Twin Cities Bakeries Bring the Magic of Their Sweet Shops Online

Stopping inside a neighborhood bakery, patisserie, or sweets shop is a sensory experience. While many customers haven’t been able to enjoy the pleasure of perusing rows of baked goods since the pandemic’s onset, many of the Twin Cities’ most noteworthy vendors have taken to selling online, just in time for Mother’s Day. And thanks to Minnesota’s cottage law, a new slew of vendors have arrived to broaden the cities’ offerings.

Here are a few spots in the Twin Cities to order some of those freshly baked pastries from the comfort of your own home.

JoJo & Co.

Bobby Lauritson/Foreword.Co

JoJo & Co. bakery owners Joanne Biessener and Elsbeth Young-Haug, former pastry chefs with experience in some of the most renowned restaurants in the Twin Cities, have taken their pastry pursuits online. The bakery’s selections include a bevy of different cakes, pastries, and cookies available for delivery and pick-up, including an eye-popping tiramisu (pictured above). The bakery also makes custom cakes for any occasion and sells a breadth of candies, from bonbons and hot chocolate bombs to caramels.

Marc Heu Paris

After years of training in Paris and New York, Marc Heu brought his immense talent to the west side of the University Avenue corridor in 2019 to establish Marc Heu Patisserie Paris. From the tarts and cakes to the versatile viennoiseries, it’s no wonder that Marc Heu Patisserie Paris attracted early-morning lines on the weekends before the pandemic. Now, the website makes it easy to order in advance — and better to order ahead because in-store offerings often sell out.

Trap Haus Sweets & Baking Co.

Sahkeena Mkali

Owner and head chef Sahkeena Mkali launched Trap Haus Sweets & Baking Co. around the same time the pandemic began. Since then, the bakery has found its footing through its virtual storefront on Instagram. Mkali takes pre-orders from midnight on Sundays through what she calls #TrapHausTuesdays. But all week long, Mkali shares sneak peeks of the menu on the bakery’s Instagram posts and stories that would leave anyone drooling. The menu offers salted caramel cakes and classic family recipes like her Trap Haus chip (a chocolate chip cookie spiked with gems of brown butter coconut brittle, mini marshmallows, and toasted coconut flakes), the suga zaddy (a vanilla icing-topped sugar cookie riff), and the butta BB (a peanut butter cookie flecked with Reese’s Pieces). Whether ordering for one or a crew, Trap Haus Sweets & Baking Co. has plenty to satisfy any sweet tooth.

La Boulangerie Marguerite

Chef Francois Kiemde and his wife Melissa Borgmann-Kiemde purchased the former PJ Murphy’s space on Randolph Avenue in 2017, and have transformed it into La Boulangerie Marguerite. Since then, they have remained steadfast in continuing Pete Murphy’s legacy and stewarding the bakery into a new era. While the doughnuts and other signature baked goods are still available, both Francois and Melissa have rebranded and relaunched the bakery with an expanded menu and a new title (named after their daughter). But the evolution wasn’t just physical: the duo redesigned the website to streamline the digital ordering experience and showcase mesmerizing photos of their extensive supplies of fresh bread, rolls, savory croissants, and sticky buns.

Patisserie 46/Rose Street Patisserie

Chef John Krause has been dazzling Saint Paul’s pastry lovers since opening Patisserie 46 in July 2010. As the only American-born chef who is part of the Relais Desserts Group, Krause opened Rose Street Patisserie in Saint Paul in 2016 with the help of his wife and co-owner Elizabeth Rose. There’s no doubt that the bread, pastries, and viennoiseries at both locations are what keep patrons returning for more. Patisserie 46’s online ordering experience also helps bring the joy of grazing displays to any would-be customer browsing at home.

Cafe Ceres

Located in the Linden Hills neighborhood of Minneapolis, chefs Daniel Del Prado and Shawn McKenzie’s Turkish coffee shop has been attracting diners with its coffees and daily brunches. But its spread of pastries is equally deserving of attention. With its star pistachio croissant and garam masala cookie, not to mention the other standouts sweets, there is no shortage of delectable items available to order online. Cafe Ceres also provides cakes and tarts, such as the chocolate babka and mandarin olive oil tart, for pre-order.

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