{"id":118074,"date":"2020-01-10T00:01:37","date_gmt":"2020-01-10T08:01:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=118074"},"modified":"2020-07-06T14:10:25","modified_gmt":"2020-07-06T21:10:25","slug":"christina-tosis-sweet-spot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/run\/christina-tosis-sweet-spot","title":{"rendered":"Christina Tosi\u2019s Sweet Spot"},"content":{"rendered":"

A version of this story appeared in the winter 2020 issue of\u00a0Uncommon Path<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Brooklyn-based Christina Tosi, the founder of the Milk Bar<\/a> empire, will soon introduce her cult cookies and cakes to grocery stores nationwide. The 38-year-old award-winning chef fuels her life with cookie dough, yes, but also trail runs, city runs, cycling trips and other outdoor pursuits.<\/p>\n

On playing outdoors<\/h4>\n

\u201cGrowing up in Virginia, my clothes\u00a0were always grass-stained. I had creek shoes for play. My mom didn\u2019t force\u00a0us to be tidy and proper. She always encouraged my sister and me to make a little mess, and that comes through\u00a0in my baking. I never want to stay within the lines of a recipe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI love being in the woods not knowing where the trail ends. Every year, my sister and best friend from high school and\u00a0I do an adventure race in the mountains of Virginia. You mountain bike, canoe and run for 56 miles using nothing more than a topographical map to reach the finish.\u201d<\/p>\n

On her outdoor-snack philosophy<\/h4>\n

\u201cTrail mix is really just candy with obstacles.\u201d<\/p>\n

On running wild<\/h4>\n

\u201cSome people get miles on a treadmill, but I run to be outdoors. That sense of exploration feeds my wanderlust. Some-times I hop the train to the Hudson Valley to trail run. There is also something special\u00a0about running a 9-mile loop around\u00a0the tip of Manhattan at dusk and watching the city light up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I travel, one of my favorite things is to go on a run and figure out where I am. It makes my mind happy and nourishes my imagination.\u201d<\/p>\n

On movement and inspiration<\/h4>\n

\u201cI finally convinced my husband to do a six-day bike trip with me through the south of France. It was just the two of us with the GPS telling us the way, and\u00a0we filled our brains with new sights\u00a0and smells.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people get inspiration from con-ferences or podcasts, and that\u2019s great. But I find it in plants and landscapes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can see places on Instagram, but there\u2019s something magical about being in the moment. My mind opens to a beau-tiful state of daydream where I\u2019m driving through the Southwest, eating Frito pie and pretending I\u2019m Georgia O\u2019Kee\ufb00e. Moments like that fuel my creativity.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A version of this story appeared in the winter 2020 issue of\u00a0Uncommon Path.\u00a0 Brooklyn-based Christina Tosi, the founder of the Milk Bar empire, will soon introduce her cult cookies and cakes to grocery stores nationwide. The 38-year-old award-winning chef fuels her life with cookie dough, yes, but also trail runs, city runs, cycling trips and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":118085,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[1984,727,1985,1376,1934,2024],"internal-tag":[],"class_list":["post-118074","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-run","tag-issue-2","tag-latest-posts","tag-natural-inspiration","tag-running","tag-uncommon-path","tag-uncommon-path-issues"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/run\/christina-tosis-sweet-spot","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Christina Tosi\u2019s Sweet Spot","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/run\/christina-tosis-sweet-spot","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/run\/christina-tosis-sweet-spot"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/12\/milkbarworkout0427_original_Hero.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/12\/milkbarworkout0427_original_Hero.jpg?fit=2000%2C1000"},"articleSection":"Run","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Michelle Flandreau"}],"creator":["Michelle Flandreau"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["issue 2","latest posts","natural inspiration","running","uncommon path","uncommon path issues"],"dateCreated":"2020-01-10T08:01:37Z","datePublished":"2020-01-10T08:01:37Z","dateModified":"2020-07-06T21:10:25Z"},"rendered":"