Pastry Chef, Bill Yosses began his career working at La Foux, a traditional French restaurant in Paris. Here he spent mornings accompanying the chef to Rungis-the abundant French marketplace overflowing with fresh produce.
Upon returning to New York, Bill completed his culinary studies at New York City Technical College and quickly found himself at the age of 23 in one of the city’s most highly regarded kitchens; The Polo, alongside Daniel Boulud and Thomas Keller. With his interest peaked, Bill set his sights on pastry and spent many Saturday afternoons in the kitchen of his close friend, Jean-Pierre LeMasson (Le Perigord Park) where he essentially completed an apprenticeship in pastry. With this invaluable experience and passion in tow, Bill returned to France and began working with the pastry greats at La Maison du Chocolat, and with France’s premier Pastry Chef, Pierre Herme, at the world renowned Fauchon. Upon returning to New York in 1985, Bill teamed up with David Bouley at Montrachet and moved with him to his four-star restaurants; Bouley and Bouley Bakery. Flash forward 12 years.
Bill believes that with Citarella the Restaurant he has come full circle. He is back in direct contact with one of his home city’s greatest marketplaces—not unlike Rungis.
To Pastry Chef Bill Yosses, dessert is associated with the end of a meal rather than as a snack. “As restaurants are becoming more chef –oriented, dessert becomes a key factor in their success. Meals are now telling an entire story- from appetizer through dessert – the last course must be the most enticing - after all, very few people are actually hungry at the end of a meal. Dessert adds another dimension to the meal, just at the point when conversation and group dynamics heat up.” With this in mind Mr. Yosses takes on the challenge of creating intriguing finales while never losing sight of the classics.
