NORTH BEACH, Md. — The sun has set for the last time over the bright pink walls of Elise’s Market and Patisserie. In North Beach, anyway. A post on the business’s Facebook page—authored by an unnamed administrator—claims Elise’s is planning to open a new location, though no details have been confirmed.
On Monday, May 26, the Facebook page shared that it was their last day operating in North Beach, confronting rumors that had been swirling for months that the business would soon be shutting down.
Chef Patrick Gassion, owner of Elise’s, told The BayNet that he chose to leave the location due to what he described as a harassment campaign led by a former manager who had previously raised concerns about unpaid wages. Gassion alleged that this group filed repeated complaints with the health department, which he said made it unsustainable to continue operating in the space.
However, court records show that MG Property Brothers—the building’s owners—filed a “failure to pay rent” case against Gassion in April. A judge ruled in favor of MG Property Brothers, and Gassion has since appealed. According to Maryland Judiciary Case Search, Gassion has been involved in multiple civil court cases since 2006.
In an interview, Gassion denied that unpaid rent was the reason for his departure and stated that he consistently paid rent throughout his time at 9131 Bay Ave.—though not always in full.
“I don’t like the drama,” he said. “I bring facts and proof.”
When asked whether failing to pay the full amount of rent specified in his lease constituted a breach of contract, Gassion acknowledged, “Well, yes, that’s what the contract said.” He said he has documentation showing partial payments and efforts to set up a payment plan with Hayden Paving—a company that filed two claims against him in late 2024. Gassion attributed his inability to pay in full to an alleged bank account hack, though The BayNet was unable to independently verify that claim.
Hayden Paving is one of several parties Gassion accused of attempting to damage his reputation, though he provided no documentation to support this.
Elise’s opened in May 2024. The BayNet previously reported on some of the challenges the business faced during its first year, including allegations of fraud, wage theft, and deceptive advertising.
Early in the launch process, a manager at Elise’s accused the landlords of delaying approvals necessary to open on time. Later, amid food safety concerns, the business posted on Facebook suggesting that neighboring businesses The Bakist and Vaughn Cheese were responsible for some of the issues—a claim both businesses denied.
The market and patisserie was met with mixed reviews upon opening, and many North Beach residents quickly voiced frustration over what they saw as a lack of options and failure to focus on locally sourced produce and gourmet foods, particularly regarding claims that all baked goods would be made fresh and in-house. Instead, Elise’s sourced pastries from outside vendors, which was not disclosed in initial promotions.
When asked about the marketing discrepancies, Gassion said he made temporary adjustments to comply with local and health regulations but chose not to publicize those changes.
“I wanted to have a kitchen there and it wasn’t possible, so I had to adapt,” he said.
Gassion also said he was not responsible for many of the posts on Elise’s Facebook page, attributing control of the account to a former manager to whom he “gave direction.” He claims the manager refused to relinquish access after being terminated. The BayNet was unable to verify this claim at the time of publication.
“No one can take my value because no one gave it to me,” Gassion said. “I know who I am and what I’m worth. I’m leaving, but the community needs to know the truth.”
Meanwhile, North Beach is already preparing to welcome the next resident to 9131 Bay Ave.
“We’ve believed for a long time that a rising tide raises all boats. The more great businesses we have in town, the better it is for everyone,” said a representative from Vaughn Cheese in an emailed statement. “The future of North Beach really is exciting, and we cannot wait to support any new business as they join this diverse community that welcomes both locals and tourists.”
A spokesperson for the town of North Beach said the municipality does not comment on individual business decisions but added: “We look forward to welcoming a new member to our business community and continuing to support the vitality of our downtown.”
After a roller coaster of expectations that began in early 2024, North Beach residents will have to wait patiently once more to learn what’s next for the pink building boldly bookending the Bay Ave business district.
Contact our news desk at news@thebaynet.com
And to top it off he tried to turn this into as he said was” a racial issue” and the community was against him ..
Let me clarify .
1. This was about your lies
2 This was about your deception.
3 This was about your misrepresentation of your prior work experiences
4 This was about the prices of your products,,, too high
5 This was about how you looked at women in the store ,, they aren’t eye candy.
6.Yes there are people , a very small population, whom are racist that live in the community..they did not cause you to fail.
Items 1 through 5 are what caused you to fail ,, YOU OWN YOUR FAILURE < FACT !
And praying someone rents the building that hates Pepto Bismal Pink!
Haha! Right?
“Later, amid food safety concerns, the business posted on Facebook suggesting that neighboring businesses The Bakist and Vaughn Cheese were responsible for some of the issues—a claim both businesses denied.”
What? The Bakist MADE you put fish in unlabeled ziplock bags with no expiration date??? lmao
Please paint it a different color!!!