William “Bill” Yosses has been the Executive Pastry Chef in the White House since 2007. He was hired by Laura Bush, the former first lady. After serving delectable desserts for the White House for seven years, the 60-year-old pastry chef is ready to hang up his apron.
The announcement came when Yosses was interviewed for The New York Times. After his resignation, which will be effective in June, Yosses will be moving to New York and will be focusing on teaching culinary arts to adults and children. He is going to focus on sharing his knowledge on eating healthier.
“It’s a bittersweet decision,” said the pastry chef. Despite leaving a job that he is passionate about, Yosses is looking forward to moving to New York, as he will be with his husband. His husband is a teacher and they have been living apart for 11 years.
When the Obamas came to the White House, first lady Michelle Obama asked him to create healthier desserts in small portions. Yosses described Obama as, “an inspiring boss, a combination of spontaneity and seriousness.” Although he has been creating healthier options for the first family, Yosses said that he has not given up on his former way of making desserts.
According to sources from the White House, they still do not know what direction the first lady will take when hiring Yosses’ successor.
Although Yosses has shifted towards healthy desserts, he is still known in the White House for serving the best pies and has been nicknamed “The Crustmaster” by the president. Yosses also said that the White House still creates traditional desserts about 20% of the time for special occasions.
In a statement, the first lady said that she is sad about Yosses’ departure, but she is grateful for his outstanding work and she wishes him the best in his future undertakings.
Bill Yosses at TEDx
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