Bake Club, Day 101, And Milk Bar’s Christina Tosi Is Still Going

(Bloomberg Businessweek) -- When Christina Tosi started her fantastical bakery Milk Bar in 2008, it was a small storefront in New York’s East Village that opened in collaboration with David Chang’s Momofuku restaurants.

She’s since grown her company to 15 stores (8 are currently open) across the country and in Toronto, with around 200 employees. Through its online business, Milk Bar sold almost 3 million cookies in 2019, as well as thousands of other baked goods like the signature Birthday Cake Truffles. In April, Milk Bar introduced a consumer packaged goods line including cornflake, chocolate chip and marshmallow cookies at Whole Foods nationwide and on Amazon.

During the pandemic, Tosi, who has a frenetic, engaging energy that makes you think she’s eaten too much sugar but shouldn’t stop, has found another way to engage fans: Through an Instagram Live Bake Club that takes place daily at 2pm EST. Against the backdrop of a manic playlist and with her dog Butter as unofficial co-host, Tosi bakes a different treat daily: The ingredients are teased the day before on an IG post so members are prepared (though she never reveals what the ultimate baked good will be).

On Wednesday, July 22, Tosi will record her 101st show and announce a major format change: Come Monday, July 27th, Tosi will turn Bake Club into a weekly ‘show’ on Instagram that includes games, prizes and a baking demo. We checked in with Tosi a few hours before the birthday party for day 100 of Bake Club, to talk about the power of online communities and what other small businesses can learn from this. (The interview has been edited.)

How did Bake Club come about?

After that initial shock [at the consequences of the pandemic], my first instinct was to figure out how to get out in the world and be there for people. I went on IG live, and said, ‘Hey I’m going to start Bake Club, who is in, and what time works?’ After mellow interest, that video with Butter in the background got so much engagement, close to 100,000 views. Now, we get up to 80,000 views per video. And we’re worldwide.

How long did you think this would last?

If you asked me when I opened the door to Milk Bar in 2008 how long it would last, I couldn’t have told you. I just kept going, to keep showing up. When people said, ‘Are you really going to do this club, 7 days a week?,’ I said, ‘Yeah for however long people need it.’

What were some unexpected challenges?

I do all of the recipe testing and writing.  Some recipes take a day, others take a week, and yet bake club happens every day. Some recipes have typos, they’re missing a step. I’m trying to run the Milk Bar business but also run this side hustle. There’s the reality of, ‘I’ve gone through 30 pounds of butter, I’m out of flour.’ So we’re not doing a recipe with flour for the next few days until I can get to the store during quarantine.

Where do you find 100-plus recipes?

I keep a spreadsheet with categories like ‘savory’ and ‘recipes without flour,’ or ‘what’s in people’s pantry.’ We try to hit one bucket a week: a cookie, a pie, a savory item, something without flour. Our list is miles long. But I go back to family recipes and old cookbooks.

Most popular Bake Club recipes?

A few. People really love the PB sandies, and we did a fudge brownie play that people went crazy for. Some of the bigger projects like bagels and pretzels, recipes with yeast, have a following. People are there for the challenge as well as the joy.

How do you keep an intensive daily routine like Bake Club going?

After 100 days, people are living their lives differently than they were on Day 1 of Bake Club. We’re all evolving. But also, Bake Club continues to be an escape as your routine changes. Bake Club 101 will be the same ingredients as Day 1 [brown sugar, flour, butter and salt to make cut out cookies]. We’re going to see how you would make the same recipe 100 days in.

What’s next?

We’re going to evolve Bake Club to a show that’s live Mondays at 2 pm, rather than 7 days a week. It will be a variety show. There will be a Spin the Wheel component. Each week someone will win something from a KitchenAid mixer to 15 pounds of chocolate. We’ll have a Bake Club spirit award based on what folks have posted. Not necessarily for the most beautiful thing, but for the most joyful.

How does Bake Club support your Milk Bar business?

The way that I see it, I have to rectify why I started Milk Bar versus what it has become. Bake Club is about people understanding what we do. Why we think baked goods are infinitely cool and hold power. The spirit of  Milk Bar, it’s imperfect. It’s a little crazy but we’re here to be an escape for you. Any business you’re running, unless you’re a nameless tech company, what you’re selling is based on community and emotion. That’s how you become a consistent part of people’s lives.

What’s your advice for other small business owners?

Being online is one of most powerful things you can do. Figure out where your people are—and show up for them. Food is an emotional thing, we make our eating decisions, community decisions, based on emotion. Think about the thing you have that no one else has. Also as a small business, if you don’t have money, go online and stay alive. Try something new every day until you find something that sticks.

Could you see Bake Club as a Netflix show?

Having this show on cable, Netflix, would be incredible. Right now, no one is filming anything. I would welcome a camera in any day of the week. I’ll never run short of recipes and ideas and Bake Club will always show up and make a difference in people’s lives.

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