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Donna Bell’s Bake Shop served its last scone to customers in Hell’s Kitchen on Sunday afternoon. The Southern-style bakery, created by NCIS star Pauley Perrette and her two best friends, Darren Greenblatt and Matthew Sandusky, closed for good after a struggle to survive during the pandemic.
The all-natural bake shop, named in honor of Pauley’s late mother, opened its doors in April of 2011.
During the pandemic, Matthew has been in charge of the shop, working with friends and using his small-batch recipes that featured in the shop’s New York Times best-selling cookbook.
In March, Matthew told us “we will stay open until they drag us out of here.” However, the reality of no office workers or tourists took a toll on the business, which relied heavily on the weekday traffic from the thousands of workers at Worldwide Plaza above the bake shop on W49th Street between 8/9th Avenue. At Thanksgiving, Matthew joked on Facebook: “For the 8 people who still live or work in New York, we will have some Thanksgiving pies and other assorted pastries.”
The business struggled through until the end of the year with the help of shipping orders — boosted in recent months by Thanksgiving and the Holidays. “Thank you to everybody who placed their orders since July,” said Matthew in November. “You’re literally the only reason I’m still here in New York and the only reason that we’re still open.”
After nearly 10 years, Matthew served his last scones and biscuits on Sunday.
What will you miss the most? Buttermilk biscuits? Chocolate chip-almond scones? Peach streusel muffins? Comment below…
Huge bummer! the breakfast biscuits were the best!
Le-sigh
those breakfast sandwiches!! such a treat 🙁
Not having Donna Bell’s in the neighborhood is very sad. The buttermilk biscuits (and biscuit sandwiches) and the banana bread will be missed. Wishing them all well during this horribly challenging time.
I hope you can reopen after this mess and serve up more delicious biscuits. We enjoyed them three weeks ago. We walk up from Chelsea. Hope to see a nee location in 2021. THANK YOU
So sad that he had to close. My sister called him last April from California and he made the best Birthday cake for me that I have ever had. Additionally she sent a dozen scones that he recommended that were the best I’ve ever had. Please let us know if you reopen once we get through this.
The scones. 😔💔
PLEASE reopen soon! 🤞
I didn’t even know they shipped! Had I known, I would’ve had some shipped to friends & family everywhere!
Donna Bell’s was always the pick me up at the end of a long day. I used to peek into the store looking for their delicious chocolate chip cookies or sugar cookies. Friday mornings were always made that much better by the banana scones. The people who worked there were incredible. I will miss this place so much.
So sad! I loved everything about this place. Every single thing I tried was delicious.
No I’m so sad. I’ll miss their corn muffins and breakfast sandwiches!
I work(ed) in Worldwide Plaza. Their chicken dumpling soup got me through the winter and they made the best scones and cookies. Above all, they are fun, lovely people. I miss them already.
Heartbreaking – I love everything about Donna Bell’s Bakery and miss it a lot.
The breakfast biscuits were amazing. One had blue cheese and bacon in it! Due to my own diet restrictions couldn’t have it often, but when I did, it was a very special treat!
Scones were delicious too, as was everything! Coffee was delicious and the best! Sad to see this place close, I wish the owners and employees the best of luck in their next steps.
They were the best! Those southern biscuits were primo and their cakes were to die for. Nice people, excellent food. They are greatly missed.
They were such a treasure! Their fruit scones exploded with fresh fruit and dripped with icing. THE BEST. I too didn’t know that they shipped. If they reopen, I promise to order like mad! I hope the landlord reads this and gives them a “sweet” deal to reopen. They’re so deserving and I’d bet their business would be off the charts with lots of community support!
Please come back. Somewhere close. This was the kind of shop that made our neighborhood a neighborhood.
Ilene
Definitely do need old fashioned baking and cooking back now. Reopening now would be something everyone would need to bring back NYC after all that we have all been through. Please come back.
Oh man! I used to teach in Hell’s Kitchen and I lover their chicken and dumplings soup and a large biscuit After a long day. Made sure to come in 2020 in September. I really hope it comes back…
I really need your strawberry shortcake. It was the most beautiful cake I’ve ever seen/eaten!!!
Please!!!
I live in Mississippi and just came across the cookbook. The recipes are amazing!
I had hoped to actually visit the restaurant on a trip to NYC until I googled it and found it closed 🥲
Very very sad… by the other comments it sounds like they should reopen 😋
Just asked my friends to pick up a half dozen while they were in the city and came across this – heartbreaking! I’m glad there’s a cookbook.
I hope the place opens again soon, in a new location. That would be wonderful.
This sucks royally. Had my first scone there in October of 2018 when we went down to NYC to see Eric Clapton. It was a Cinnamon Scone with Maple Glaze and it was delicious along with the coffee which was turbo roast I swear. Glad I found the recipe for the scones online and have made a few batches over the years which have impressed my friends. Hope at some point they reopen so I can head back down and have another awesome scone.