Former White House pastry chef Bill Yosses brings his passion for cooking and nutrition, along with his culinary expertise, to Carleton

Bill Yosses, the official executive pastry chef at the White House from 2007 to 2014 and coauthor of the book “Desserts for Dummies,” will visit Carleton College January 15-18 to participate in a residency with the College’s Firebellies Cooking Club and to present a variety of workshops for students and community members.

During his tenure at the White House, President Barack Obama nicknamed Yosses “the Crust Master,” saying “Whatever pie you like, he will make it and it will be the best pie you have ever eaten.” At the White House, in between creating extravagant pastries, tending the White House garden, and cooking for the leaders of the world, Yosses worked closely with First Lady Michelle Obama on several initiatives promoting healthy eating for young people. These experiences piqued his interests in using cooking as a catalyst for societal change.

In March 2014, Yosses announced that he was resigning his position at the White House (effective June 2014), to work on a new project focusing on “food literacy” by teaching young children and adults about eating better.  Today, he is working to integrate cooking into schools across the nation —not only to improve public health and nutrition, but also to address problems in science education. Yosses believes that the experimental nature of cooking makes it the perfect medium for promoting culinary and scientific curiosity from an early age.

Yosses comes to Carleton College (his only Midwest appearance) at the invitation of the College’s Firebellies Cooking Club, led by Carleton senior Vayu Maini Rekdal (Sweden).

In just three years, the Carleton College culinary club Firebellies has grown from an informal gathering of foodies to a large organization with over 700 members. Through weekly events, Firebellies works to promote food literacy through the joy of cooking, both on and off-campus. One important community extension of the club is the acclaimed Young Chefs program. Run as an afterschool program and a summer camp, Young Chefs works to empower and engage youth through encouraging creativity in the kitchen, exploring culinary science, and creating mentor-student bonds. The program involves over 20 college volunteers and several Carleton College faculty, reaching close to 100 youth in the Northfield and Faribault school districts. The work is not limited to teaching; in collaboration with Middle School teachers, science faculty, and student volunteers, Young Chefs has developed a science-cooking curriculum that is publicly available through their website, http://youngchefsprogram.org .

During his Northfield visit, Yosses will meet with Carleton professors Deborah Gross (chemistry) and Eric McDonald (science education), along with the Carleton students engaged in the Young Chefs program. On January 16, Yosses will also head to the Northfield Middle School to teach a brief lesson and meet with the Northfield students enrolled in the Young Chefs program.  

Later that evening Yosses will present “Cooking for Presidents: Bill’s Favorites from the White House and Beyond,” a hands-on cooking class that explores some of the cooking techniques, methods and recipes that helped him to earn his “crust master” nickname at the White House. 

And on Saturday, January 17 from 3:30-5 p.m. in Olin Hall 149, Yosses will present “Cooking, Science and Extraterrestrials: A Menu for Aliens,” a public lecture using interactive demonstrations to discuss the culinary and scientific principles that apply in our kitchens and in “theirs.” How do emulsions and foams work? How do polymers relate to baking? What is super-cooling? Yosses will not only explore these questions, but will also discuss their relevance in the context our national health and science education crisis, arguing that the relationship between food and science can promote wellness and scientific curiosity.

To learn more about the Firebellies Cooking Club, visit www.firebellies.org. Additional information about the Young Chefs program being implemented into the Northfield and Faribault school districts,  including curriculum, can be found online at www.youngchefsprogram.org.

This visit and related events are made possible thanks to generous support from the Carleton Student Activities Office (SAO), the Carleton Student Association (CSA), the Department of Chemistry, the Center for Community and Civic Engagement, the Firebellies Cooking Club, and Just Food Coop in Northfield.