Late last year, someone from Harmony Books reached out about Dessert can Save the World by Christina Tosi having seen I read David Chang’s memoir Eat a Peach.* Knowing that Tosi’s Milk Bar (which is freakin’ delicious and I had to resist trekking over to Harvard Square multiple times while reading this) started as an offshoot of one of Chang’s restaurants I thought why not! I’m glad I didn’t start reading it earlier because I devoured it (pun 100% intended).
I knew very little about Tosi, and honestly thought she was a different chef completely when I saw her author photo, but I dove in and thoroughly enjoyed the book! What I wasn’t expecting outside of the recipes (quite a few included) and the stories of how she got to the Milk Bar founding, was all of the business advice and management tips that really made the book that much more valuable and fascinating to me.
I define dessert as something cozier, more nostalgic and intimate—something warm and gooey or cold and creamy that evokes the comfort of being at home, on your couch, in your PJs. Think warm skillet cookie on a rainy Sunday night. It took a few twists and turns for me to remember that my dirtiest dessert secret is that ‘fancy’ and ‘awesome’ are not one and the same. (Chapter 3)
Seriously though, as much as I enjoyed learning about the creation of Cereal Milk, Milk Bar Pie, and Tosi’s mom, who sounds like a wonderful character who would probably be overwhelming for me, what stood out for me were the times Tosi wrote about getting out of her way as a manager and business person. There are a couple of pages when she refers to her philosophy on bottlenecking and figuring it out and I mean seriously I know MANY managers in my past who need to read those few pages.
It’s hard not to try to solve every little problem when it comes up, but that micromanaging mentality was a bottleneck holding us back from thinking bigger. It was also preventing our team from being their brilliant, unique selves. Of all things, that was the last thing I wanted to do! You can’t ask people to be these beautiful, creative wanderers and be robotic. They needed to learn to take risks, fail, communicate, correct a misstep, ask for help, teach one another . . . and we were trying to create a system that removed all of that from the equation. How could they learn if they never fell short? We had to be okay with imperfections within our controlled ecosystem. We needed to allow room for humanity alongside the rigidity to create balance, kind of like getting your homework done before you get to go out and play. The forty-seven clipboards got winnowed down to fifteen (after all, we still needed our ordering clipboard, our invoice clipboard, our opening checklist, our deep-clean guide, our prep list . . .). We kept the absolute essentials and cleared away the rest to give our team more breathing room. (Chapter 4)
I’ve already been thinking about some of the processes we’ve defined where I work that don’t necessarily need to be defined as stringent as they are. A lot of it is about meeting someone where they’re at, but making sure they know here’s the deadline and the few required things you have to hit, but other than that have it and keep me updated.
And throughout the work, there were a couple of times where Tosi’s over-the-top enthusiasm and happiness could’ve pushed this book too far into the kitschy easily-to-ignore self-help books that I’ve complained about in the past. However, she managed to toe the line between saccharine sweet but not helpful and helpful but not dry and boring. For real though, these two quotes in a book less well written would’ve done my head in:
It’s the underdog’s long game. Just keep going, keep wearing them down with your vision and unrelenting commitment to doing whatever it takes to get hold of that cookie at the finish line. (Chapter 5)
Forget ‘should.’ Forget ‘supposed to.’ Figure out what’s truly important and then write your own recipes for a life that feels real and right and joyful to you. Revise as you go along. If your recipes stop working, turn the page and write new ones. Improvise. You already have everything you need if you’re willing to see things not only as they are but as they could be. (Epilogue)
When after reading this book, I’m like YES . . . should I get a poster made of these or a t-shirt? You know something to remind me daily not to get bogged down in the details and remember to keep my personality alive and part of who I am because it’ll only make whatever we’re producing or our goals that much sweeter when we get to them.
Recommendation: Overall, this was a wonderful read. I probably could’ve read it in two sittings, but I stretched it out in a few days. I was impressed with Tosi’s ability to provide self-help and business/management advice without going too kitschy or too dry and it just worked. Tosi (and her mom) sound like a whirlwind of fun and sugar that would probably overwhelm the best of us, but sometimes that’s what you need in life! My wallet may not be so thankful next time I go to Milk Bar (impressed I put it off while I finished the book), but my brain is definitely going to be even more grateful since I read this and know even more about the delicious desserts and the inspiration behind their creator on my next visit.
*I received a copy of Dessert Can Save the World via NetGalley in return for my honest opinion. No goods or money were exchanged.
Opening Line: “Introductions are awkward . . . That’s why I find it best to just cannonball straight in with a Hey, hi, how’s it going? I’m pumped to be here with you.”
Closing Line: “This, my friends, is how we save the world: one cookie, one action, one miracle at a time.” (Not whited out as this is a work of nonfiction.)
Additional Quotes from Dessert Can Save the World
“Of course, anyone can celebrate a holiday. It was in everyday moments that she kicked it up to the next level. No moment was too small or too ‘adult’ to be celebrated.” (Chapter 1)
“If living through the year 2020, with its trifecta of a global pandemic, political crises, and social justice revolution, taught us anything, it was that happiness is a choice—and not always an easy one to make. When terrible things happen and the bad news just keeps coming, grace isn’t easy to access. It’s hard to wake up and choose to be positive. I think joy is misunderstood as this bright, sunny thing that just happens when the stars magically align, but there’s no magic to it. The light effervescent results take big, tough choices and effort to get to.” (Chapter 1)
“Finding daily reasons to celebrate and show up joyfully for yourself and others is what I mean when I say, ‘Just bake the cake.’ It’s the mantra I live by, probably above all others. Living with the ‘just bake the cake’ mentality means you forget being too cool or grown-up to be thrilled by ankle-size stockings filled with candy canes or cookies obnoxiously overloaded with sprinkles. Forget waiting for the big win or the national holiday. Most important, forget needing a ‘good reason’ to celebrate. As my mom proved, simply meeting someone for the first time is cause for celebration. Be on the lookout every single day for these opportunities, and then, when you spot one, cannonball straight in.” (Chapter 1)
“They [Nonna’s Half-Frozen Cookies] were being saved for after dinner when we played cards, so naturally, Angela and I would sneak down the steep wooden steps to the dank, concrete-lined room that smelled of old newspapers and laundry detergent, zig around the abandoned stationary bike, and dip under the clothesline to get to the frozen goodies stored in wax-lined round tins.” (Chapter 2)
“Go all in on what you genuinely love, no shame. Trust me, you’re in good company. Your wishes, wants, and rituals re no weirder, more embarrassing, or more ridiculous than the rest of ours. If you’re still feeling self-conscious, go back and re-read mine.” (Chapter 3)