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Cookie Cart licensed for Saint Paul bakery on Payne Avenue

Cookie Cart licensed for Saint Paul bakery on Payne Avenue

New Capabilities Saint Paul, MN local

Nonprofit teen bakery's East Side expansion clears regulatory step after decade-long wait

September 1st, 2026: Food handler license on record

Overview

Updated Sep 4

Cookie Cart, the Minneapolis nonprofit that gives teens their first jobs baking cookies, cleared a key regulatory step for its long-planned Saint Paul location. A Minnesota food handler retail license for 946 Payne Ave appeared on the state's public registry on September 1, 2026.

The license allows the bakery to operate, though it doesn't confirm the doors are open. The expansion has been in the works since 2015, when Cookie Cart bought the former market building on Payne Avenue with plans to open in 2017.

Why it matters

If it opens, the Saint Paul bakery brings paid job training to East Side teens, expanding a program that has served hundreds since 1988.

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Key Indicators

$3.2M
Capital campaign for Saint Paul renovation
Cookie Cart's 2015 fundraising target to renovate the Payne Avenue building.
200
Teens served annually in Minneapolis
Number of teens Cookie Cart employed after its 2014 expansion.
2
Planned bakery locations
Minneapolis plus the new Saint Paul site on Payne Avenue.

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People Involved

Organizations Involved

Timeline

1988 September 2026

6 events Latest: September 1st, 2026 · 1 week ago
Tap a bar to jump to that date
  1. Food handler license on record

    Latest Regulatory

    Minnesota food handler retail license appears for 946 Payne Ave.

  2. Johnson High School pilot launches

    Program

    Job readiness pilot begins at Saint Paul's Johnson High School.

  3. Cookie Cart buys Payne Avenue building

    Acquisition

    Organization purchases 946 Payne Ave, plans 2017 opening.

  4. Minneapolis bakery expanded

    Expansion

    Renovation doubles teen capacity to 200.

  5. Cookie Cart serving 100 teens

    Milestone

    The bakery reaches 100 teens served annually.

  6. Cookie Cart founded

    Founding

    Sister Jean Thuerauf opens the nonprofit bakery in North Minneapolis.

Scenarios

1

Cookie Cart opens Saint Paul bakery

Likely Resolves by End of 2026

Discussed by: Local news coverage and the organization's own public statements

The license is one of the regulatory steps. Cookie Cart announces the bakery is open and begins hiring teen workers on the East Side, replicating the Minneapolis model.

2

Saint Paul opening slips into 2027

Possible Resolves by End of 2026

Discussed by: The 11-year gap between building purchase and license suggests delays are common

The license clears the bakery to operate, but staffing, equipment, or final inspections push the opening past the end of 2026.

3

Cookie Cart scales back Saint Paul plans

Unlikely Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: Unlikely but possible given the long delay and potential cost overruns

Financial or staffing challenges force Cookie Cart to reduce the Saint Paul operation's scope, such as opening retail-only without the teen training program.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

1988

Cookie Cart founding (1988)

Sister Jean Thuerauf began baking cookies with neighborhood teens in her North Minneapolis kitchen while helping them with homework. The informal effort became a formal bakery in 1988.

Then

The bakery opened and began employing teens, growing to serve 100 by 2010.

Now

Cookie Cart became a model for nonprofit teen employment, expanding to 200 teens after a 2014 renovation.

Why this matters now

The Saint Paul location replicates the model that started in a kitchen: paid work plus life-skills training for teens.

2014

Minneapolis renovation and expansion (2014)

Cookie Cart renovated and expanded its North Minneapolis bakery, doubling its teen capacity from 100 to 200.

Then

The expanded bakery served double the number of young people.

Now

The successful expansion set the template for the Saint Paul project, though that effort has taken far longer.

Why this matters now

Shows Cookie Cart has scaled successfully before, but the Saint Paul project's 11-year timeline suggests the second expansion faced more hurdles.

Sources

(4)