Yigit Pura

| Top Chef |
Yigit Pura
Executive Pastry Chef, Taste Catering

San Francisco, California
Age: 30

It isn’t every day someone gets asked to compete for $100,000 on a nationally televised cooking show. But that’s what happened to Yigit Pura (pronounced “Yeet”) when he was selected to participate in the premiere season of Bravo’s “Top Chef Just Desserts.” (He went on to beat 11 other contestants for the top prize.) When asked about winning the competition, he says, “It’s been tremendous for my career surely, but it has also given me the platform to have a voice and do advocacy for the [issues] that are really dear to my heart, like the Human Rights Campaign and The Trevor Project.” Originally from Turkey, Pura got his start at age 19 making pastries at The Meetinghouse, a 3-star restaurant in San Francisco. Currently you’ll find him creating specialty desserts like lemon verbena panna cotta with caramel gelee at Taste Catering, an events-planning company. One of the most prestigious events the company hosts is the Meals on Wheels of San Francisco Gala, which brings together top culinary talent to cook a black-tie dinner for 900. (The event recently raised $1.4 million, including $10,000 for a dessert tasting with Pura.) The busy chef is also working out the details of opening a high-end pastry shop in San Francisco later this year. 

—E. Caslavka