Christina Tosi

Background

Tosi was born in Ohio and raised primarily in Springfield, Virginia to an agricultural economist father of Italian origin and to an accountant mother. After studying to become an electrical engineer for a year at the University of Virginia, she spent time in Florence, Tuscany, Italy, to see if she wanted to be a translator. Eventually, she graduated from James Madison University. After graduating, she moved to New York and enrolled in the French Culinary Institute's pastry arts program. Her first jobs in the kitchens of New York were at Bouley and wd~50. On July 30, 2016, Tosi married New York City-based restaurateur Will Guidara.

Starting at Momofuku

David Chang, the owner of Momofuku, originally employed Tosi to write his food safety plan. He was so impressed with her that he hired her to be his pastry chef. There were no desserts on the menu when she came on board. She became the founder of the dessert program, Momofuku-Milk Bar, at the Momofuku restaurant group. In a Bloomberg article, Tosi describes Chang as "a great adviser and shareholder" in the Milk Bar.

Media personality

In 2015, Tosi was asked to serve on the judging panel for the Fox reality TV cooking competition shows MasterChef and MasterChef Junior. She appeared in a television ad for Subaru in 2014. She also did promotional work for American Express, Kellogg's, and Estée Lauder.

Critical reviews of her cookbooks

Momofuku Milk Bar, Tosi's first book, was published by Clarkson Potter in October 2011. This book mostly contains recipes of the desserts that are sold at the Momofuku Milk Bar.

Many reviewers praised her first book. Lisa Messinger wrote, "Tosi is a talented new voice you want whispering in your ear as you bake."

Although reviewers praised the sweet concoctions that were included in the first book, one reviewer wrote that because the book is not written for the home cook, she found it very demanding to prepare the recipes since they are not tested for use in a home kitchen, some of the ingredients are not easy to obtain (glucose, gelatin and freeze-dried corn powder were mentioned), preparation of some needed intermediate ingredients are quite laborious and many home ovens do not operate in the same way as a commercial oven. Measurements used in the book are both by weight, as preferred by professional cooks, as well as by volume, as usually preferred by amateur cooks and popular food magazines. A reviewer for the Austin Chronicle wrote that preparation of some of the recipes was "a massive pain" to prepare due to the fact that there were many "sub-recipes" to be prepared before making the main item.

Milk Bar Life, Tosi's second book, was published by Random House in April 2015. This book contains recipes for dishes, some savory, that the author and other chefs may prepare for themselves and friends during their off hours.

In contrast, a reviewer of the second book, Milk Bar Life, liked it better since it included recipes for more savory dishes, uses easier-to-obtain ingredients, and appears to be more geared to the home cook than the first book.

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..." The book includes tips like making your own Lambrusco using red wine in a Sodastream.

Other business ventures

In 2012, Tosi began marketing cookie mixes through Williams-Sonoma stores. The cookie mix venture was replaced in 2015 by an exclusive distribution deal with Target.

Awards

Featured publications

Christina Tosi has been featured in a variety of national publications: