Yigit Pura Makes San Francisco Sweeter

Victory, how sweet it is. The winner of the first season of Bravo’s Top Chef Just Desserts is bringing his trademark sugar -- and by that we mean his looks, too -- to San Francisco's Union Square with his own candy shoppe, Tout Sweet Pâtisserie. Just announced, the store opens on Saturday August 15, 2012.

Pura, the Turkish-born and Bay Area bred former Executive Pastry Chef for Daniel Boulud’s Las Vegas restaurant, says that opening Tout Sweet is a dream come true, “and I couldn't be more excited to do it in my hometown of San Francisco, a city which I adore."

Full details below.

Tout Sweet’s menu will be inspired not only by Pura’s world travels, but also by the unique mix of cultures in the Bay Area. This global/local connection is key to Tout Sweet’s menus. The selection of sweet and savory treats will include mouthwatering French fare like macarons, petit gateaux, and verrines as well as seasonal offerings. Tout Sweet does more than just cakes and pastries, the patisserie also offers breakfast and lunch menus made from ingredients from San Francisco’s Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. Yogurt parfaits, breakfast sandwiches, and morning pastries feature on the Breakfast menu while fresh organic salads, quiches, soups, and sandwiches make up some of the lunch offerings.

The patisserie’s design sprung from Pura’s fascination with modern sweet shops. The elegant space housed in Macy's Union Square location will have "an authentic French ambience infused with a California vibe." Tout Sweet seats 20 and includes a communal table that allows for an informal and relaxed atmosphere and the opportunity to strike up conversation with other patrons.  “Even though we are in the heart of a major metropolitan city," says Pura, "I want to encourage guests to connect, interact, and get acquainted within our sweet ambience.”

Lucky for those of us outside the Bay Area, delivery will be available across the United States. A variety of sweet treats including homemade marshmallows, fruit curds, artisanal jams and marmalades, and crunch caramel chocolate nibbles are all on offer for delivery as well as a variety of merchandise designed by the chef himself.

Pura, who’s also currently working on his cookbook, Sweet Alchemy, due out September 2013, is also a noted philanthropist. He’s raised money for non-profits like The Trevor Project, Meals On Wheels, the Matthew Shepard Foundation, the Human Rights Champagne, and the ASPCA. 

The website's a bakin' for now. Check back at ToutSweetSF.com for updates as plans progress.