Eric Ries
Founder & Creator, The Lean Startup | Founder & Executive Chair, Long-Term Stock Exchange | NYT Bestselling Author of The Lean Startup, The Startup Way & Incorruptible
Christina Tosi
Two-Time James Beard Award-Winning Chef | Founder & Owner, Milk Bar | Host, Netflix's Bake Squad | NYT Bestselling Author | Innovation & Creativity Icon
Christina Tosi turned childhood nostalgia into a dessert revolution. The founder of Milk Bar and a two-time James Beard Award winner, she built a beloved national brand on creations that break the rules, from Cereal Milk to Compost Cookies. A Netflix Bake Squad host, former MasterChef judge, and bestselling author, she shows senior audiences how curiosity, optimism, and bold risk-taking turn creative vision into lasting commercial success.
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Christina Tosi biography
Entrepreneurship speaker Christina Tosi is a two-time James Beard Award-winning chef and the founder of Milk Bar, the brand that turned childhood nostalgia into a cultural phenomenon. She grew a single East Village storefront, opened in 2008, into a company spanning bakeries in New York, Los Angeles, Washington, Las Vegas, and Chicago, a nationwide e-commerce business, and packaged products in major grocery chains. Her Compost Cookies, Cereal Milk soft serve, and unfrosted-side layer cakes became signatures of rule-breaking creativity and joyful invention.
Tosi’s path to the pastry kitchen was anything but conventional. She studied electrical engineering before earning degrees in applied mathematics and Italian, then trained at the French Culinary Institute. After early roles at fine-dining kitchens including Bouley and wd~50, she joined David Chang’s Momofuku in 2005 to build a food-safety program, a role that quickly grew into leading the restaurant group’s entire pastry operation. Chang encouraged her to follow her instincts, and Milk Bar was born, a place where nostalgia met culinary precision.
Creativity as a Business Strategy
Tosi’s inventions reshaped American dessert culture. Her Cereal Milk flavor, inspired by the milk left at the bottom of a cereal bowl, helped spark the soft-serve craze across restaurants. She holds two James Beard Awards, Rising Star Chef and Outstanding Pastry Chef, and has been named one of Fast Company’s most creative people in business. She has hosted Netflix’s Bake Squad, judged MasterChef, appeared on FX’s The Bear, and partnered with brands from Kellogg’s to Krispy Kreme on collaborations that reimagine Milk Bar’s most iconic flavors. Her cookbooks remain bestsellers, and her work is profiled at her official site.
As a speaker, Christina Tosi brings authenticity and infectious energy to stages worldwide. She shows how curiosity, optimism, and a willingness to break convention drive innovation in any industry, not only the kitchen. Her talks explore the mindset shifts behind beloved brands, the discipline of staying connected to what brings joy, and how leaders build cultures where creativity thrives. Audiences leave ready to take smart risks and celebrate the small details that make businesses, and lives, extraordinary.
Christina Tosi Speaking Videos
My Secret to Creating Real Magic | Christina Tosi | TED
Milk Bar's Christina Tosi on building a business that brings customers coming back again and again
Christina Tosi Keynote Topics
Tosi tells the story of how Milk Bar grew from a single East Village counter into a national brand with cult-like devotion. She unpacks what it takes to create products that connect emotionally, how to stay true to a vision while scaling, and why authenticity becomes a durable competitive advantage. Drawing on her experience turning childhood flavors into cultural touchstones, she offers practical lessons on differentiation, customer loyalty, and building brands people want to belong to, not just buy from.
Creativity is not reserved for artists and chefs; it is a learnable discipline that drives results in any field. Tosi breaks down her approach to creative problem-solving, from embracing constraints to reimagining the familiar in unexpected ways. She shows how organizations can build cultures where experimentation is encouraged, failure is normalized, and teams feel free to take risks. Using stories from building Milk Bar and weathering setbacks, she demonstrates how curiosity and optimism unlock breakthrough thinking.
Tosi's leadership philosophy centers on environments where people feel valued, inspired, and genuinely excited to show up. She shares how she built Milk Bar's culture around celebration, collaboration, and shared purpose, and offers practical strategies for hiring on attitude, giving teams ownership, and holding positivity through hard seasons. Leaders learn how to pair high standards with real care, creating workplaces where creativity and performance reinforce each other rather than compete.
Tosi traces her route from David Chang's kitchen to launching a company of her own, with honest insight into what building from scratch actually demands. She talks about the value of mentorship, knowing when to make a bold move, and trusting instinct even when conventional wisdom disagrees. This keynote speaks directly to founders and intrapreneurs who want to understand the mindset, discipline, and resilience required to turn an idea into something lasting.
Speaker topics
FAQs on Booking Christina Tosi
Why Christina Tosi?
Booking Christina Tosi brings one of the most inventive culinary entrepreneurs of her generation to your stage. As the founder of Milk Bar and a two-time James Beard Award winner, she has proven she can turn creative vision into commercial success. Her keynotes reach far beyond dessert, delivering practical insight on building authentic brands, fostering innovation cultures, and leading with optimism and resilience. Whether your audience is navigating entrepreneurship, product development, or organizational change, her storytelling lands, and her energy is unforgettable. Contact Aurum Speakers Bureau to book Christina Tosi for your next event.
What is Christina Tosi best known for?
Christina Tosi is best known as the founder of Milk Bar, the bakery that reshaped American dessert culture with creations like Cereal Milk soft serve, Compost Cookies, and Milk Bar Pie. She is credited with helping spark the restaurant soft-serve craze and making nostalgic, unconventional flavors mainstream. Beyond Milk Bar, she has hosted Netflix's Bake Squad, judged MasterChef and MasterChef Junior, appeared in Netflix's Chef's Table: Pastry, and made a cameo on FX's The Bear. She has won two James Beard Awards and written several bestselling cookbooks, blending culinary creativity with sharp business instinct.
How did Christina Tosi start Milk Bar?
Tosi started Milk Bar in 2008 while running the pastry program at Momofuku under David Chang. Originally hired to create food-safety plans, she began baking at home and bringing treats to work, which caught Chang's attention. He encouraged her to pursue dessert full-time and backed her plan to open a bakery. On November 15, 2008, she opened the first Milk Bar in New York's East Village, a small space with a neon pink sign. Its rule-breaking approach, childhood-inspired flavors made with culinary precision, drew a devoted following that grew into a national brand of bakeries, grocery products, and a thriving online business.
What topics does speaker Christina Tosi cover?
Speaker Christina Tosi covers creativity and innovation, entrepreneurship and brand building, leadership and team culture, and resilience. She shares her journey from math student to pastry chef to founder, with lessons on trusting intuition, taking smart risks, and building businesses with authenticity. Her talks resonate across hospitality, retail, consumer goods, and any industry where innovation and brand differentiation matter. Contact Aurum Speakers Bureau to bring Christina Tosi to your stage.
How to book Christina Tosi as a keynote speaker?
Aurum Speakers Bureau can help you book Christina Tosi as a speaker for your next event, conference, or board meeting. Simply fill out our contact form to inquire about Christina Tosi's availability for a speaking engagement. One of our booking agents will respond to your request immediately and contact the speaker to let them know you want to hire them. We will assist you with obtaining speaking fees, booking information, and confirming availability for Christina Tosi or any other top keynote speaker or celebrity of your choice.
How much is Christina Tosi speaking fee?
Christina Tosi speaking fees are determined by several factors, including the event's date, whether it's a virtual or in-person event, the duration, format, preparation required for their speech, and more. The same applies to the cost to hire any other top expert speakers and celebrities. The Speaker Fee Range listed on our website is simply a guideline and is subject to change without notice. If you would like to hire Christina Tosi to deliver a keynote speech for your event, please fill out the contact form or email us at info@aurumbureau.com with as much detail as possible. One of our experienced agents will get in touch with you and let you know exactly how much it will cost to book Christina Tosi.
How can I contact Christina Tosi?
We only work with Christina Tosi on paid speaking engagements. Aurum Speakers Bureau can assist you in booking Christina Tosi and will handle all negotiations, contracts, and logistics associated with having Christina Tosi speak at your event. We will be your sole point of contact throughout the process. Get in touch with Aurum Speakers Bureau today, and we will reach out to any motivational speaker or celebrity you want to enquire about speaking at your event. If you wish to contact Christina Tosi for any other reason, we will be unable to assist you as we are not authorized to provide personal contact information.
Can I book Christina Tosi for a virtual keynote?
Yes, Christina Tosi is available for virtual keynotes and webinars. To book Christina Tosi for a virtual event, please complete the contact form or send us an email to inquire about the special fees for virtual engagements.
