Bon Apetit

There’s something undeniably magical about a good croissant.

Flour, butter, water, milk, yeast, sugar, and salt combine to transform into fluffy, flaky, and impossibly light confections. But croissant production is no simple feat, rather the result of a multistep, labor-intensive process of mixing and kneading followed by at least three repetitions of rolling and laminating. When done well, the end result creates that well-loved signature texture of airy flakiness.

It’s a process that Bon Appetit Bakery and Cafe owners Vasken and Janice Palanjian are all too familiar with—one that the Palanjian family has been practicing daily since Vasken’s late father Souren first opened the French patisserie-style cafe in 1983.

A third-generation baker, Vasken grew up running around his grandfather’s bakery in Lebanon where the Palanjian family later emigrated from. The quaint bakery in Fort Walton Beach, Florida was a distant dream until 1976 when Vasken’s father Souren moved the family of bakers to the United States to build a new life.

Bon Appetit found an unlikely home in small-town Fort Walton Beach. And there it has stayed for more than four decades as Fort Walton Beach’s first and only French bakery. It’s a singular distinction in a town that has changed immensely in those 40-plus years, experiencing with it all the events that shaped the landscape, from building booms and recessions to hurricanes and a global pandemic.

Photos by Jack Gardner

While pretty much everything about running a business has changed since 1983, the process of making the perfect croissant still requires time, patience, and plenty of butter.

While most of us are still hours away from hitting the snooze button on our alarms, the lights are already coming on at Bon Appetit, where the bakers arrive as early as 3 a.m. A 6 a.m. crew arrives to load the display cases and pack up wholesale deliveries for local restaurants in Fort Walton Beach, Destin, Rosemary Beach, and Bluewater Bay. By 7 a.m., kitchen and front-of-house staff begin arriving to prepare for opening. While the cafe begins its daily hustle and bustle, the bakers prep dough for the next day’s batches.

The quality of their product is proven with every batch, from pastries and boules baked fresh each day to the myriad confections that grace the display case daily. Consistency and quality keep guests returning.

“We have a multitude of regulars,” Vasken notes. “We have a group of men that come in almost daily. They don’t even have to order—we just put their food on their table.”

Photos by Jack Gardner

Limited though their hours may be—Tuesday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturdays until noon—Bon Appetit maintains a near-cult following. And the regulars know to arrive early before favorites sell out and the cozy dining room fills up. After more than 40 years, that kind of popularity speaks to everything they’re doing right.

Though not natives, the Palanjians have spent a lifetime in Fort Walton Beach, serving generation after generation of locals and visitors, too.

“It’s amazing to see the generations of customers who visit the bakery,” Vasken says. “I remember a woman who used to come in regularly, pushing her son in a stroller. My dad would always spoil him with little treats. That little boy has since grown into a successful businessman right here in town—and now, we’re proud to be doing business with him.”

Beyond baked goods, Bon Appetit has a full menu of lunch offerings including a rotating soup selection and sandwiches built around the shop’s freshly baked bread and croissants. Fresh-made goodies range from signature croissants with both sweet and savory filling options to Danishes, cookies, tarts, and cakes.

One of Vasken’s personal favorite treats is the Chocolate Success, made with almond meringue and crushed almonds, iced with chocolate buttercream and topped with Swiss chocolate.

For locals and travelers alike, a visit isn’t merely about breakfast or a midday treat—it’s a small ritual of connection to both people and place.