Gavin Kaysen's Bellecour ending Cooks collaboration, moving to 2 standalone locations

Yahoo

12-05-2025

The five-year collaboration between Gavin Kaysen's Bellecour and longtime St. Paul cookware retailer and culinary school Cooks of Crocus Hill is coming to an end, with Bellecour "evolving" into two standalone bakeries opening later this year.
Kaysen's Soigne Hospitality announced the changes on Monday, which will see the closure of Cooks | Bellecour in Edina on June 1, and Bellecour exiting Cooks of Crocus Hill locations in Minneapolis' North Loop and St. Paul on the same date.
This fall, the Edina location at 3934 Market Street will reopen as a standalone Bellecour bakery and coffee shop, while a "new expression" of Bellecour will open in the North Loop at 107 3rd Ave. N.
The North Loop location, which will be around the corner from Kaysen's Spoon & Stable, will be a bakery and coffee shop during the day, but a French bistro in the evening.
There will be no Bellecour presence in St. Paul following the changes, which are summarized as follows:
Cooks | Bellecour Edina to close June 1, reopen as Bellecour bakery this fall.
Bellecour to leave Cooks of Crocus Hill at 210 N. 1st St. in Minneapolis on June 1. Cooks to continue offering cooking classes and culinary events. Bellecour to open bistro and cafe location at 107 3rd Ave. N. this fall.
Bellecour to leave Cooks of Crocus Hill at 877 Grand Ave., St. Paul on June 1. Cooks of Crocus Hill to continue retail and cooking class operations.
Cooks of Crocus Hill has had a presence in the Twin Cities in 50 years, and the links with Kaysen started in 2016 when its North Loop location opened across the street from Spoon & Stable.
Bellecour initially launched as a full-service French bistro and bakery in Wayzata in 2017, with a selection of baked goods created by acclaimed pastry chef Diane Moua, then of Spoon & Stable but now of Diane's Place.
Bellecour closed in Wayzata following the onset of the pandemic in 2020, but reappeared some months later as a pop-up bakery operation inside Cooks' North Loop location, which became permanent in September 2020.
The merger between Cooks and Bellecour became official ahead of the opening of the Edina cafe in 2023, with all three locations becoming known as Cooks | Bellecour.
'We had a successful collaboration with Cooks for the past 5-years and are incredibly grateful to the community that helped us survive some of the most challenging times we've seen as business owners. Now we're collectively ready to take the next steps with our businesses," said Gavin Kaysen.
The new North Loop location will be closer to the long-closed Wayzata location in spirit, operating as a "casual, counter service café and bakery by day" and a "full-service neighborhood bistro by night."
"Bellecour is and was always meant to be, my love letter to France, to the chefs who have taught me, and to the city of Lyon where I visit often. While we had to take a detour the past five-years, I am excited to bring the cuisine I love to a neighborhood that has always been a strong supporter of what we have created," said Kaysen.
"This version of Bellecour is meant to be created for the neighborhood. During the day, it will be an all day café with a bakery, and at night we will transform it into a cute bistro. I want to create food and a place where people can join us multiple times a week. I feel we have been overcome by the costs of everything, and in this bistro I really want to celebrate the craftsmanship of a bakery and bistro," he added.
Anyone who has gift cards for Cooks | Bellecour should direct their enquiries to Cooks of Crocus of Crocus Hill.