Christina Tosi facts for kids
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Tosi in 2013
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| Born | 1981 (age 43–44) Ohio, U.S. |
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| Cooking style | Pastry, dessert, French, Italian, Southern American cuisine |
| Education | University of Virginia James Madison University French Culinary Institute |
| Spouse |
Will Guidara
(m. 2016) |
Christina Tosi (born 1981) is a famous American chef and author of cookbooks. She is the founder and co-owner of Milk Bar, a popular bakery. She also serves as its main chef and CEO. Food & Wine magazine recognized her in 2014 as one of the "Most Innovative Women in Food and Drink."
Christina Tosi has written several cookbooks. She has also been a judge on the TV show MasterChef and hosted the Netflix series Bake Squad. She has won two important James Beard Foundation awards for her amazing work. She is known for creating unique treats like Milk Bar Pie and Cereal Milk.
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Early Life and Learning
Christina Tosi was born in 1981 in Berea, Ohio. Her father worked with farming, and her mother managed an accounting firm. Christina grew up mostly in Springfield, Virginia. She has an older sister named Angela. Christina remembers being taught that she should always try her best and never say "I can't."
Her love for baking started when she was a child. Both of her grandmothers were excellent bakers. Her parents also loved sweets! Christina was active in high school, running track, and she still runs often. She was also interested in math and learning foreign languages. In college, she worked in restaurants, first serving tables, then helping prepare food and baking.
Christina first studied electrical engineering for a year at the University of Virginia. She then graduated from James Madison University with degrees in math and Italian. After that, she went to the French Culinary Institute to study how to make pastries. While in culinary school, she worked at a restaurant called Aquagrill.
Her Culinary Journey
After culinary school, Christina Tosi moved to New York City. She worked at famous restaurants like Bouley and wd~50. She realized she didn't enjoy the very strict way food was presented in fancy restaurants. She decided she didn't want to be a head pastry chef in fine dining.
In 2005, David Chang, who owned the Momofuku restaurants, hired Christina. He needed her to help organize the kitchen for new cooking methods. Her job was very flexible, and she ended up doing many different tasks. Christina started baking at home again and brought her treats to her co-workers. David Chang soon saw her talent and moved her to a new role. She began developing and managing all the desserts for his restaurants.
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When Christina joined Momofuku, there were no desserts on the menu. She started creating her own pastries. Her ideas came from the flavors of her favorite childhood treats. For example, she developed Cereal Milk-flavored panna cotta.
In 2008, a space became available next to one of David Chang's restaurants. He encouraged Christina to open her own shop there. She named it Milk Bar. Christina even designed the first logo herself by simply typing 'milk' in a special font.
Milk Bar first opened its doors on November 15, 2008. In the beginning, Milk Bar had only five team members. They often worked long hours, sometimes 16 hours a day! Christina's goal was to use fancy pastry techniques to make comforting, familiar desserts. These treats would be served in a relaxed, casual place. Today, she is still Milk Bar's main chef and CEO.
Famous Creations
Christina Tosi has created many popular recipes. Some of her most famous include Cereal Milk, Compost Cookies, and Milk Bar Pie (which used to be called Crack Pie).
In 2017, the ice cream company Ben & Jerry's introduced new flavors. Many people thought these flavors were very similar to Christina's Cereal Milk idea.
The New York Times said in 2021 that "Nothing bears the trademark of the pastry chef Christina Tosi more than her cereal milk flavor." This shows how unique and influential her idea was. The Seattle Times also mentioned in 2022 that Christina is "often credited with starting the soft-serve craze in restaurants." This means she helped make soft-serve ice cream very popular in fancy eateries.
Axios called her cereal milk and Milk Bar Pie "cult favorites" in 2022. This means they have a very dedicated following of fans.
Books
Christina Tosi has written several cookbooks. She has also written a book about her own life and experiences.
Her first cookbook, Momofuku Milk Bar (2011), shared recipes from her restaurant. One reviewer called it a "hard-core baking book." This is because it had many "sub-recipes." These are smaller recipes that you need to make first, before you can finish the main recipe. Some people found this made the recipes a bit challenging to prepare.
Her second book, Milk Bar Life (2015), was also very popular. A reviewer from the New York Times Book Review said it was "impossible not to be charmed" by Christina's fun and chatty style in the book.
Christina's book Dessert Can Save the World (2022) mixes stories from her life with advice to help readers.
On TV and Media
Christina Tosi became a judge on the TV show MasterChef in 2015. She also joined MasterChef Junior as a judge that same year. In 2018, she was featured in an episode of Chef's Table: Pastry, a show about famous chefs. She has also hosted the Netflix series Bake Squad and been a judge on Chopped. In 2024, she appeared as herself in the TV show The Bear.
When the COVID-19 pandemic started, Christina launched something called Bake Club. This was an online space where people could bake along with her every day.
Christina has also appeared in advertisements for well-known companies. These include Subaru, American Express, Kellogg's, Estée Lauder, and Verizon.
Awards and Recognition
In 2014, Food and Wine Magazine named Christina Tosi one of the "Most Innovative Women in Food and Drink." The New York Times praised her Cereal Milk. They called it "the brilliant idea of making soft-serve from the milk at the bottom of a cereal bowl."
Christina received the James Beard Foundation award for Rising Star Chef of the Year in 2012. This was for her work at Milk Bar, and she was the first pastry chef to win this award! In 2015, she won another James Beard award for Outstanding Pastry Chef. In 2016, a business magazine included Christina in their list of the top 40 business people under 40 in New York City.
Personal Life
The New York Times describes Christina Tosi as a quiet person who loves math. She enjoys making art from popsicle sticks and runs every day.
On July 30, 2016, Christina married Will Guidara. He is a restaurateur from New York City. In March 2021, Christina and Will welcomed their daughter.
