William Yosses (born ) is an American chef who is best known as co-author of the book '' Desserts For Dummies'' and for being the White House Executive Pastry Chef from 2007 to 2014. Yosses was the owner of the pastry company Perfect Pie, which was based in New York City.

Early life

Yosses was born to Edward L. Yosses and Mary Driscoll Yosses. He grew up in

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

. His mother was a baker, while his father worked as an accountant for the Libbey Owens Ford Glass Company. Yosses earned his A.A.S. degree at the New York City College of Technology in hotel management, a bachelor's degree at the

University of Toledo The University of Toledo (UToledo or UT) is a Public university, public research university in Toledo, Ohio, United States. It is the northernmost campus of the University System of Ohio. The university also operates a Health Science campus, ...

and a Master of Arts in French at

Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...

Career

Yosses traveled to France, where he received training from chefs Gaston Lenôtre and

Pierre Hermé Pierre Hermé (; born 20 November 1961) is a French pastry chef and chocolatier. He began his career at the age of 14 as an apprentice to Gaston Lenôtre. Called "the Picasso of Pastry" by ''Vogue'', Hermé was awarded the title of World's Best ...

. He worked at Bouley and Montrachet alongside chef David Bouley for nearly 20 years, as well as the Polo and

Tavern on the Green Tavern on the Green is an American cuisine restaurant in Central Park in Manhattan, New York City, near the intersection of Central Park West and West 66th Street on the Upper West Side. The restaurant, housed in a former sheepfold, has be ...

. In 2007, Yosses was hired as White House Executive Pastry Chef by then- First Lady

Laura Bush Laura Lane Welch Bush (née Welch; born November 4, 1946) is an American educator who was the first lady of the United States from 2001 to 2009 as the wife of George W. Bush, the 43rd president of the United States. Bush was previously the fir ...

. In 2009, President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

said of Yosses, "Whatever pie you like, he will make it and it will be the best pie you have ever eaten." Obama has also nicknamed Yosses "the Crust Master". Yosses resigned from his White House position in June 2014. He left his position to work on a new project focusing on "food literacy" by teaching young children and adults about eating better. ''

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'' lede used the

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that Michelle Obama is "partly to blame" for her requests that Yosses make healthier food in smaller portions, but then went on to explain that this is because he found her to be "an inspiring boss," and his new project expands on the First Lady's Healthy Foods Initiative. He began replacing butter with fruit puree and sugar with honey and agave but stated, "I don't want to demonize cream, butter, sugar and eggs." Yosses called the departure "a bittersweet decision." In response to claims that he was leaving because of the First Lady's demands, Yosses stated, "Not at all, no. We work together on improving — making desserts more delicious and more healthy. We're partners on that project." He recounts his experiences working in the White House in ''West Wingers: Stories from the Dream Chasers, Change Makers, and Hope Creators Inside the Obama White House'', a collection of personal accounts by

Obama Administration Barack Obama's tenure as the 44th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2009, and ended on January 20, 2017. Obama, a Democrat from Illinois, took office following his victory over Republican nomine ...

staffers. In August 2018, Yosses joined the Four Seasons Restaurant as the pastry chef. The restaurant closed in 2019. Yosses was also the owner of the pastry company "Perfect Pie" based in New York City, which closed down in early 2020. In 2021, it was announced that Yosses and Tamera Mowry-Housley would be hosting ''Baker's Dozen'', a baking competition show for

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Personal life

Yosses married Charlie Fabella Jr., a teacher, in 2011. In June 2014, he moved to New York to be with his husband.

Books

* *
The Perfect Finish: Special Desserts for Every Occasion
'. New York: Norton, 2010. Co-written with Melissa Clark. * '
he Sweet Spot: Dialing Back Sugar and Amping Up Flavor
'' New York: Avery, 2017. Co-written with Peter Kaminsky. *
West Wingers: Stories from the Dream Chasers, Change Makers, and Hope Creators Inside the Obama White House
'' New York: Penguin, 2018. Contributed a chapter on his experiences working in the White House, especially during the Obama Administration.

References

External links