Dominique Ansel Bakery Shut Down By Health Department
By 3 p.m. on Friday, April 4th, Dominique Ansel Bakery, home of the Cronut snack sensation, was shut down by the New York City Department of Health for "a severe mouse infestation that requires professional pest control services."
Yesterday on April 3rd, a customer submitted video footage of a mouse on the bakery floor to Gothamist.
Incidentally, Ansel was scheduled for an interview with The Daily Meal today at 2 p.m. to discuss the invention of Ansel's highly sought-after Cookie Shot, and the rest of his spring and summer dessert menu. The meeting was canceled abruptly after a staff member from The Daily Meal arrived at the bakery, with no explanation.
According to Gothamist, the bakery staff, including Ansel himself, spent a full day conducting a deep cleaning of the bakery and found nothing. The bakery has been asked to re-cement the entire basement, which would require the business to shut down for construction, but a representative told the publication that as of now, the bakery plans to reopen on Monday.
UPDATE: While a representative of Dominique Ansel Bakery told Gohamist that the bakery is just waiting for its reinspection, a spokesperson for the Department of Health told the publication that "What made the infestation severe was that the health inspector found several hundred mouse droppings."
The bakery representative maintains that "there were there were ZERO mice or any rodents found by the DOH."
UPDATE 2: Dominique Ansel bakery has aced its reinspection, and will reopen on Tuesday, April 8th, at 8 a.m. Even better, the bakery will be serving a "special Rocky Balboa-inspired cronut: a black passionfruit caramelia chocolate Cronut with a gold star on top.
Karen Lo is an associate editor at The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @appleplexy.