This is part of Food Dive’s new series of Q&As with industry iconoclasts who are challenging the status quo in the food industry and doing interesting things. This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
name: Christina Tosi
where do you live: manhattan, new york
Profession: Milk Bar CEO
In 2005, David Chang hired Christina Tosi to create a safety plan for the kitchen that would allow him to cook with vacuum seal systems, among other things. Toshi recently made plans for Chef Wylie Dufresne’s restaurant.
During this professional cooking break, Toshi began baking bread at home and delivering goods for the Momofuku restaurant staff. Chan immediately hired her to create dessert plans for the restaurant. Before,Toshi worked at Bouley interned at Saveur and then worked at wd~50 in Dufresne.
Toshi opened Momofuku Milk Bar, a bakery in the restaurant hub of New York City’s East Village in 2008. Tosi has made a name for himself by inventing rare and truly unique desserts, including cereal milk ice cream, his famous milk bar pie (originally called “crack pie”), and his legendary sweet corn ice cream and compost cookies. Famous for bringing a whimsical and creative quality to desserts. Sweets that restaurants have never seen before. She told the New York Times that bringing her creative dessert concoctions to her suburban grocery store was a challenge. “Her gift to children looking for creative inspiration in a sea of mass-market blandness.”
Since then, Toshi has worked toward her goal of “democratizing desserts,” and her creations have gone from being sold only in bakeries to being sold in supermarkets and e-commerce sites nationwide. Now, I’m about to turn that dream into a reality. reality. Milk Bar has always been a bakery company that delivers direct-to-consumer pies, cake pops, and cookies throughout the United States. Then the pandemic hit, and Tosi wanted to go a step further and make it easily available. Milk Bar products can now be found in more than 10,000 stores, including Whole Foods, Target, and Costco.
This November 1st, treats from Tosi’s holiday collection will be available. candy cane chocolate chip cookieMr. Miss, gingerbread latte ice creamand pumpkin milk bar pie— will be on the shelves.
The James Beard Award-winning CEO sat down with Food Dive to answer our eight questions.
Food Dive: What was your first job?
Christina Tosi: My mother was an accountant who employed my sister and me to stuff company newsletters into envelopes and work in the shredding room. I really loved the monotony. It was like an assembly line for chocolate bonbons from “I Love Lucy.” .
That was my first moment of real independence. My first paid job in the industry was at a microbrewery in Harrisonburg, Virginia. It no longer exists, but I was hired as a hostess. I worked hard to get promoted and eventually convinced them to let me work as a prep cook.
They definitely didn’t like me right away – they weren’t used to taking girls seriously. I always knew I would be a good worker ever since I worked shredding in the mailroom, but it wasn’t until I started working in the food industry that I knew it was the job for me. I did. I would like to say that I have been training all my life for this moment.
FOOD DIVE: What inspired you to focus on your current work?
Toshi: Well, first of all, I have a sweet tooth. Most kids do it, and I do it even as an adult.
I learned how to make bread because my grandmother baked bread and invited us into her kitchen. They caught me stealing cookie dough behind my back and they were like, “No, you’re not allowed in the kitchen anymore.”
So the only way to get cookie dough was to find a way to make it myself. But what I quickly learned was the power of desserts. If you dare to show up with brownies on a styrofoam plate, don’t think you have psychic powers.
As an introvert, I like to think of desserts as a way to become a part of people’s lives and let them know you care. i got you.
I love good food too, but what I love most about dessert is that it’s an opt-in course. There’s no dessert in the food pyramid, right? It is this choice that we make. Desserts have a very special and sacred place. That’s because I love dessert, but also because I really love what it represents.
FOOD DIVE: What is the biggest change you have seen while in your current role?
Toshi: The biggest change for me is that there are more desserts. People are more interested in food, but we are interested in desserts – how they taste, how to prepare them and how to make them yourself.
It’s a very proud moment to be part of an industry that people care about and want to be a part of. For me, how it manifests itself is the biggest thing.
We’re seeing more entrepreneurs and pastry people getting into the game and bringing their perspectives to life. It’s really amazing. I think everyone can win.
Food Dive: What was harder than you expected? What was easier?
Toshi: I never thought something like this would happen. But I hate using the word “difficult.” Because I think the word “difficult” implies that you’re not here for that. And I don’t mean to interpret my business as a challenge with negative connotations. I think it’s good to take on challenges. Discomfort is good.
The hard part was learning how to move the goalposts and how to express my dream of democratizing dessert and making people around the world eat cookies. Learn how to evolve it, transform it, shape it through bakeries, care packages, grocery stores, and even dream about taking that dream and making it bigger and making it more real. It takes place every step of the way.
Boldly achieving your dreams is a challenge, and it’s a challenge I’m very passionate about.
Food Dive: What misconceptions do people have about you when they first meet you?
Toshi: We are a group of kids who run a bakery. It’s funny because we’re a bunch of kids who run a bakery.
But if you think that’s all we have, you’re probably underestimating the power of dessert and the people who make it happen. I like being the underdog. I like it when people put me or us in a box. That’s because there’s a lot of room to subvert expectations. He is one of the greatest things about being the underdog. You have to be humble about it, right? It’s not for the faint of heart. We don’t allow a lot of ego, and I think that’s one of the secrets to our success.
FOOD DIVE: What do you think has been the biggest change in the industry over the last 10 years?
Toshi: My hope is that there will be more delicious food and less “meh” food. We need something “better”, more individual. I hope that both the industry and consumers will stop making compromises. It’s everything from the ingredients we have access to, to the chefs, to the techniques and manufacturing processes.
I think so both as a business owner and as a consumer. I also say this as a call to action. What if we decided that every meal we eat would be delicious? Imagine what that would be like.
FOOD DIVE: What do you wish someone had told you when you joined the company about your current role or position?
Toshi: It’s a step forward every day.That is, you can As much as we aspire to conquer Rome in one day, it’s actually the one step forward that makes a lasting difference. Small adjustments bring big results.
This is how you do it when you surround yourself with truly passionate people who share the same values. The other thing is that you will learn a lot along the way, but know that you need to be true to your heart and follow your inner compass. Seeking outside resources and support is also very important and powerful. But don’t forget, because no one knows who you are, what you know, and what really matters.
Food Dive: What was your last meal?
Toshi: I really enjoy everything from preparing a meal to sitting down to eat. I chose to work in the kitchen because I love being in the kitchen. That is my safe space. I’m a closet introvert. My happy place is hidden in the kitchen.
So let’s say I already ate the pizza. The last meal is an opt-in course. I don’t consider the last meal to be the tasty part. I think my last meal will be a cookie test recipe, but I want to make it with my favorite community of people. My husband is one of my best taste testers. So, him, my team, and my nieces.
I make a big batch of chocolate chip cookie dough and use that to make it.Let’s see who can come out on top cornflake chocolate chip marshmallow cookies or compost Cookies, or could anyone improve it? chocolate chip pretzel potato chips Super crispy cookies now on sale at supermarkets.
We do research and development tastings in our kitchen every week, which last about two hours. It’s a long dessert buffet that I sample and consider over and over again, but it’s the happiest moment of my week. It feeds my soul and curiosity.
