Kansas City vegan bakery closing after more than a decade: ‘Our last hurrah’

Midtown’s Mud Pie Vegan Bakery — a favorite of PETA — is closing.

It opened in 2011 at 1615 W. 39th St. and then expanded to Overland Park in 2017.

But on Wednesday, it posted a notice on its Facebook page saying the 39th Street location would only be open until Sunday, “our last hurrah.”

“39th is our home, it is where we started. But we just weren’t making enough money there,” Ashley Valverde, a partner in the business, said Friday morning. “We hope we can build the business back and we can return.”

In the Facebook post, the owners — Valverde and husband Michael, her parents, John and Sharon Hughes, and William Sims — said: “With the challenges of the last two years and Michael’s worsening MS, we felt we couldn’t keep both locations running. We had to go to where our kitchen is so that our amazing bakers can continue to create delicious vegan treats.”

Ashley Valverde Told The Star that her husband has had trouble grasping the coffee pots, “so it is time for him to really focus on his health.”

They said they appreciate their customers and are working on a wholesale option so their products can be sold at other local businesses or shipped to fans. They also hope to expand delivery.

The coffee shop and bakery has a 100% vegan menu including sandwiches, scones, muffins, pop-tarts, bars, cakes and doughnuts.

Fans posted comments to Mud Pie’s Facebook page:

▪ “We have so many happy memories at Mud Pie! We came there right after our wedding and took photos upstairs, and it was our first family outing after having a baby. Thank you for the wonderful memories and we are glad you will be open in OP!”

▪ “I’d drive anywhere for Mud Pie. Grateful that you’ll continue in OP. Your bakery is unparalleled and adored by my family.”

▪ “I was at KU Med for 11 days in November and my dh went to Mud Pie every day to get our breakfast. Because of you and my sweet friends I didn’t eat hospital food once! Thank you for that. Mud Pie will be seriously missed.”

▪ “My heart just sank. I’ve been a fan and customer of Mud Pie on 39th for ages. Countless days spent there having coffee meetings and working in the delightful atmosphere.”

Mud Pie previously outgrew the 39th Street space and the owners wanted to expand the menu. They turned to crowdfunding to finance the Overland Park location at 7319 W. 95th St., raising $31,712 from 373 backers on Kickstarter.

PETA, the world’s largest animal rights organization, named its scones as one of the “Top 10 Vegan Sweet Treats” in the country in 2018. And it helped Kansas City make its “Top 10 Vegan-Friendly Cities” list in May 2018.

But this week some people complained on Instagram that employees were not paid “livable wages or listened to,” nor were they given enough notice on the closing, “after being promised that they’d have several weeks left of work.”

Ashley Valverde said she gave her one employee at 39th Street about a month’s notice on the closing and the option of transferring to the Overland Park shop. She said she didn’t get complaints on the wages until recently.

“It is a tip based business,” she said. “We had a few complaints recently but when we went back to look they were making $17 to $22 an hour.”

39th Street’s restaurant row also had another blow this month. D’Bronx Authentic Deli and Pizzeria is temporarily closed while the owner and landlord make repairs to the building.

This story was originally published May 6, 2022 at 12:05 PM.