Yigit Pura was the fan favorite and Top Chef winner of Season 1 of Top Chef Just Desserts.
Biography[]
29 year-old Yigit Pura began his culinary training at the age of four in Ankara, Turkey while helping his mom make spoonfuls of dark caramel. His official culinary training began didn't begin until the age of 20, but he soon landed a position at Le Cirque 2000 in New York City, and moved shortly after to The Four Seasons Hotel. Yigit then landed what he would call his "golden step," as the Pastry Sous Chef at Daniel, under Chef Daniel Boulud, where after working for two and a half years, he was promoted to Executive Pastry for Daniel Boulud in Las Vegas.
He has since returned to San Francisco working for Taste Catering and Event Planning. Yigit relates his philosophy on baking to Buddhism – "Enlightened desserts lie between the two extremes. You have to respect the history and heritage of food, while still feeling inspired to re-create things everyday." If he could be re-incarnated as one thing in his next life time, it would be Jamaican Lilikoi (Passion Fruit), or a green cardamom pod.
Winning Dessert[]
In the final quickfire challenge in episode 10, Yigit made Hazelnut Dacquoise, Milk Jam & Salted Caramel Ice Cream.
External Links[]
- 2015 Interview on Huffington Post.com