Food52, Inc., a New York–based food and lifestyle platform, which is currently making a buzz for its holiday recipes, including ‘Snow Globe Cookies’ and ‘Holiday Steak Buffet,’ has entered bankruptcy. The filing reflects a wide gap between the company’s assets and liabilities, along with hundreds of unsecured creditors.
Food52, Inc. Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection
Food52, Inc. has formally stepped into bankruptcy proceedings in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware with plans to restructure debts. A Chapter 11 filing allows the New York-based food platform to continue regular operations during the process.
According to PACER records, Food52, Inc. submitted a voluntary petition in the court, which was signed by Erika Badan, the chief executive officer.
Attorney Michael R. Nestor of Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor, LLP, is representing Food52, Inc. in the bankruptcy court.
About Food52, Inc.
The New York-based platform connects a global community of home cooks and food professionals through recipes, podcasts, videos, and cookbooks. Food52, Inc. also serves the community with its in-house product lineup, Five Two. Its lighting and lifestyle goods company, Schoolhouse, and heritage home brand DANSK are also well known.
The cookbooks by Food52, Inc. found a mention among New York Times bestsellers, and its recipes were acclaimed at the James Beard Award.
Founded by Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs, Food52 is also known for its curated kitchenware and home goods.
According to PR Newswire, in August 2023, Food52 partnered with contextual advertising platform Chicory. The collaboration was aimed at improving the food-based site’s revenue generation potential and uplifting the shopping experience for its recipe enthusiasts.
Matt Greenberg, SVP, head of B2B at Food52, said, “Food52 has a goal of building community and making it easier for people to discover great content and shop for the items they need in their kitchen and home.”
”Partnering with Chicory helps us deliver on that promise and helps our community of 30M shop the best ingredients across our vast library of recipes. For our brand partners, it gives us another opportunity to meaningfully connect with our community as they shop and buy across our platform,” Greenberg added.
Case Details
The Chapter 11 filing mentions that Food52, Inc. owes roughly 200 to 999 creditors in total. Funds will be available for distribution to unsecured creditors.
Other details, as shown in the court records, are given below:
- Filing Date: December 29, 2025
- Court and Jurisdiction: U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware
- Type of Filing: Active, Voluntary Petition
- Chapter: 11
- Case Number: 25-12277
- Estimated Assets: $1,000,001 – $10 million
- Estimated Liabilities: $10,000,001 – $50 million
- Reason for Filing: Restructure finances under court supervision
The petition shows that Food52, Inc. submitted a DIP financing motion to receive funds for its restructuring process. Further, under a Section 363 sale, the New York-based food platform has designated a stalking horse bidder, as identified by F52, LLC to enter into an Asset Purchase Agreement.
Other than this, Food52, Inc. submitted several other first-day motions on December 29. These include a motion to prohibit utilities from discontinuing service, a motion to allow Food52, Inc. to pay prepetition taxes and wages, a motion to authorize and approve continued use of its cash management system, and more.
A corporate ownership statement and a list of the 20 largest unsecured creditors were also submitted by Food52, Inc.
Food52, Inc. is set to continue operating during the Chapter 11 proceedings while resolving unsecured claims from hundreds of creditors. A proposed asset sale under Section 363 could determine the food-based platform’s future ownership.
