Ruth Francour stands outside her downtown Minnesota Lake cottage business called Aunt Ruth’s Baked Goods.

Ruth Francour went to college for commercial art but now she is the Ruth of Aunt Ruth’s Baked Goods, a cottage bakery located on Main Street in Minnesota Lake.

“We opened for walk-in sales on April 18 of 2025,” Ruth says.

Just to be clear, a cottage bakery means she bakes and sells things out of her home.

“I had been a cottage producer for about 10 years,” Ruth comments. “But I had not had a walk-in business until I moved to Minnesota Lake.”

Her business is located in the building that once housed the Minks Insurance Agency.

“It is kind of a unique situation,” Ruth explains. “The house is in a business district so to live here I had to have a business. This place had also been an apartment building.”

A native of Madison Lake, Ruth reveals she has always liked baking.

“I think I got the love of baking from my grandmother,” she shares. “My grandma was beyond a good baker. We would go to her place and leave with indigestion – not because the food was bad but because it was so good that we overate.”

Ruth also gives her mother credit.

“My mom taught me to make decorative icing roses,” she notes. “I was always welcome to bake at home whenever I wanted.”

It probably comes as no surprise that home economics was Ruth’s favorite class in high school.

“But it was too easy,” she laughs. “I wanted something more challenging.”

Ruth had many other job experiences before deciding to do what she really loved.

“I was a lead photographer for Sports Pix in Mankato where I mostly photographed weddings, music concerts and did studio photography.”

She has also worked for Verizon and managed a yogurt shop.

And, along the way, she became Aunt Ruth.

“While at one of my jobs, kids began calling me aunt Ruth,” Ruth explains. “Plus, I have a whole lot of nieces and nephews.”

Ruth and her husband, Isaac, have one child, a seven year old son named Warren.

“Warren is on the autism spectrum but on the high functioning side,” Ruth comments. “We homeschool him.”

Prior to moving to Minnesota Lake, Ruth had operated her business out of North Mankato and Madison Lake.

“I found this place in Minnesota Lake late one night while I was scrolling on Facebook,” Ruth says. “I had some concerns about relocating to a smaller community but it has not been an issue.”

She explains how she got the inspiration to begin her own business.

“It was while I was working for Verizon and we had a company picnic,” Ruth remarks. “There was someone who did not want to bring food and wanted me to bake for her.”

Now, her customers come from not only Minnesota Lake and nearby towns like Blue Earth, Easton, Delavan, Mapleton and Wells, but also from cities that are further away.

“I have customers in Le Sueur, Mankato and St. Peter,” Ruth notes. “I even had a customer from Spain, although they were here when they purchased their order.”

Aunt Ruth’s is open for walk-in business on Friday from 3-7 p.m. and on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Special orders are available seven days a week.

“I bake cakes, cupcakes, cookies, decorated cutouts, rolls, snack mixes, pies and have home-roasted coffees,” Ruth comments. “I am hoping to offer a class in the future on how to decorate cookies.”

Asked what her favorite item to bake is, she responds it is the decorated cutouts.

“I enjoy decorating the cutouts,” Ruth states. “It gives the artist in me a chance to come out and play.”

To make everything operate smoothly, Ruth says she follows a consistent schedule.

“Monday is my day for purchasing and obtaining ingredients and Tuesday is the day I am busy putting together all of the dry ingredients,” Ruth comments. “On Wednesday I start making cookie dough and I spend all day and all night on Thursday baking. On Friday I will continue baking until it is time to open up for walk-ins. Then, after we close I go back to baking or decorating. Saturday is similar to Friday in that I am busy baking after our walk-up hours are over.”

A person may be wondering when she finds time to sleep.

“That’s what Sunday night is for,” Ruth remarks. “That is really the only night I get a full night of sleep although I am sometimes able to grab a nap when a cake is in the oven.”

She also follows some other guidelines.

“Everything is normally fresh,” she says. “Rarely do I freeze things.”

Ruth also gets her husband involved.

“Isaac is the dishwasher and a sprinkle decorator,” she notes. “He is also my finance manager because I know I do not have the time to do that job right.”

If operating her business is not enough to tie up most of her time, Isaac and Ruth are also staying busy renovating their house.

“This place had carpet everywhere, including the counters,” Ruth notes. “We are now back to wood floors and are busy with lots of other renovation projects inside of the house.”

Ruth does an annual cookie buffet the Saturday before Christmas where she will make 30-40 different kinds of cookies.

“Besides Festag, that is our biggest day of the year,” she states.

One goal that Ruth and Isaac have, besides restoring their place, is to become more involved in the community.

“I have been able to attend a monthly Bible study and a garden club,” Ruth says. “The people of Minnesota Lake have been very welcoming and we are very happy to have moved here.”