On the Tuesday immediately following Thanksgiving, Hungry Ghost Bread, a cornerstone of the Northampton and Smith College communities for more than two decades, announced its plan to close its doors on Dec. 20. The bakery, located just steps from Smith campus, has been a frequent stop for generations of students seeking fresh bread, cookies and a welcoming environment. Its closure marks the end of an era for many Smithies who saw the bakery as an integral part of campus life.
For owners Jonathan Stevens and Cheryl Maffei, the decision comes at the end of nearly 22 years running the retail shop and almost a lifetime of breadmaking.
“Cheryl does the hard work of actually running the business, so I get to bake the bread,” Stevens said.
Maffei emphasized that Hungry Ghost was created to bring people together. Before opening their beloved retail location, Stevens ran a wholesale operation out of their basement.
“It was lonely,” Maffei said. “You get to meet people when you’re dropping off the bread. But we were looking for a community experience. And the best way to do that is to have a bakery where people could drop by. That’s what we did. And it worked. We made friends. We became part of the community.”
The owners say that the bakery will officially close at the end of the day on Dec. 20. January will be spent cleaning the space out, and in February the new owners, Sam Coates-Finke and Ana Maria Valle Bendezú, will begin renovations.
“I have a broken wrist…and when you’re in your mid-60s and your toes start to curl and you probably have cataracts, it’s time to move on, it’s as simple as that,” Maffei said. “I want to spend more time with my grandchildren and do something else with what will hopefully be 20 more years of my life.”
Stevens agreed, adding that “it’s time for somebody else to do it.”
While many community members speculated online about whether Hungry Ghost might relocate, rebrand or reopen under different terms, Maffei and Stevens were clear: the breadmaking chapter of their lives is coming to a close. “That’s on them,” Maffei said of the incoming owners. “I don’t know what they’re going to do.”
Smith students have long been a visible and enthusiastic portion of Hungry Ghost Bread’s customer base.
“Oh my God, what a bunch of cookie eaters,” Maffei laughed. “We can’t keep up with the cookies. But they clearly love the bread too…we know when the Smithies are around.”
Stevens added that Mountain Day is particularly noticeable. “We know when it’s Mountain Day too. They come get things, and we see them walking back up the hill from town.”
Parents and alumni also contribute to the bakery’s connection with Smith.
“We know when parents are dropping students off or visiting,” Stevens said. “And we know when reunions are, people come in, dressed in white, excited about getting the bread they remembered from years before.”
Students echoed that sense of attachment.
Reagan Cobb ‘28 said they often visit the bakery, usually two or more times a month.
“I really like that it’s almost always fresh or at least warm,” they said. “It’s a very homey environment…and it’s nice to have something freshly baked and handmade and warm when you’re so far from home.” Some of Cobb’s favorites include the French batard, chocolate chip cookies and blueberry-lemon scones.
The ownership change, Cobb said, feels uncertain. “Change isn’t always bad, but it’s not always good either… It’s an establishment I really like, and it’s concerning if staff are being let go.”
Other students shared similar appreciation. Itzel Aleman Flores ‘27, who last visited Hungry Ghost over Thanksgiving break, said she values the “homemade” quality of the bread, something that wasn’t common where she grew up.
“It’s really good,” she said, adding that she hopes prices remain reasonable.
Tabitha Kibwaa ‘27 said she last visited in the spring and loves to try new pastries. “They do good stuff,” she said. She also likes how the building looks as well as the bakery’s collaborations with local artists. The ownership change didn’t come as a surprise to her. “A lot of places on Main Street are changing hands,” she said.
Still, few students are aware of the past of the building that Hungry Ghost Bread occupies. Maffei and Stevens explained that the structure is owned by Smith College, but was originally a New England Telephone and Telegraph Company exchange building.
“They build them on the same plan. They’re perfectly square and have that white wooden fringe,” Stevens said. Before becoming a bakery, the building housed several businesses, including a chiropractor’s office. The bakery completely transformed the interior in 2004, swapping dropped ceilings and tiny rooms for the warm space students and the community now recognize.
Beyond selling bread, Hungry Ghost created traditions, and a community. The bakery hosted the annual Wonder-Not Bread Festival, featuring vendors, samples of fresh bread, live music, puppets and parades, accompanied by the Expandable Brass Band.
“The bread festivals have been very memorable,” Maffei said. “Those are always really jovial times…and a lot of Smithies would come and volunteer, especially with the puppets. It was kind of a ‘come join us’ day and they would.”
The owners said the outpouring of love and support following their public announcement has been overwhelming. Their Facebook post received nearly a hundred comments from community members expressing gratitude and well wishes, sharing memories and more.
“We’ve read them all,” Maffei said. “It’s a little overwhelming. But there it is, all of those people commenting. They all have relationships with us, and then some.”
As the bakery prepares to close and transfer ownership, both owners are reflective but content.
“We’re grateful for the relationships… it’s really been about the relationships,” Maffei said. “Yes, the bread is good and the cookies are great, but it’s really been about the relationships we’ve made. It’s bound to happen when you make hundreds of loaves a day, thousands a week, and God, I don’t even want to say a million a year. That’s a lot of bread and it’s a lot of hard work.”
Stevens agreed, saying, “It’s just a privilege to be part of a real economic exchange, that’s what economics are supposed to be. We know our farmers, our millers, our customers. We’ve just felt connected. It’s been a privilege.We appreciate that people have been enthusiastic and patient when we’ve run out of bread or when things weren’t quite the way we wished they were. We’re not a perfect cafe. We don’t have coffee…we play music loud and we’re a little rough around the edges. But we’re focused on good food, and people seem to have appreciated that.”
As Hungry Ghost prepares to close, Northampton residents and Smith students are saying goodbye to a business that has shaped local routines for more than two decades. For Stevens, the handoff feels timely.
“It’s time for somebody else to do it,” he said. Maffei, reflecting on the community’s response to the announcement, delivered a final message to customers and neighbors: “Just, thank you.”
