MINNEAPOLIS

GAVIN Kaysen, previously the chef de cuisine at Café Boulud in New York, where he earned the James Beard Rising Star Chef Award and a Michelin star, returned to his Minnesota home town in 2014 to open Minneapolis’s revered Spoon and Stable.

In March, he added to his portfolio by opening Bellecour in the Minneapolis suburb of Wayzata; since then, it has become a destination for foodies and Francophiles across the Twin

Cities and beyond.

He named the bistro after a historic town square in Lyon, France, home town to Daniel Boulud and Paul Bocuse, both mentors to Kaysen.

“My time with Daniel was my PhD in this business,” he said.

Indeed, Bellecour pays homage to friends and family who were instrumental in Kaysen’s success.

Tributes are sprinkled throughout the restaurant: French fry cones are emblazoned with quotes from Bocuse; the signature house coffee blend is named after Kaysen’s grandmother, Dorothy; a framed photo of her handwritten recipes adorns a wall of the bakery, which serves fresh pastries starting at 7am.

The inviting, airy space is in a prime spot on Lake Street, steps from Lake Minnetonka.

Kaysen’s wife, Linda, collaborated on the interior, which features an open kitchen and intimate dining spaces, including a garden room and an outdoor patio,

Bellecour is a destination for foodies and Francophiles across the Twin Cities and beyond,

writes Kristin Vukovic