Christina Tosi is the founder and CEO of Momofuku’s sister brand, Milk Bar. Milk Bar is a bakery she opened up in 2012 with the help of her friend, David Chang, who is the creator of Momofuku Noodle Bar.
Milk Bar became a huge success and has ingenious flavors with unique names such as a Compost Cookie or Crack Pie. Her flavors are delicious and her other famous creation is her cereal-infused ice cream. I try to go to Milk Bar whenever possible because the desserts are always delicious and the staff are always friendly and hello… it’s dessert.
How Milk Bar Came to Be
Before all the fame, Christina Tosi was just a college student who didn’t know what she wanted to do in life. (I know I can relate.) According to her episode of “Chef’s Table” on Netflix, Tosi went to college for engineering but decided that wasn’t what she wanted to do. She then asked herself what would make her happy every morning and the answer was simple — making cookies. She went on to venture into the culinary world and eventually landed various jobs working for the fine dining business, but that still wasn’t enough for her.
She wanted to create something the average person could consume and be really happy they did. She didn’t want to be exclusive but inclusive. Once she quit fine dining, she went to work with David Chang at Momofuku. David Chang encouraged her to open her bakery next door with the seed money he gave her.
She had only a month to plan what was going to be a successful and widely known business. She persevered and when opening day came, the line was out the door and around the corner. Cut to six years later and now she has 12 stores nationwide and growing. She used what she was passionate about and didn’t settle for less.
How Christina Tosi Inspires Me
I admire Christina Tosi because she wasn’t afraid to not have it all figured out, which is something I struggle with constantly. I admire her passion and creativity and faith in her bakery that could have failed. In an interview with Inc, she has said that in all the commotion, there was no time to ask if no one was going to like her baking or the names she gave her creations. She had no room for self-doubt — she went in head first and all she could have is faith.
She didn’t settle for fine-dining but wanted to connect with people and had no shame in quitting to pursue something she truly believed in. Dessert for her is everything and by just asking that one simple question, she gets to be happy every day. Plus, she is a woman boss, who doesn’t love a woman boss.
She inspires me to not be afraid to have an unconventional dream and to constantly ask myself, what will make me happy?