MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — This is the season of baking. But if you want to leave it to the professionals, we’ve got one of the best in the nation, right here.

Jason DeRusha takes us inside Midtown Global Market, and eats at The Salty Tart.

It’s Michelle Gayer’s buns, brioche, and baguettes that are tops — she was nominated twice as one of the top five pastry chefs in the country.

“Pretty cool,” she said. “What an honor.”

After 10 years working with famous Chicago chef Charlie Trotter — the two wrote a desserts cookbook together — she opened the Salty Tart in Minneapolis.

“The same same attention to details, and philosophies can be applied to food of all sorts,” she said. “Flavor infusions, combinations, those same ideas apply to desserts to pastries.”

But this is very different from a fine dining restaurant.

“Come get a cup of coffee and a danish here,” Gayer said. “We made it from scratch – real vanilla beans. We give all the love.”

Michelle’s other home baking tip: don’t skimp on the salt.

“We just bake our little hearts out every day,” shes said.