No one ever romanticizes a buffet. No one ever daydreams about their next trip to get wings. But a Parisian bakery, now that’s the stuff of fanciful idylls that send the soul soaring. We envision ourselves sipping on a coffee, a warm buttery croissant on our plate still steaming from the oven. And we imagine the conversations we’ll have, enlightened tête-à-têtes about philosophy, history and poetry.
It’s a daydream you can lose yourself in. Just ask The French Bakery owner Marek Belka.
“Reality is boring,” he said with a laugh.
The difference being, in Belka’s case, he chose to substitute his own reality. When he took over as the owner of The French Bakery, it was a very well-known and well-loved but tucked-away spot among the creeping blight of Pineland Station’s decline. What he has transformed it into is an institution in the truest sense of the word.
Making the inspired decision to move to Shelter Cove, where his restaurant enjoys a panoramic view of a waterfront park and an outdoor space ideal for a French bistro experience, was only part of it. There was also the decision to move the entire menu forward. He still uses the same recipes that made the original location beloved, but he has constantly added to them.
The range of baked goods, for example, expanded to include a few items that should probably come with some kind of warning. “The almond croissant is highly addictive,” he said with a laugh. “You know how some places mark spiciness on a scale of jalapenos? I may need to add an almond scale. It’s that addictive.”
We can personally attest that the cappuccino muffins are at least a four on the addictive almond scale. But we digress. The point is, the menu is, like the restaurant, always evolving as Belka continues to shape reality into something better. When he began to evolve the bakery into a French-style coffee hangout, he added top-of-the-line Modbar equipment to brew locally roasted beans. And of course, the menu just continued to expand. The latest addition, as the mouth-watering photos surrounding these words reveal, is a focus on seafood.
“I wanted to have a more complete menu,” Belka said. “When you come to the island or you live by the seashore, you should have something from the sea. I love fish, and I love seafood, and people were always asking for it.”
And that, dear readers, is where you have a chance to shape this reality along with Belka. Stop by The French Bakery enough (as if you can ever stop by The French Bakery enough), and you’ll begin to notice quite a few familiar faces. That’s because while some places have regulars, The French Bakery has devotees. And those devotees play a big part in defining what their favorite eatery is.
“As an owner, I might have one view, but I’m always listening to people because I’m here for them,” Belka said. “We have always felt such huge support from locals. You look at the last few years, they weren’t easy. And we survived, thanks to their support.”
Whether we have Belka or his loyal legion of regulars to thank for such additions as the Sunday brunch, suffice it to say they have our gratitude. On an island where brunch is sacred, The French Bakery shakes things up with an ever-rotating array of specials and new offerings every Sunday. “Sunday brunch doesn’t have to be the same every Sunday, and we wanted to make the best brunch on the island,” Belka said. “I like to be creative, and so does my staff, so we decided to make Sunday special.”
It’s a constant evolution that has brought The French Bakery to this point. Where it goes from here is something Belka has envisioned, but he’s playing it close to the chest. There are expansion plans afoot, there are new menu items that the epicurean muses have planted in his head, and there are a million ways The French Bakery will continue to grow.
Only Belka knows what this new reality will look like. He’ll always look to his regulars to see what they want and give back to the community that he helped him create that vision. Whether it’s free crepes for Grace Community Church or the mountains of pastries and mouthwatering baked goods he’s donated to local schools and first responders, Belka always looks for ways to give back.
And the community has responded, helping The French Bakery grow and expand from its humble beginnings into the island’s go-to for continental appeal. Boring? At The French Bakery, reality has never been so sweet.
The French Bakery is located at 28 Shelter Cove Ln. in Shelter Cove Towne Centre on Hilton Head Island. For more information, visit m.facebook.com\thefrenchbakeryhhi.
