French baker brings his croissants, baguettes and more to Evanston looking to make sweet connections

A new French bakery serving all of the classics recently opened its doors near downtown Evanston.

Founder and owner Remy Ruiz opened the Praline Cauldron on the ground floor of an office building at 500 Davis St. in late September. The France native, who has 25 years of experience, offers 12 different flavors of croissants, baguettes, croque monsieurs, charlottes and more daily.

Ruiz, originally from Saint-Étienne, France, some 40 miles from the southeastern French city of Lyon, named his new bakery Praline Cauldron because of his region’s connection with the candy.

With both of his parents working in the food and restaurant business their entire lives, Ruiz’s first shot at a business of his own was the Le Point Du Jour bakery in Saint-Étienne. His first big leap from Europe was to Can