Mah-Ze-Dahr, a New York bakery popular for its signature baked goods, abruptly closed its West Village location after nearly a decade. The closure, marked by a marshal's eviction notice, was a surprise for loyal customers, some of whom were left without orders. Founded in 2013 by Ahmad and Shelly Acuña Barbera, the bakery was known for its exceptional cakes and pastries. Despite the closure, Mah-Ze-Dahr announced via social media that they would focus on expanding within the city and aim to return to the neighborhood soon. However, underlying financial issues contributed to the sudden closure.
On Saturday, May 10, TikToker Abigail Eileen posted a video sharing that she had placed a birthday cake order with Mah-Ze-Dahr. She received an email confirmation that it was ready for pickup and went to the West Village bakery at 5:30 p.m., only to find that the storefront was empty - and certainly no cake was in sight.
Ahmad and co-founder Shelly Acuña Barbera started Mah-Ze-Dahr as a wholesale bakery in 2013, making their baked goods for big operations like Intelligentsia and Williams-Sonoma.
The bakery was lauded for its chocolate cakes, brioche doughnuts, and vanilla choux. The Brookfield Place location opened in 2022.
But the story of why the bakery - which, since its founding, expanded with several locations, including out of town - closed down is more complicated. It turns out the bakery was evicted from the address because of unpaid rent.
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