White House's pastry chef Bill Yosses announces 'bittersweet' departure
ALEX WONG/Getty Images
The White House's top pastry chef is leaving — and it's all Michelle Obama's fault. Bill Yosses, who has baked for both President Obama and President Bush, is leaving because the first lady has "piqued his interest in the relationship between food and health." He's heading to New York to educate children about nutrition and be closer to his husband.
In an interview with The New York Times, Yosses appropriately called the decision "bittersweet." When the Obamas entered the White House in 2009, Yosses was ordered to create smaller deserts with less sugar and to use healthier ingredients, like fruit purée. He credits his baking transformation to Michelle's tips:
"She has done it with humor and good will, without preaching, just the way you would hope the 'Mom-in-chief' would do," he said. He called her "definitely an inspiring boss, a combination of spontaneity and seriousness." [The New York Times]
Yosses will leave his post in June. A successor has not yet been named.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jordan Valinsky is the lead writer for Speed Reads. Before joining The Week, he wrote for New York Observer's tech blog, Betabeat, and tracked the intersection between popular culture and the internet for The Daily Dot. He graduated with a degree in online journalism from Ohio University.
-
The history of US nuclear weapons on UK soilThe Explainer Arrangement has led to protests and dangerous mishaps
-
Tea with Judi Dench: ‘touching’ show is must-watch Christmas TVThe Week Recommends The national treasure sits down with Kenneth Branagh at her country home for a heartwarming ‘natter’
-
Codeword: December 24, 2025The daily codeword puzzle from The Week
-
Son arrested over killing of Rob and Michele ReinerSpeed Read Nick, the 32-year-old son of Hollywood director Rob Reiner, has been booked for the murder of his parents
-
Rob Reiner, wife dead in ‘apparent homicide’speed read The Reiners, found in their Los Angeles home, ‘had injuries consistent with being stabbed’
-
Hungary’s Krasznahorkai wins Nobel for literatureSpeed Read László Krasznahorkai is the author of acclaimed novels like ‘The Melancholy of Resistance’ and ‘Satantango’
-
Primatologist Jane Goodall dies at 91Speed Read She rose to fame following her groundbreaking field research with chimpanzees
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history