Award-winning pastry chef John Kraus is bringing his French pastries, desserts, breads and more to Lilydale.
Kraus and wife/co-owner Elizabeth Rose have signed on to take over the former Osteria I Nonni and Buon Giorno spaces, the chef confirmed. (The longstanding fine-dining restaurant and adjoining deli closed in October with plans for Buon Giorno to reopen elsewhere.)
The couple will open Maison Rose, a 13,000-square-foot cafe, retail and production space with an education arm, in spring 2026 at the earliest.
The duo, who run Patisserie 46 in Minneapolis and Rose Street Patisserie in St. Paul, have been looking for a space to expand their production facilities. For Kraus, he wanted a serene environment for his team, and the suburb just south of downtown St. Paul hit just right.
“In reality, it centered around the team,” Kraus said. “Lilydale is a great little nook. It’s quiet, it’s calm.”
The patisserie will spotlight pastries, desserts, savory items and artisan breads. The design will allow visitors to watch croissants, bread and other items being made up close and personal. Meanwhile, the retail component will carry goods such as confections and jams.
The production space will become the new home of the Bread Lab, the wholesale arm of their operation currently run out of St. Paul. The space will also host cooking and baking classes as well as house a baker apprenticeship program, the only known one of its kind in Minnesota when the team registered with the state in January, according to Kraus.
“We want to keep offering classic French pastries made exceptionally well with the best ingredients,” Kraus said. “And we want to continue along the path of sharing a future with people who want to learn this craft.”
