An 18-year-old pastry chef from Sydney says his flourishing dessert business has been thrown into chaos after social media giant Meta abruptly banned his Instagram account, which he claims was wrongfully flagged for violating community guidelines.

Zufi Abdul, the young entrepreneur behind Cannoli Boss, had grown a loyal following on Instagram—the lifeblood of his business—before the account was suspended on July 11. The alleged offense? A 16-second video showing Zufi in his kitchen, preparing cannoli, shopping for ingredients, and working at a food stall. The post was captioned: “Cannoli hustling, not schoolwork.”

“I definitely didn’t do anything wrong,” Zufi told 7NEWS.com.au, insisting the clip included nothing inappropriate.

“There was no warning, I was straight up banned.”

Meta flagged the video under policies related to child abuse and nudity—accusations Zufi categorically denies. The same video, which was also posted on TikTok, remains available with no reported violations.

Zufi, who has been baking since lockdown and built his brand from scratch over the past 18 months, now finds himself locked out of the platform that once powered his side-hustle and connected him with customers.

“I feel helpless,” he said.

“I rely on Instagram. I’m Gen Z—I’m always on social media.”

The Cannoli Boss Instagram page had around 1,400 followers and served as the primary channel for customer orders, marketing, and community engagement. Without access to the account, Zufi says he has struggled to fulfill orders, and has even had to personally track down customers to refund them.

“I feel like my reputation is absolutely shattered,” he said.

“I’m still trying to track down customers to reimburse them for orders I now can’t fulfil.”

Efforts to resolve the issue through Meta’s support systems have gone nowhere. Even a visit to Meta’s Australian headquarters in Sydney yielded no answers. After appealing the ban, Zufi was told to “seek legal counsel” if he wished to escalate the matter.

The teen, who is currently studying for his HSC trials, says the ordeal has sidelined both his business and his focus on school.

“Eighteen months of hard work [is] in the bin,” he said.

Zufi’s business had gained national attention earlier this year, including an appearance on The Morning Show where he demonstrated his lemon lime cannoli recipe—a vanilla custard and lemon curd-filled twist on the classic. He even joked at the time that “a cannoli is my energy source.”

Known for his elaborate cannoli tower—which have become a popular alternative to traditional cakes—Zufi had big dreams of turning Cannoli Boss into a full-time business. Now, he’s fighting just to stay afloat.

Meta has not yet commented publicly on the case.

As Zufi awaits resolution, his hopes remain simple: “I’m hoping they reinstate my account and issue an apology as well.”