When French pastry chef Gregory Doyen opened MOD, his take-out bakery on Prince Street in SoHo in New York City in mid-December 2023, it brought back memories of the success of fellow French chef’s Dominic Ansel’s famed cronut, his donut/croissant creation. In many ways, Doyen is trying to achieve what baseball great Yogi Berra once called déjà vu all over again.
Doyen calls it MOD because it introduces a “multi-layered original dessert,” combining a brownie with a cookie, and using all natural ingredients and proving that he has a knack for clever acronyms. The base layer, he says, looks like a cookie and then “you go deeper within and reach an increasing level of chewiness.” The recipe he concocted creates a “moist dessert,” he says, and what differentiates it are he uses no artificial ingredients of any kind, no chemicals, and each MOD is about 325 calories, not excessive by French pastry standards.
MOD has created a new brownie/cookie combo out of a bakeshop in SoHo that could lead to more MODs in the future. Asked if he opened his shop in SoHo to replicate Ansel’s success, he says he wasn’t influenced by Ansel at all. Instead, he chose SoHo for a variety of reasons including its “artistic atmosphere, fashionable foot traffic, historic charm, culinary diversity, trendsetting environment.” Edward Geyman, Doyen’s business partner and the CEO of Carvart, a design and construction company, agrees that SoHo is the perfect neighborhood for a French bakery because it’s so reminiscent of Paris, establishing what he deems as a “French connection.”
Not only are the MODs appealing, but Doyen is there on-site most days, wearing his chef’s apron, talking to customers, answering their questions, creating an experience that transcends the desserts themselves. Doyen, a 38-year-old, native of Burgundy, France, graduate of Alain Ducasse’s Academy, has cooked in global locations, but chose New York as the place for his original recipe because “the mix of cultures here is my inspiration. Choosing New York was intentional—it’s where global culinary trends thrive.”
A Desirable Taste for All
MOD aims at an extremely eclectic target market, ranging from “sweets-loving children to seasoned foodies with sophisticated palates.” It also offers a variety of hot and cold drinks to accompany desserts. And it offers a flavor of the month including S’mores, for December, which are hand-torched marshmallows. Coming soon are a variety of coffee drinks.
A Compact Bakery Experience
MOD’s store is quite compact, measuring 400-square feet, and take-out only, with no indoor or outdoor seating. If you want to eat a MOD, it’s to-go only, though they will be installing two or three high-top counter seats soon. Therefore, Doyen says, “Off-premises sales play a crucial role in expanding our reach and satisfying customers who prefer to eat at home.” So far, it’s pick-up only, but third-party delivery starts after the first of the year.
Like Ansel, Doyen is also a savvy social-media marketer. And he notes that MODs look “great on Instagram, and camera-influencers have been flocking here since day one.” In a world of Instagram and Tik-Tok, French desserts have to look appealing and taste good too. They’re light and tasty, with delectable chocolate. Since MOD recently opened, Yelp contained only one review, which wasn’t flattering. Geyman admits that after reading the Yelp review the team had a meeting to discuss what to do about it. Their conclusion was, based on using premiere natural ingredients, that the price was acceptable.
MOD started with a compact store in SoHo, but the team has bigger plans in mind. They aim to build their brand, taking advantage of their product and website. They envision opening more company-owned bakeries, and there has already been interest from overseas. However, they want to take their time, get their service right, and continue to innovate with new dessert offerings.
According to Geyman, the keys to their success are the quality of the product, creating an experience within the store by meeting the chef in person, and having the right team in place. MOD’s commitment to using natural ingredients and providing a unique dessert experience sets them apart in the competitive New York City pastry scene.
MOD has made its mark in SoHo with its delicious and innovative dessert creations. With its commitment to high-quality ingredients and a personalized touch, MOD is creating a memorable experience for its customers. As MOD continues to expand its reach, it’s clear that this French bakery is on its way to becoming a beloved destination for dessert lovers in New York City and beyond.
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