Two Years and One Narcolepsy Diagnosis Later, Essen North Is Finally Opening
Tova du Plessis's highly anticipated bakery is finally opening its doors in Kensington, bringing her signature pastries, bagels, coffee, and more to the neighborhood.
Tova du Plessis, owner and pastry chef of Essen Bakery and Essen North / Photograph by Mike Prince
Babka lovers have been eagerly waiting for the grand opening of Essen North, the unofficial name of Tova du Plessis’s second bakery and cafe.
Honestly, so have I. January 2023 was when Philly Mag first reported that the beloved East Passyunk bakery would be expanding into Kensington. Du Plessis, a four-time James Beard-nominated pastry chef, announced plans to open a new, sit-down cafe with house-made sandwiches for breakfast and lunch. It would lean heavily into bagels and sell lox and schmear and fresh-roasted Elixr coffee, making it an excellent space for remote workers and a hella convenient pit stop for commuters on their way to the Berks station.
That was almost two years ago, but opening day is finally here. Tomorrow, Friday, November 1st, at 8 a.m., Essen North will finally open its doors on the corner of Berks and Hope Streets.
A lot has happened since Essen’s expansion was announced — in the world, in general, but especially to du Plessis.
What we didn’t know back in January 2023 was that du Plessis had just been diagnosed with narcolepsy type 1, a lifelong disorder of the sleep/wake cycle. A few weeks before we published our story, she went to a sleep clinic to figure out why she often felt exhausted, had pulsating headaches, and would experience muscle weakness whenever she got overexcited (a symptom of cataplexy, a signature of narcolepsy type 1).
Aside from telling those closest to her, du Plessis kept her diagnosis private. It wasn’t until the first anniversary that she went public with the life-changing news. “I am diagnosed with narcolepsy type 1. I have known this all year,” she wrote on Essen Bakery’s Instagram this past January. “I’m tired of keeping it to myself (yes, pun intended).”
Getting a diagnosis of a chronic neurological disorder is a lot to handle. But what about getting that diagnosis while being a mother who runs one of Philadelphia’s most successful bakeries and is actively building out a second, even larger bakery? “It sucked. It was awful. It was so hard,” she told me shortly after she went public. In addition to managing an already pretty hectic lifestyle, she now had to figure out a treatment plan that worked for her. (As if striking a work-life balance wasn’t hard enough.)
January 23, 2023 – Pastry chef Tova du Plessis at a construction site that would become Essen North. / Photograph by Mike Prince
I stopped by Essen North this past March to see how things were progressing. At the time, it was still a construction site — a skeleton of wooden beams, exposed wires, and cement floors covered in a potpourri of sawdust and drywall — but du Plessis had a pretty clear vision of what her new 2,800-square-foot cafe would look like.
“This is going to be the counter,” she said, pointing to a steel frame jutting out in the middle of the room. “This is where we’ll prepare coffee — we’ll be serving our own roast made by Elixr,” she added before leading me MTV Cribs-style into the shaping room. “This is where you’ll be able to see the magic happen,” she said, pointing to a window through which guests can watch bakers braid Essen’s iconic chocolate-halva babka, shape rugalach, laminate croissants, and prepare a myriad of other pastries.
Past the babka vivarium, through a wide doorway cut out of a brick wall, she led me to an expansive backroom. “We’ll have communal dining tables here for seating during the day, but we can also use this as an event space,” she said, adding that they’ve designed the space specifically for private events and classes in mind.
Brad and Tova du Plessis / Photograph by Mike Prince
The thing that has always struck me about du Plessis is the unwavering confidence she has in herself to tackle head-on whatever is thrown her way, whether it be navigating narcolepsy or the persistent challenges that have delayed this project for nearly two years (you know, contractors, permits, and Philly being Philly — the usual reasons why most things get delayed in the restaurant industry).
Even though my visit was months ago, du Plessis stuck to her vision. Everything she showed me back in March is still a go. Everything she announced would happen two years ago is finally coming to fruition. She made a plan, stuck to it, and never gave up, no matter how bleak things looked. And her persistence has paid off. With the support of her friends, family, staff, and her husband, Brad du Plessis, who quit his job earlier this year to become a partner and the managing director of both locations, Essen North is finally making its big debut.
Stop by 110 West Berks Street this Friday at 8 a.m. for babka, bagels, sandwiches, and more. If you can’t make it on opening day, they’ll be open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for all your challah, black-and-white cookie, and rugalach needs.
