Bello Cucina Italian Steakhouse in St. Joseph, Minnesota, is heading toward its final chapter. Master chef and owner Jason Mueller plans to retire by the end of 2026, and once he does, the restaurant he has run for 14 years will close its doors for good.
The news, first reported by WJON, means Bello Cucina will keep serving diners in the Millstream Shops development until Mueller steps away from the kitchen. In the meantime, the restaurant is encouraging customers holding gift cards to use them before the closure, since unredeemed cards become uncollectible once a business shuts its doors, even though Minnesota law prohibits gift cards from carrying expiration dates or inactivity fees under Minnesota Statute § 325G.53.
Mueller's path to the stove was anything but conventional. Before his 30-year culinary career, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps and pursued a career in law enforcement, according to KNSI, before a military injury forced him to pivot toward cooking, a path he says was inspired by his grandmother.
From a Six-Location Chain to One Final Restaurant
Bello Cucina wasn't always a single-location operation. At its peak, the brand expanded into a regional chain with six locations across Greater Minnesota, but Mueller scaled things back after coming to believe the stress of managing multiple restaurants contributed to a heart attack, per the same KNSI report. One of those locations, on Main Street in Marshall, closed in June 2022 after nearly eight years when Mueller and the building's owners couldn't agree on a new lease, as the Marshall Independent reported at the time.
That left St. Joseph as the flagship and, eventually, the last remaining Bello Cucina. The restaurant has operated there since 2012, and in December 2016 it expanded its footprint inside the Millstream Shops development by taking over an adjacent retail space once occupied by On A Lark, enlarging its bar area, according to WJON's earlier coverage.
A Late-Career National Spotlight
Even as he prepared to wind things down, Mueller found himself in the national spotlight. In July 2024, he advanced to the semifinals of Carla Hall's Favorite Chef competition and placed fourth in his group, finishing in the top 5% of more than 4,000 entries nationwide, per KNSI's reporting. During that campaign, Mueller sought to raise $25,000 for a scholarship for aspiring young culinary students, with plans to eventually build a hands-on culinary education initiative inside his restaurant.
Along the way, the restaurant evolved with its market. In 2022, Bello Cucina rebranded itself as an Italian Steakhouse, shifting its menu toward protein-centered entrees like sirloin steaks and seafood spiedino while keeping its traditional Italian pasta dishes, according to Visit Greater St. Cloud's dining listings. That reinvention helped the restaurant earn recognition as one of the area's best Italian restaurants for several years running.
What's Still on the Menu Before Closing Time
Until Mueller retires, the restaurant is sticking to its regular weekly rhythm. Bello Cucina is open Tuesdays through Saturdays starting at 3 p.m., with half-price bottles of wine every Tuesday, a build-your-own pasta option paired with a choice of salad on Wednesdays, and a second pasta dish at half price on Thursdays. Fridays and Saturdays bring chef's-choice specials, and reservations are still being accepted by phone.
St. Joseph, a Stearns County college town home to the College of Saint Benedict and nearby Saint John's University, had a population of 7,029 as of the 2020 U.S. Census, according to Census Bureau figures cited in background on the community. That small-town, college-adjacent market has supported an upscale Italian steakhouse for well over a decade, even as the broader Central Minnesota dining scene has felt pressure recently. Nearby St. Cloud saw its own high-profile closure in May 2026 when HuHot Mongolian Grill on Division Street shut down, a sign of the operational strain facing independent and regional restaurants across the region, as Hoodline previously reported.
It remains an open question whether Mueller will find a buyer to take over the turnkey downtown space or whether it will become something else entirely once Bello Cucina serves its last plate. For now, the restaurant remains open under Mueller's ownership, with no firm closing date set beyond his stated goal of retiring by the end of 2026.
