{"id":344982,"date":"2026-09-12T13:46:08","date_gmt":"2026-09-12T13:46:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/344982\/"},"modified":"2026-09-12T13:46:08","modified_gmt":"2026-09-12T13:46:08","slug":"divorcing-nyc-couple-fighting-over-crumbling-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/344982\/","title":{"rendered":"Divorcing NYC couple fighting over crumbling business"},"content":{"rendered":"

The husband and wife team behind the super successful Thin Cookies<\/a> are at war over dough.<\/p>\n

Yoseph Raja and Zohal Azimi Raja, whose marriage<\/a> is in the weeds, built a cookie business <\/a>with two popular stores \u2014 one on Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village and the other in Hicksville, Long Island.<\/p>\n

But now their cookie <\/a>empire is crumbling.<\/p>\n

The couple opened the Bleecker Street store in Greenwich Village in 2025. Helayne Seidman for the NY Post<\/p>\n

A lawsuit filed Thursday in Manhattan Supreme Court alleges Azimi is sabotaging it and has withdrawn more than $100,000 from the company bank accounts for her own use.<\/p>\n

She is also accused of seizing a walk-in cooler containing an inventory of dough<\/a> \u2014 and swiping the company delivery van.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s too much damage for her hubby\u2019s taste.<\/p>\n

The suit claims Azimi, 30, \u201cis not and has never been a shareholder, officer, or director\u201d of either store, and that her involvement in the business consisted principally of recipe development, social media and graphic design work.<\/p>\n

Raja, 31, is president and 50% owner of the business, while his father, Bashir Raja, is vice president and owns the other half, according to the suit.<\/p>\n

Zohal Azimi founded the cookie company with husband Yoseph Raja. Linkedin \/ Zohal Azimi<\/p>\n

Along with building a cookie empire, Yoseph Raja is also a pharmacist. Linkedin \/ Yoseph Raja<\/p>\n

The alleged cookie caper has left the companies unable to pay employees and forced the Greenwich Village shop <\/a>to temporarily close, Raja claims.<\/p>\n

The companies are also facing eviction for nonpayment of rent, spoilage of perishable inventory, disrupted relationships with vendors and landlords and loss of goodwill, according to the suit.<\/p>\n

Raja further alleged Azimi used company funds to pay her personal credit card expenses.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a bitter turn for a business with sweet beginnings.<\/p>\n

The Thin Cookies couple, who live in Hicksville on Long Island, started their business from home in 2021, opened the Long Island shop in 2023 and the Greenwich Village store in 2025 \u2014 although Azimi\u2019s baking roots go back much further. <\/p>\n

Her father runs a Middle Eastern bakery in Queens, so she grew up surrounded by baking<\/a>, and learned the craft herself, reported Patch<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m the friend who people always ask to bake a cake,\u201d said Azimi. \u201cWhen we did a small business at home, I just thought it would be a small business. Once it started getting bigger and the wholesale picked up, I started thinking of brick and mortar.\u201d<\/p>\n

The cookies come in a range of flavors and go for $7 for a half dozen. FaceBook \/ Thin Cookies<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just in my blood, I was always around it,\u201d she told GreaterLongisland.com<\/a>. \u201cI grew up with three sisters, and I was the baker.\u201d<\/p>\n

The recipe that would become their business was born after Yoseph \u2014 a pharmacist \u2014 mentioned that he liked thin cookies but hated how crunchy they were.<\/p>\n

Azimi experimented in the kitchen until she perfected a thin, chewy cookie that proved a hit.<\/p>\n

\u201cCOVID gave me more time because I started working from home,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

From there, the business grew into a fan favorite<\/a> \u2014 their Instagram has 53K followers alone \u2014 with the two stores, and the success-story couple went on to have two children, one in January 2023 and the next in October 2024.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy husband was my taste tester,\u201d she <\/a>told media outlets.<\/p>\n

The tasty treats \u2014 which include snickerdoodles, double chocolate, white chocolate with macadamia nuts and coconut \u2014 go for $7 for 6 cookies, $13 for a dozen and $25 for two dozen, according to their website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Both stores were a hit \u2014 with customers singing the praises <\/a>of the sweet delights.<\/p>\n

But behind the sweet success story, their marriage was apparently falling apart. <\/p>\n

Azimi filed for divorce on Feb. 22, 2026, according to records<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Seven months later, the fight has spilled from the matrimonial court into the cookie jar<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Raja is now seeking an unspecified amount in damages. Oh, and he wants the van back. <\/p>\n

Attorney Ayat Masoud didn\u2019t return The Post\u2019s call seeking comment. <\/p>\n

Azimi declined to comment, saying she \u201chad not seen the lawsuit.\u201d Raja could not be reached for comment.<\/p>\n

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