John Kraus is a native of Paducah, Kentucky. John Kraus fondly remembers his neighborhood bakery as a place people would go for dinner rolls or a treat, taking time to chat with one another and savor something sweet. But it was in London while studying cuisine that he first fell in love with pastry, next to the Queen’s Rose Garden. He was training to be a cook until one day he tasted a croissant and became fascinated by its wonderful simplicity, and this would change the course of his life.
After his studies in England, John returned Stateside, landing work in Nashville’s The Wild Boar. Next, Kraus served as executive pastry chef at Magnolia Restaurant, and then met the esteemed European duo of Jacquy Pfeiffer and Sebastien Canonne, co-founders of the French Pastry School in Chicago, who eventually offered John a teaching position there. John accepted and stayed for a decade. In 2005 and 2006, John was included in the “Top Ten Best Pastry Chefs” by Pastry Art and Design.
Ready to take on a new adventure, John opened Patisserie 46 in South Minneapolis to rave reviews in July 2010, and this first location continues to be a Twin Cities favorite.
That year, John was named a “Top Ten Chocolatier” by Pastry Arts Magazine, along with Joshua Werner, who had joined his team.
