2012, the first pastry chef to do so.[44][36] In 2015, she received the James Beard Outstanding Pastry Chef award.[45] In 2016, Crain's New York Business included Tosi in their annual list of the top 40 business persons working in New York City who are under the age of 40.[46][36]

Personal life

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The New York Times describes Tosi as "an introvert in overalls who carries math problems in her purse, along with embroidery thread to make friendship bracelets".[7] She makes popsicle stick art and runs daily.[11][7]

On July 30, 2016, Tosi married New York City-based restaurateur Will Guidara, co-owner of Eleven Madison Park.[47][48][36] In March 2021, the couple had a daughter.[49] They lived in a Flatiron penthouse which according to the New York Times they purchased in 2016 for $3.7 million.[7] The penthouse was eventually sold in October 2022 for $4.4 million.[50]

Bibliography

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  • Momofuku Milk Bar. with Courtney McBroom. New York: Clarkson Potter. 2011. ISBN 978-0-30772-049-8. OCLC 701017680.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)[36]
  • Milk Bar Life. with Courtney McBroom. HarperCollins. 2015. ISBN 978-0-77043-510-3. OCLC 894128623.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)[36]
  • All About Cake. HarperCollins. 2018. ISBN 978-0451499523. OCLC 1010585118.
  • Milk Bar: Kids Only. Clarkson Potter. 2020. ISBN 978-0593231937. OCLC 1153337826.
  • Every Cake Has a Story. Penguin Young Readers Group. 2021. ISBN 9780593110683. OCLC 1237101198.
  • Dessert Can Save The World. Harmony. 2022. ISBN 978-0593231944. OCLC 1302597750.
  • All About Cookies. Henry Hargreaves. New York. 2022. ISBN 978-0-593-23197-5. OCLC 1290721306.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link)

References

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  1. ^ "The Most Innovative Women in Food and Drink". Fortune. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  2. ^ Borthakur, Bhaswati (November 14, 2022). "Is Will Guidara Married? Who is His Wife?". The Cinemaholic. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  3. ^ Sherman, Lauren (January 14, 2014). "The Secrets of a Skinny (Pastry) Chef: The Woman Behind Momofuku's Sweet Treats Spills". Elle.
  4. ^ a b c d Leve, Ariel (April 21, 2012). "Christina Tosi: 'My diet was crazy for the first 27 years of my life'". The Guardian. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  5. ^ "When Life Gives You Lemons". MasterChef Junior. Season 4. Episode 6. December 11, 2015. Event occurs at 15:30. Fox. Archived from the original on December 25, 2015.[dead link]
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Witchel, Alex (May 3, 2011). "Christina Tosi, a Border-Crossing Pastry Chef". The New York Times. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Severson, Kim (February 12, 2019). "For Christina Tosi, Building a Dessert Empire Is Not All Milk and Cookies". The New York Times.
  8. ^ Heileman, Rich (July 18, 2014). "Please deposit school supplies, not trash, in local eatery's collection bin: Around The Town". cleveland.com. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  9. ^ a b Tosi, Christina; Caracostea, Savinien (2015). "I don't want to cut a cookie out of my life". Log (34): 38–43. ISSN 1547-4690. JSTOR 43630914.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g Tosi, Christina (2018). Momofuku Milk Bar. Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. pp. 6–13. ISBN 978-1-4729-6414-4. OCLC 1054057022.
  11. ^ a b Murphy, Jen (September 8, 2014). "For Christina Tosi, Chef and Owner of Momofuku Milk Bar, Running Is a Sweet Treat". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  12. ^ "An unlikely beginning". www.jmu.edu. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  13. ^ "Pastry Chef Christina Tosi of Momofuku Milk Bar – Biography". Star Chefs. May 2012. Archived from the original on May 6, 2021. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  14. ^ a b c "Turn Your Creative Passion into a Thriving Business with Christina Tosi". Lewis Howes. April 1, 2019. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  15. ^ a b Choi, Mark HK (September 5, 2017). "Christina Tosi Has a Cookie". Eater.
  16. ^ a b c d Muhlke, Christine (January 6, 2010). "The Nifty 50: Christina Tosi, Pastry Chef". The New York Times Style Magazine.
  17. ^ Krader, Kate (November 28, 2016). "Learn the Secret Ingredient to Momofuku Milk Bar's Success: Owner Christina Tosi reveals how she's made a bakery empire, one Crack Pie at a time". Bloomberg News.
  18. ^ "Milk Bar's New Flagship D.C. Bakery Will Roll Out Experimental Desserts Weekly". Eater DC. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  19. ^ "Locations". Milk Bar Bakery. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  20. ^ Morabito, Greg (March 9, 2017). "Ben & Jerry's Blatantly Rips Off Christina Tosi's 'Cereal Milk'". Eater. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  21. ^ Fabricant, Francis (June 7, 2021). "Milk Bar Expands to Ice Cream". New York Times.
  22. ^ "This New York-based, cult-favorite dessert shop is opening in the Seattle area". The Seattle Times. August 11, 2022. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  23. ^ Sukin, Gigi (January 26, 2022). "Cult-favorite Milk Bar treats hit Denver". Axios. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  24. ^ Fabricant, Francis (June 27, 2022). "Waffle Cone Pie Crusts From the Inventive Christina Tosi". New York Times.
  25. ^ Andriani, Lynn (November 9, 2011). "Baking Rules a Pro Says You Can Ignore". Oprah. Harpo, Inc. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  26. ^ a b Chang, T. Susan (April 19, 2015). "'Milk Bar Life', reviewed: guilty pleasures, sweet and savory alike". The Washington Post.
  27. ^ Haupt, Melanie (November 2, 2012). "Cookbook Review: Momofuku Milk Bar: Ain't nothing simple in Christina Tosi's cookbook". Austin Chronicle.
  28. ^ "Milk Bar Life" (Press release). Random House. 2015. ISBN 978-0-77043-510-3.
  29. ^ Rosenstrach, Jenny (May 31, 2015). "Cooking". The New York Times Book Review. p. 24.
  30. ^ "Dessert Can Save the World: Stories, Secrets, and Recipes for a Stubbornly Joyful Experience by Christina Tosi". www.publishersweekly.com.
  31. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (January 13, 2015). "'MasterChef Junior' Renewed For Season 4, Christina Tosi Joins As New Judge". Deadline Hollywood.
  32. ^ DeJesus, Erin (January 13, 2015). "Christina Tosi Joins MasterChef and MasterChef Junior's Judging Panel". Eater.
  33. ^ Wilkinson, Amy (May 20, 2015). "MasterChef: Meet 'scary but friendly' new judge Christina Tosi: The Milk Bar owner and pastry chef joins Fox's cooking competition series tonight". Entertainment Weekly.
  34. ^ "Chef's Table | Netflix Official Site". www.netflix.com. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  35. ^ "A Complete Guide to Netflix's 'Chef's Table: Pastry'". Eater. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  36. ^ a b c d e f g h Glenn, Jane K. (2022). The joy of eating : a guide to food in modern pop culture. Santa Barbara, California. pp. 346–351. ISBN 978-1-4408-6210-6. OCLC 1264746520.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  37. ^ "How Milk Bar Founder's Netflix Competition 'Bake Squad' Pays Tribute to Her Signature Dessert". TheWrap. August 10, 2021. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
  38. ^ Finnerty, Katherine (May 7, 2022). "Dessert Will Still Matter in 2050". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  39. ^ Galarza, Daniela (August 26, 2014). "Watch Pastry Chef Christina Tosi in a Car Commercial". Eater.
  40. ^ Bazilian, Emma (June 7, 2015). "How Pastry Goddess Christina Tosi Is Bringing Milk Bar to the Masses: The dessert pro talks MasterChef, endorsement deals and Crack Pie". Adweek.
  41. ^ Baar, Aaron (September 29, 2023). "Milk Bar CEO Stars in New Verizon Ads". Brand Innovators. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  42. ^ "The Most Innovative Women in Food and Drink". Food and Wine Magazine. September 3, 2014. Archived from the original on May 12, 2015.
  43. ^ Earle-Levine, Julie (July 7, 2014). "The Secret Behind Momofuku Milk Bar's Sweet Strawberry Treats". The New York Times.
  44. ^ "Rising Star Chef of the Year: Christina Tosi". The James Beard Foundation. May 7, 2012. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  45. ^ "The 2015 James Beard Award Winners!". James Beard Foundation. May 4, 2015.
  46. ^ "40 Under 40 Class of 2016: Christina Tosi, 34, Milk Bar, Chef, founder and owner". Crain's New York Business. 2016. Archived from the original on June 7, 2016.
  47. ^ Calderone, Ana (August 1, 2016). "Chef Christina Tosi Is Married! See Photos from Her Camp-Themed Wedding". People.
  48. ^ Murtaugh, Taysha (August 2, 2016). "Milk Bar Owner Christina Tosi's Foodie Wedding Featured a Giant Naked Cake, Because Duh: The camp-themed wedding looked like a blast—despite the pouring rain". Martha Stewart Weddings.
  49. ^ VanHoose, Benjamin (April 26, 2021). "Chef Christina Tosi and Husband Will Guidara Welcome Baby Daughter Francis 'Frankie' Ray". People.
  50. ^ "Christina Tosi sells NYC penthouse for $4.4M". New York Post. November 15, 2022. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
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