Christina Tosi
As the creator of some of the most delectable and quirky desserts in the New York restaurant scene, Christina Tosi occupied an enviable niche as a celebrity chef. Born in Ohio and raised in Virginia, Tosi graduated from James Madison University with a degree in mathematics and Italian before taking the plunge and enrolling at the French Culinary Institute in New York. Tosi had always had a sweet tooth, and studying the art of pastry at the famous program seemed a natural fit for her talents. Not long after graduating, Tosi found work as a pastry chef at swank New York restaurants like Bouley and wd~50. Her career really took off, however, when Momofuku owner David Chang hired her in an administrative capacity as a food safety consultant. Chang immediately noticed Tosi's talent for running a business as well as her gifts in the kitchen. By 2008, Tosi and Chang were co-founding a desert program for his restaurant chain, the Momofuku Milk-Bar, and Tosi's unique creations like Cereal Milk Soft Serve and Compost Cookies were becoming the talk of the town. In 2011, Tosi published a cookbook, Momofuku Milk Bar, detailing instructions on how to make many of her beloved dishes. Another book, Milk Bar Life, came in 2012. Tosi next appeared as a judge on the reality series "MasterChef" (Fox, 2010-) and "MasterChef Junior" (Fox, 2013-).