When the owners of Essen Bakery announced they were closing their shops in Norris Square and South Philly, it was always supposed to be temporary. Tova and Brad du Plessis announced they were “hitting pause” on May 31 and would be back with “renewed energy, sharper focus, and a few exciting improvements” in three days.
Almost three months later, the shops are still closed and the workers who ran them have no idea when they’ll return, if it all. They say they’ve borrowed money from friends, family or banks to make rent while the du Plessises have ignored their questions and concerns. According to multiple Essen Bakery employees, the couple has been radio silent with staff since June — and blocking anyone, including their own employees, who discusses the fraught situation on the bakery’s social media pages.
Brad and Tova du Plessis didn’t respond to multiple requests for comment.
Hints from the start
It wasn’t always this way, though the people who worked for the company say chaos was baked into the business plan. Essen Bakery began in 2016 with a small storefront on East Passyunk Avenue. It was a breakout moment for Tova, a former line cook for Zahav who racked up four James Beard Award nominations for her shop’s breads and pastries, inspired by the recipes from her childhood in an Orthodox Jewish community in South Africa. When Essen expanded to a larger space in Norris Square last year, her husband Brad, a former wine consultant and sales manager, took the reins of the wholesale and catering operation…