For Immediate Release

Minneapolis (Aug. 6, 2026) – Minneapolis' baking story didn't end when the mills stopped turning. Today, the city is building on its flour-milling legacy through a growing collection of acclaimed pastry chefs, artisan bread makers and neighborhood bakeries celebrating traditions from around the world.

As the first major city on the Mississippi River and home to its only natural waterfall, Minneapolis harnessed the power of St. Anthony Falls and abundant regional wheat to build a flour-milling industry that gave rise to companies including Pillsbury and General Mills. Visitors can explore that legacy at Mill City Museum, built in the ruins of what was once the world’s largest flour mill.

Now, internationally trained pastry chefs, neighborhood bakeries and a growing number of businesses celebrating Hmong, Somali, Mexican, German, Scandinavian and other baking traditions are shaping the city's next baking chapter.

National/International Pastry Talent:

A new generation of nationally recognized pastry chefs is building on Minneapolis' baking legacy:

• John Kraus (Patisserie 46/Rose Street Patisserie) is the only American-born pastry chef ever asked to join Relais Desserts, an invitation-only association of the world's top pastry chefs. A former Team USA captain at the Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie and winner of numerous national pastry competitions, Kraus has spent 16 years building one of Minneapolis' premier pastry destinations while preparing to expand with a new production facility and café.
  
  
• Marc Heu (Marc Heu Pâtisserie Paris), a French-Hmong chef, trained at Paris' prestigious École Lenôtre and completed internships at the three-Michelin-star Pré Catelan and Stohrer, the oldest pastry shop in France, before bringing his craft to the Twin Cities. A 2024 James Beard Award semifinalist for Outstanding Pastry Chef/Baker, Heu is expanding his French pâtisserie with a third location inside Minneapolis' Alliance Française to join his Linden Hills location in Minneapolis.
  
  
• Diane Moua (Diane’s Place) a Le Cordon Bleu-trained pastry chef, has earned six James Beard Award semifinalist nominations and three finalist nods, including two for Outstanding Pastry Chef. Drawing inspiration from her Hmong heritage, she has become one of the leading voices in Minneapolis' evolving pastry scene, blending French technique with deeply personal flavors.
  
  
• Alexandra Motz (Spoon & Stable/Demi/Bellecour) is executive pastry chef and pastry director for Soigné Hospitality, overseeing the pastry programs at Spoon and Stable, Demi and Bellecour. A recipient of the 2022 Ment'or Grant and a 2022 Art of Plating Rising Star Award, Motz has emerged as one of Minneapolis' leading pastry talents after joining Spoon and Stable's opening team in 2014.
  
  
• Shawn McKenzie (Rustica) is executive pastry chef at Rustica Bakery and was a 2023 James Beard Award finalist in the national Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker category. After leading pastry programs at several acclaimed Minneapolis restaurants, McKenzie continues to shape the city's baking scene with French pastry techniques and Middle Eastern-inspired flavors.
  
  
• Adam Ritter (Bûcheron) isn't a traditional pastry chef, but he exemplifies the growing importance of pastry in Minneapolis' fine-dining scene. After leading kitchens at Demi and other acclaimed Minneapolis restaurants, Ritter took on pastry responsibilities to uphold the standards of the tasting-menu experience. Today, desserts remain integral to the nationally recognized experience at Bûcheron, winner of the 2025 James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant.

Global Baking Traditions:

French pâtisseries are strongly represented but where Minneapolis truly stands out is in the global influences found in the city’s bakeries:

• Up-and-coming Somali establishments like Wiilo Restaurant and Bakery at Karmel Mall, one of the city’s two Somali malls;
  
  
• Aki’s BreadHaus & Wonder Bar in Northeast Minneapolis, where the focus on locally sourced ingredients and recipes based on the traditions of Germany have fed fans amazing artesian breads, pastries and pretzels since 2010 (they are also at Theodore Wirth Park’s Trailhead Café by Aki’s BreadHaus, which opened in 2026);
  
  
• Mexican panaderías like Marissa’s Bakery and Panaderia San Miguel serve fresh, traditional conchas, manteadas and galletas from Eat Street to the East Lake cultural district;
  
  
• East European pastries and desserts such as Kolachi, Napoleonka custard, Poppyseed bread (Makowiec) and walnut bread (Potica) have been on the menu at Kramarczuk’s in Northeast Minneapolis since 1954;
  
  
• African-Caribbean bread like the namesake of Solomon’s Bread (a sweet bread) and West African Agege bread can be had at this wholesale bakery run by a family in Minneapolis since 2004;
  
• And, as mentioned earlier, two of the top Hmong bakeries in the nation, Diane’s Place and Marc Heu Pâtisserie Paris, have distinct ways of bringing their cultural and family traditions to their pastry.
  

Artisan Sourdough, Gluten-free Specialists and Beloved Neighborhood Institutions:

Whether visitors are searching for perfectly laminated croissants, naturally fermented sourdough, cardamom buns, pan dulce or Sambusas alongside fresh bread, Minneapolis offers a bakery crawl that rivals much larger culinary destinations. Here are just a sample of the places that makes Minneapolis sweeter:

• Black Walnut highlights laminated pastries and cakes;
  
  
• Bellecour French Bistro & Bakery bakes pastries fresh daily in the North Loop and Edina;
  
  
• Isles Bun & Coffee is famous for their award-winning, world’s best cinnamon rolls;
  
  
• Baker's Field Flour & Bread specializes in locally sourced, heritage grains stone-milled on site;
  
  
• Mother Dough utilizes Chef David Fhima’s 135-year-old sourdough starter;
  
  
• Sift Gluten Free has been baking gluten free since 2013;
  
  
• Autuvava, also gluten free and celiac safe, in South Minneapolis;
  
  
• Laune Bread creates small-batch, naturally leavened breads and pastries;
  
  
• Asa's Bakery – their bialys and bagels are a labor of love;
  
  
• A Baker's Wife Pastry Shop brings nostalgia and deep neighborhood connections;
  
  
• Glam Doll serves up artisan donuts in cool, retro digs on Eat Street;
  
  
• Copper Hen Cakery & Kitchen draws fans of its boozy cupcakes; and
  
  
• Lutunji’s Palate Bakery & Café was founded on peach cobbler as a Black-owned social enterprise.
  
  

Minneapolis' baking evolution comes as the city's broader culinary scene continues to gain national attention, including its inclusion in the inaugural MICHELIN Guide American Great Lakes edition, to be announced in spring 2027.


Keep up with all the happenings, events and trip planning ideas in Minneapolis here, and read all our recent news here.

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