Minnesota bakeries Diane’s Place and Flour & Flower make New York Times best list

Two Minnesota bakeries — Diane’s Place in Minneapolis and Flour & Flower in St. Joseph — are getting time on the national stage, listed among the New York Times’ “22 of the Best Bakeries Across the U.S. Right Now.”

Diane’s Place, recently named a Minnesota Star Tribune 2024 restaurant of the year, opened in the spring after chef/owner Diane Moua branched out on her own after 20 years in the industry. In addition to pastries, Moua’s full service menu is proving she knows how to cook savory, too.

“This all-day restaurant is where Diane Moua realizes her dream of cooking Hmong American cuisine in her personal style,” according to the Times article. “It’s also where the career pastry chef proves that spreading her attention across an entire menu doesn’t come at the expense of quality baking.”

Flour & Flower in St. Joseph opened in spring 2020 with inventive spins on artisan pastries and breads, alongside a coffee and flower shop operation.

“Erin Lucas and Mateo Mackbee moved to central Minnesota to create the life they couldn’t imagine as chefs working in the Twin Cities,” the Times reports. “Lucas is a big-city pastry chef whose breads and pastries — there is maple icing on her cardamom rolls and rosemary streusel atop the seasonal cranberry croissant — give locals good reason to wake up early; pizza brings them back Monday nights. The bakery also supplies Krewe, the New Orleans-style restaurant across the alley, where Mackbee is the chef.”