Houston bakery hit for third time as owner battles cancer

A popular Houston bakery was robbed for the third time — just a day after its owner received his first chemotherapy treatment for colon cancer.

Three suspects forced their way into The Bearded Baker, located in the neighborhood of Houston Heights, at around 2:30 a.m. Thursday, according to reports by KHOU11.

Owner Allan Hursig said his alarm woke him to the bad news.

“I saw three guys rummaging around,” he told the outlet.

Surveillance video shared by Hursig shows the trio kneeing, kicking and pushing through the front window, then prying back a sliding door and ransacking the space.

The thieves appeared to be looking for cash, but Hursig says the haul was hardly worth it. The cost of the broken window alone exceeded what was stole: a speaker and a tub of peanut butter.

“It’s heartbreaking, but of all the problems in the world, this is an easier one to deal with right now,” he said.

Still, Hursig says his bigger battle is the one he’s fighting against cancer. The diagnosis came last month, and doctors say it has already spread to his liver.

Despite the recent run of excessively bad luck, the baker says he’s looking toward brighter days.

“I’m hopeful, I’m optimistic. I caught it early and I’m young in comparison to most cancer patients,” he told KHOU11.

Steady support is exactly what keeps him going.

“My family went down there almost immediately … to check on things to get the window patched up,” he told the station. “What I’m actually fighting toward is actually getting back to the things I love to make people happy.”

Hursig said the huge outpouring of well-wishes from the Houston community has been tremendous, and he is truly grateful.

And he hasn’t lost his sense of humor.

On the bakery’s Instagram page, he left a message to customers: “Well … To add to our 2026 bingo card … We Just had 3 stooges break into the shop last night. We will be open for business as usual but please ignore the mess! And If you know anything or recognize any of these guys. Please reach out!”

The Houston Police Department is investigating the burglary and asking anyone with information to come forward.