Aussie teen pastry chef behind booming cannoli business in fight with Meta to get Instagram account back

A young pastry chef with dreams of turning his fledgling dessert business into a full-time career says he feels “helpless” after a social media giant suddenly closed his account.

Zufi Abdul, 18, has had no access to his Cannoli Boss page on Instagram since July 11 when he was told a video he had posted breached community guidelines relating to child abuse and nudity.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Meet the 18-year-old student who launched a booming dessert business.

The 16-second video in question included a compilation of clips of Zufi in his kitchen, showing off a batch of his finished cannoli, buying ingredients, standing with other cooks and running a stall.

His post included the caption: “Cannoli hustling, not schoolwork.”

“There was no warning, I was straight up banned,” the distraught Sydney teen told 7NEWS.com.au.

“I appealed but then was told by them to seek legal counsel if I wasn’t happy with their decision and wanted to take it further.”

Zufi disputes that the video contained any abuse material or nudity, and was perplexed as to why any action had been taken against him.

The video was cross-posted to TikTok, which had no issue with it.

Zufi has been working through Instagram’s online channels and even visited parent company Meta’s Australian headquarters in Sydney hoping to have the situation rectified.

“I knew I definitely didn’t do anything wrong,” he said.

“I feel like my reputation is absolutely shattered.

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

Zufi, who is fighting to get his account back while studying for his HSC trials, said the ordeal has left 18 months of hard work “in the bin”.

He is desperate to secure access to his Instagram page once again, saying the page — which has 1400 followers — is vital to his small operation.

“I feel helpless,” he said.

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

“I’m hoping they reinstate my account and issue an apology as well.”

Meta said in a short statement that users can challenge a decision if they believe their account was banned incorrectly.

“We take action on accounts that violate our policies, and people can appeal if they think we’ve made a mistake,” a spokesperson told 7NEWS.com.au.

Meta did not expand on Zufi’s situation, or say how he had broken the rules.

The home cook appeared on Channel 7’s The Morning Show in April, when he showed off his talents and revealed how he got his start.

“I fell in love with cooking during lockdown,” he said.

He joked that “a cannoli is my energy source” when asked how he managed his booming business along with studies.

He is known for his cannoli tower, which is “almost the go-to instead of an original cake” for customers hosting a big occasion.