Stopping inside a neighborhood bakery, patisserie, or sweets shop, is a sensory experience. Scanning fresh made baguettes and croissants, contemplating which to take home, salivating at cakes, cookies, and confections in a display case, all waiting for a customer to make a selection.
As Mother’s Day nears, the pandemic may have upended the experience of in-person browsing at patisseries, bakeries, and sweets shops. The good news is some shops have reacted by selling online. Additionally, a few new bakeries, thanks to Minnesota’s cottage law have arrived.
Here are a few spots in the Twin Cities to order some of those fresh baked goodies from the comfort of your phone or laptop.
Joanne Biessener and Elsbeth Young-Haug, former pastry chefs with resumes that read like a who’s who of some of the most renowned restaurants of the Twin Cities, have taken their pastry pursuits online. Some of the selections include a bevy of different cakes, pastries, cookies, and more available for delivery and pick-up, such as this eye-popping tiramisu seen here. JoJo & Co. make custom cakes fit for any occasion as well, and make sure to check out their candies section, where you can find bonbons, hot chocolate bombs, and caramels.
After years of training in Paris and New York, Marc Heu has brought his immense talent from both geographical juggernauts to the west side of the University Avenue corridor. In 2019 Marc Heu Patisserie Paris was born, and has been the talk of the town ever since. From tarts and cakes to the variously versatile viennoiseries, its no wonder that pre-pandemic, Marc Heu Patisserie Paris has been attracting lines early on the weekend for its fresh baked goods. The website makes it extremely easy to order in advance, because the in-store offerings often sell out.
Opened by owner and head chef Sahkeena Mkali when the pandemic took hold, Trap Haus Sweets & Baking Co. has found its footing via its virtual web-store front on Instagram. Taking pre-orders starting at midnight on Sundays and running until #TrapHausTuesdays, Trap Haus Sweets goodies will have you doing the Homer drool via the IG stories that Trap Haus Sweets posts, and with a menu offering everything from a salted caramel cake, to classic family recipes such as the Trap Haus chip, suga zaddy, and butta BB cookies. Whether ordering for one or a crew, Trap Haus Sweets & Baking Co. has every sweet craving.
Housed in the former PJ Murphy’s space on Randolph Avenue, Chef Francois Kiemde and his wife, Melissa Borgmann-Kiemde purchased the space in 2017, and have remained steadfast in continuing Pete Murphy’s legacy, and stewarding the bakery into a new era. While the doughnuts and other baked goods have carried over, both Francois and Melissa have rebranded to La Boulangerie Marguerite (named after their daughter) and redesigned the website to make for a fantastic ordering experience, not to mention, drool-worthy photos of fresh breads and rolls, or finding savory croissants and sticky buns.
Chef John Krause has been wowing tastebuds and patrons alike since opening Patisserie 46 in July of 2010. As the only American born and bred chef that is a part of the Relais Desserts Group, and with the help of his wife and co-owner Elizabeth Rose, Rose Street Patisserie opened in Saint Paul in 2016. There’s no doubt that the breads, patisseries, and viennoiseries that both places offer are what keeps patrons visiting and hungering for more, and the online ordering experience helps bring a sliver of gazing at the various cases one would see on a hopping weekend.
Located in the Linden Hills neighborhood of Minneapolis, Chefs Daniel Del Prado and Shawn McKenzie have been offering everyday brunch with a Middle Eastern flair. With items such as their star pistachio croissant, to their garam masala cookie, there is no shortage of delectable goodies available for advance ordering online. Cafe Ceres also is home to pre-ordered cakes and tarts, such as the chocolate babka and mandarin olive oil tart.