Milk Bar founder and two-time James Beard Award winner, Christina Tosi, is back for another season of Bake Squad, where four expert dessert-makers create top-tier confections for clients in need of mind-blowing edible centerpieces. This season, the bakers create edible gardens, a chocolate baby (!), a tornado cake and much more for special occasions such as baby showers, anniversaries and bar mitzvahs. All four squad members are back for Season 2 and hungry to win the client’s bid for their big day.
Host and founder of the award-winning bakery franchise Milk Bar, Christina is a New York–based cookbook author and baker extraordinaire. The cookie and cake fanatic’s latest cookbook, the New York Times bestseller All About Cookies: A Milk Bar Baking Book was released in November 2022.
In terms of her baking faves, Christina tells Tudum, “I like to bake up bold, unreasonably delicious baked goods packed with flavor, texture and personality.” Her signatures are cereal milk soft serve, birthday cake with unfrosted sides and compost cookies — “salty and sweet with a little bit of everything inside,” she says.
But what about the squad in Season 2? How are they leveling up? “This season the crew really turned the dial up,” Christina says. “They pushed each other to dig deeper and deliver some pretty incredible things for the special guests.”
You can follow Christina on Instagram.
Formerly a model adorning the pages of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, Ashley Holt is a pastry chef, cake artist, culinary producer and food stylist. The dessert superstar, who was previously a food stylist for the morning show Today, is the owner of the baking company Sugar Monster.
But what’s her baking style? “It’s honestly whatever I’m feeling in the moment,” Ashley says. “Sometimes I’m feeling more bold and colorful, and other times I’m feeling a bit more classic and minimalistic. Overall, I want to be inspired by what I’m creating.” Ashley says she loves getting lost in the details of her projects: “That effort and imprint the design leaves on me and the person receiving it, that’s what keeps me going.”
You can follow Ashley on Instagram.
Born in France, pastry chef Christophe Rull started his baking career as a teen working at a Michelin-starred restaurant. Since then, he’s won several accolades for his work — most recently, the 2021 US round of the World Chocolate Masters competition. Christophe is also a consultant for brands looking to up their dessert game.
As for his baking style, Christophe likes to keep it simple and elegant: “It's really important to stay true to the product that we are working with. Pick the freshest product and work your magic.” In his bakes, he loves using wild fennel. “It has beautiful yellow flowers that enhance the dishes, and I love the flavor,” Christophe says.
You can follow Christophe on Instagram.
A pastry chef, entrepreneur and culinary teacher, Maya-Camille Broussard runs her own pie company, Justice of the Pies. The Chicago-based bakery is a low-profit organization whose mission is to enact social change. Not only does Maya-Camille teach classes to underserved communities, but she’s collaborated with brands to donate to social justice nonprofits.
As for her signature bake, Maya-Camille says it’s anything but typical. “My signature is unorthodox and unexpected flavor pairings,” she says. “I like to have fun with flavor combinations and textural elements that are atypical and interesting.” At Justice of the Pies, the top sellers include strawberry basil key lime pie, bleu cheese praline pear pie and sweet potato praline pie.
You can follow Maya-Camille on Instagram.
Argentinian chocolatier Gonzo Jimenez has been baking since he was a teen. He honed his artistry at five-star hotels, worked for celebrity chefs, owns the renowned Colorado-based confectionery Miette et Chocolat and is a corporate chef for the international chocolate brand República del Cacao. He travels around the world teaching classes about chocolate and pastry and often acts as a consultant for chocolate companies.
Gonzo calls his baking style “modern and innovative.” “I like making American classics such as Snickers bars and Kit Kats, and turning them into fun confections with avant-garde presentations,” he tells Tudum.
You can follow Gonzo on Instagram.
