Milk Bar (bakery)

Milk Bar (originally Momofuku Milk Bar)[3] is a chain of dessert and bakery restaurants in the United States, founded by chef Christina Tosi. As of 2023, the chain has branches in New York City, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Las Vegas, and Bellevue, Washington.[4]

Milk Bar
Milk Bar Nolita
Restaurant information
EstablishedNovember 15, 2008 (2008-11-15)[1] in New York City
Owner(s)Christina Tosi, Momofuku Restaurant Group
Head chefChristina Tosi
Food typeBakery
CityNew York
Other locationsLos Angeles, Washington D.C., Las Vegas, Bellevue, Washington
Websitemilkbarstore.com
Cereal Milk-flavored soft serve topped with cornflakes
Cereal Milk-flavored soft serve topped with cornflakes
Milk Bar Pie[2]

Tosi began and as of 2018 still owns the chain along with investors.[5][6][1][7] She is the primary recipe developer of Milk Bar's products.[7][8]

History

Christina Tosi was working as pastry chef for David Chang's Momofuku restaurants[8] in 2008 when Momofuku's Ssäm Bar decided to expand into a neighboring vacant laundromat; Tosi proposed the idea to add a bakery.[9] Chang provided seed money, and the first Momofuku Milk Bar opened in November 2008.[8][10] Tosi created the logo herself in Brush Script Medium.[10]

By 2012, Milk Bar had discontinued the use of "Momofuku" in its name and was operating several locations in New York City in addition to the original bakery in Manhattan's East Village.[11][12] Since then, it opened locations in Toronto,[13] Washington, D.C.,[14][15] the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas,[16][17] Los Angeles,[18] Boston,[19] Vancouver.[20] and Bellevue, Washington (near Seattle).[21] The Toronto, Boston, and Vancouver locations later closed.[22][23][24]

As of February 2019, Milk Bar employed 381 people at its various locations and the management team was almost all women.[10]

In 2019, Milk Bar changed the name of its signature crack pie to Milk Bar Pie, following criticism in the Boston Globe and other press concerning its allusion to the addictiveness of crack cocaine.[25]

In the spring of 2020, Milk Bar began to sell cookies through online and national retail food stores.[26][27]

Milk Bar operates separately from Momofuku, although as of 2019 Chang remains a business partner. In 2017, the bakery received a $10 million investment from venture capital fund RSE Ventures.[10][28]

Publications

Several cookbooks featuring recipes from the restaurant have been released, including Momofuku Milk Bar (2011),[29] Milk Bar Life: Recipes & Stories (2015),[30] Milk Bar: All About Cake (2018),[31] Milk Bar: Kids Only (2020),[32] and Every Cake Has a Story (2021).[33]

Recognition

Trade magazine QSR in 2019 named Milk Bar to its list of most innovative fast-casual start-ups.[10][34]

References
  1. Levine, Ed (November 14, 2008). "Momofuku Bakery & Milk Bar: It's Damn Good, Damn It!". Serious Eats.
  2. Tosi, Christina (2011). Momofuku Milk Bar. Clarkson Potter. p. 244. ISBN 9780307720498.
  3. "How Milk Bar's Christina Tosi Went From Momofuku Employee to Bakery Chain CEO". Inc.
  4. "Hours & Locations". Milk Bar. 2023. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  5. Finn, Robin (May 18, 2007). "Rising Star Knows What, Not Who, Is Cooking". The New York Times.
  6. Carman, Tim (October 23, 2015). "Milk Bar is here, and Momofuku's long-anticipated debut is just around the corner". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
  7. Aspan, Maria (April 2018). "How Milk Bar's Christina Tosi Went From Momofuku Employee to Bakery Chain CEO". Inc. Magazine. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  8. Muhlke, Christine (January 6, 2010). "The Nifty 50: Christina Tosi, Pastry Chef". T Magazine. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  9. Krader, Kate (November 28, 2016). "Learn the Secret Ingredient to Momofuku Milk Bar's Success: Owner Christina Tosi reveals how she's made a bakery empire, one Crack Pie at a time". Bloomberg News.
  10. Severson, Kim (February 12, 2019). "For Christina Tosi, Building a Dessert Empire Is Not All Milk and Cookies". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  11. "How Milk Bar's Christina Tosi Went From Momofuku Employee to Bakery Chain CEO". Inc.
  12. Leve, Ariel (April 21, 2012). "Christina Tosi: 'My diet was crazy for the first 27 years of my life'". The Guardian. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  13. Henry, Michele (July 19, 2013). "Momofuku's Milk Bar opening in Toronto today: Now Torontonians will be able to get their crack pie — and eat it too". Toronto Star.
  14. Frederick, Missy (October 23, 2015). "Compost Cookies Are Here: Momofuku Milk Bar Is Open Right Now in D.C." Eater Washington DC.
  15. "Cult Bakery Milk Bar Starts Serving Crack Pie in Southwest February 23 [Updated]". Eater DC. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  16. Stapleton, Susan (December 30, 2016). "Cereal Milk, Crack Pie and Compost Cookies Arrive Via Milk Bar: Christina Tosi's Milk Bar debuts at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas". Eater Las Vegas.
  17. "Milk Bar opens at Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas". Las Vegas Review-Journal. December 30, 2016. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
  18. Elliott, Farley (September 18, 2018). "Step inside Milk Bar's sweet new LA home". Eater LA. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  19. Cain, Jacqueline (January 28, 2019). "The World's First Combination Milk Bar and &pizza Opens in Cambridge". Boston Magazine.
  20. Donaldson, Kerri. "Cult-Fave Milk Bar Just Opened in Nordstrom". Vancouver Magazine. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  21. Cheadle, Harry (March 23, 2023). "Washington State's First Milk Bar Is Open for Business". Eater Seattle. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  22. "Nordstrom closure means Milk Bar's only Canadian shop is going on ice - and fast". Vancouver Is Awesome. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  23. "Milk Bar in Cambridge's Harvard Square Is Closing". NBC Boston. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  24. Liu, Karon (September 23, 2022). "David Chang's Momofuku closing its Toronto restaurants". Toronto Star. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  25. Vera, Amir (April 15, 2019). "Crack Pie is no more as Milk Bar changes name of famous dessert". CNN. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
  26. Krader, Kate (April 8, 2020). "Milk Bar Cookies Are Coming to Fill Empty Supermarket Shelves: Because everyone needs a cookie right now". Bloomberg News.
  27. Fortney, Luke (October 5, 2020). "Milk Bar Is Now Selling Its Cookies at Target Stores Nationwide: It's the latest step in the company's ongoing plans to grow into a national, household dessert brand". Eater NY.
  28. Milk Bar’s First-Ever Funding Round Could Turn the Bakery’s Founder into the ‘Next Martha Stewart, BETH KOWITT. November 8, 2017
  29. Forbes, Paula (September 13, 2011). "First Look: Christina Tosi's Momofuku Milk Bar Cookbook". Eater. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  30. "'Milk Bar Life' Reviewed". Washington Post.
  31. Childers, Linda (September 22, 2018). "The Sweet Life". bocaratonobserver.com. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  32. "You'll Want To Eat Everything Your Kid Makes From Christina Tosi's New Cookbook". Romper. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  33. "Christina Tosi of Milk Bar shares hacks to transform store-bought cakes". www.yahoo.com. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  34. "The 40/40 List for 2019: America's Hottest Startup Fast Casuals". QSR magazine. February 2019. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
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