{"id":242519,"date":"2026-05-24T19:47:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-24T19:47:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/242519\/"},"modified":"2026-05-24T19:47:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-24T19:47:08","slug":"beloved-nyc-bakery-faced-stomach-churning-issue-before-suddenly-closing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/242519\/","title":{"rendered":"Beloved NYC bakery faced stomach-churning issue before suddenly closing"},"content":{"rendered":"

The beloved 124-year-old Brooklyn bakery that suddenly shuttered last month, saying its owner wanted to spend more time with family, actually had its state license yanked over stomach-churning violations.<\/p>\n

James Caputo, proprietor of Caputo\u2019s Bake Shop in Carroll Gardens, told local news outlets in April that he decided to suddenly close up shop<\/a> to spend more time with family.<\/p>\n

James Caputo, owner of the 124-year-old Caputo Bake Shop, decided not to re-apply for a state operating license after his license was yanked over violations. stefano Giovannini for NY Post<\/p>\n

He noted that he couldn\u2019t shell out the dough needed to fix his Italian-made Logiudice commercial bread oven, either \u2013 and didn\u2019t want to pass the business on to someone outside the family to keep it alive.<\/p>\n

It turns out the bakery also had been plagued with state health-code violations ranging from mold to mouse droppings for more than a year, according to a Post analysis of records \u2014 with the historic bread shop\u2019s license revoked in January.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just honestly didn\u2019t want to be cast in that light,\u201d Caputo, 54, told The Post when asked why he didn\u2019t mention the Department of Agriculture and Markets violations when talking to the press about closing.<\/p>\n

A neighbor shakes the beloved-bakery owner\u2019s hand. stefano Giovannini for NY Post<\/p>\n

\u201cI think anybody would have felt that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Caputo said he was confident that a re-inspection of his shop would have quickly returned his coveted license, and he blamed serious medical issues, mental stress of the job and the century-old bakery\u2019s wear-and-tear as reasons to hang up his apron and not re-apply for the state\u2019s approval.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had done this for 25 years, and it\u2019s been a rough 25 years,\u201d he said. \u201cMy health had been deteriorating over the years, and it wasn\u2019t the physicality of the job: It was the mental stress, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Monday morning, April 27, he taped his\u00a0farewell letter<\/a>\u00a0on the bakery\u2019s door.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is with immense sadness that I am writing to tell you the flame in our oven has been lit for the last time,\u201d he wrote, adding, \u201cLast night was the last night of production.\u201d<\/p>\n

Heartbroken locals post signs of gratitude on the bakery\u2019s door after hearing of its closure. stefano Giovannini for NY Post<\/p>\n

Mourners have since turned the shop\u2019s doorstep into a shrine, taping signs of heartfelt gratitude on its windows.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease, please change your mind!!\u201d someone urged.<\/p>\n

Nearby Sacred Hearts & St. Stephen Catholic Parish wrote on\u00a0Instagram<\/a>, \u201cFor generations, it was more than a bakery. <\/p>\n

\u201cSunday mornings after church, holidays, family traditions \u2014 you could taste the love and history in everything they made.\u201d<\/p>\n

Caputo told The Post, \u201cEverybody who told me how great we were, how much they loved me.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always wanted my bread to be better. I was never happy with the product, but I guess everybody else appreciated what we did.\u201d<\/p>\n

Health inspectors noted during a Jan. 13 inspection that a live mouse was \u201cpresent in the boiler room,\u201d among other health hazards. stefano Giovannini for NY Post<\/p>\n

A Department of Agriculture rep told The Post, \u201cAlthough the bakery has had repeated critical deficiencies that resulted in the revocation of its license, Caputo\u2019s has the option to address those problems, reapply for a license, and, if granted, resume its business.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany businesses that have wanted to continue in operation have successfully pursued this course of action.\u201d<\/p>\n

Health inspectors noted during a Jan. 13 inspection that a live mouse was \u201cpresent in the boiler room on open baskets of exposed breads which are human food by-products intended to be used as animal food.<\/p>\n

\u201cFloors\/walls\/ceilings throughout the establishment have surfaces that are observed to be in disrepair,\u201d they also wrote.<\/p>\n

Caputo said the business took a large toll on his health. stefano Giovannini for NY Post<\/p>\n

Dusty shelves, a soiled walk-in cooler, broken equipment lid, over a hundred mouse droppings and a mouse carcass in the basement food storage area were observed, too.<\/p>\n

Caputo argued the renovations needed to properly upgrade his business would have been too costly and cause it to shut down for months \u2014 at a time where it already \u201cwasn\u2019t easy to make a living,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of new places had come into the neighborhood, and I kind of kept my prices very low,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe neighborhood wasn\u2019t always as trendy as it is right now, and I kind of felt that I owed the customers who would shop with us for many, many years. I had to do right by them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Caputo told The Post he submitted a state-approved action plan \u2014 and even filled out the application to get his license back but then went \u201cback and forth\u201d over his decision to submit that, too.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m being 100% honest, [the license revoking] was not the reason: I knew I had that under control and taken care of. I knew that we would\u2019ve passed, but it was the right time\u201d to leave, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew that if I didn\u2019t do this now, I would never do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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