diff --git a/Berksfile b/Berksfile
index f795efe..f2488bb 100644
--- a/Berksfile
+++ b/Berksfile
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@ site :opscode
 
 metadata
 
+cookbook "chef-sugar"
+
 group :integration do
   cookbook "minitest-handler"
   cookbook "apt"
diff --git a/attributes/default.rb b/attributes/default.rb
index e78d47b..8e8d117 100644
--- a/attributes/default.rb
+++ b/attributes/default.rb
@@ -43,3 +43,6 @@
 default['python']['virtualenv_location'] = "#{node['python']['prefix_dir']}/bin/virtualenv"
 default['python']['setuptools_version'] = nil # defaults to latest
 default['python']['virtualenv_version'] = nil
+default['python']['pip_version'] = nil
+default['python']['yolk_version'] = nil
+default['python']['yolk_location'] = "#{node['python']['prefix_dir']}/bin/yolk"
diff --git a/metadata.rb b/metadata.rb
index 4a86423..41a2a0c 100644
--- a/metadata.rb
+++ b/metadata.rb
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 
 depends           "build-essential"
 depends           "yum-epel"
+depends           "chef-sugar"
 
 recipe "python", "Installs python, pip, and virtualenv"
 recipe "python::package", "Installs python using packages."
diff --git a/providers/pip.rb b/providers/pip.rb
index bdd8142..10e9929 100644
--- a/providers/pip.rb
+++ b/providers/pip.rb
@@ -117,11 +117,30 @@ def current_installed_version
 end
 
 def candidate_version
+  yolk_path = which_yolk(new_resource)
   @candidate_version ||= begin
-    # `pip search` doesn't return versions yet
-    # `pip list` may be coming soon:
-    # https://bitbucket.org/ianb/pip/issue/197/option-to-show-what-version-would-be
-    new_resource.version||'latest'
+    # if yolk is installed, check if a newer version is available in PyPi
+    # then check if newer version is greater then the version specified by new_resource
+    # return as appropriate
+    if ::File.exists?(yolk_path) then
+      out = shell_out("#{yolk_path} -U #{new_resource.package_name}").stdout
+      if out.match(/not installed/) then
+        new_resource.version||'latest'
+      elsif out.match(/#{new_resource.package_name} [\d\.]+ \([\d\.]+\)/) then
+        available_version = out.split(' ').last.tr('()','')
+        if ! new_resource.version
+          available_version
+        elsif available_version.satisfies?(">= #{new_resource.version}")
+          new_resource.version
+        else
+          available_version.to_s
+        end
+      else
+        current_installed_version
+      end
+    else
+      new_resource.version||'latest'
+    end
   end
 end
 
@@ -133,11 +152,12 @@ def install_package(version)
   else
     version = "==#{version}"
   end
+  new_resource.options "#{new_resource.options} --egg"
   pip_cmd('install', version)
 end
 
 def upgrade_package(version)
-  new_resource.options "#{new_resource.options} --upgrade"
+  new_resource.options "#{new_resource.options} --upgrade --egg"
   install_package(version)
 end
 
@@ -166,3 +186,13 @@ def which_pip(nr)
     'pip'
   end
 end
+
+def which_yolk(nr)
+  if (nr.respond_to?("virtualenv") && nr.virtualenv)
+    ::File.join(nr.virtualenv,'/bin/yolk')
+  elsif ::File.exists?(node['python']['yolk_location'])
+    node['python']['yolk_location']
+  else
+    'yolk'
+  end
+end
diff --git a/recipes/pip.rb b/recipes/pip.rb
index 17110fa..e536188 100644
--- a/recipes/pip.rb
+++ b/recipes/pip.rb
@@ -23,6 +23,9 @@
 # redhat/package: /usr/bin/pip (sha a8a3a3)
 # omnibus/source: /opt/local/bin/pip (sha 29ce9874)
 
+include_recipe 'chef-sugar::default'
+require 'chef/sugar/core_extensions'
+
 if node['python']['install_method'] == 'source'
   pip_binary = "#{node['python']['prefix_dir']}/bin/pip"
 elsif platform_family?("rhel", "fedora")
@@ -33,10 +36,11 @@
   pip_binary = "/usr/local/bin/pip"
 end
 
-cookbook_file "#{Chef::Config[:file_cache_path]}/get-pip.py" do
-  source 'get-pip.py'
+remote_file "#{Chef::Config[:file_cache_path]}/get-pip.py" do
+  source 'https://bootstrap.pypa.io/get-pip.py'
   mode "0644"
-  not_if { ::File.exists?(pip_binary) }
+  action :create_if_missing
+  notifies :run, 'execute[install-pip]', :immediately
 end
 
 execute "install-pip" do
@@ -44,10 +48,35 @@
   command <<-EOF
   #{node['python']['binary']} get-pip.py
   EOF
-  not_if { ::File.exists?(pip_binary) }
+  action :nothing
+end
+
+remote_file "#{Chef::Config[:file_cache_path]}/ez_setup.py" do
+  source 'https://bootstrap.pypa.io/ez_setup.py'
+  mode "0644"
+  action :create_if_missing
+  notifies :run, 'execute[install-setuptools]', :immediately
+end
+
+execute "install-setuptools" do
+  cwd Chef::Config[:file_cache_path]
+  command <<-EOF
+  #{node['python']['binary']} ez_setup.py
+  EOF
+  action :nothing
+end
+
+python_pip 'pip' do
+  action :upgrade
+  version node['python']['pip_version']
 end
 
 python_pip 'setuptools' do
   action :upgrade
   version node['python']['setuptools_version']
 end
+
+python_pip 'yolk' do
+  action :upgrade
+  version node['python']['yolk_version']
+end
\ No newline at end of file