By Tom Maglio

I love a local bakery. So much so that it gets on the nerves of friends and family. If you’re grabbing breakfast or brunch with me, it’s never at a restaurant. It’s almost always going to be me pushing a well-meaning friend to the glass display case of a local shop, pointing out my favorite carb-heavy, sugary treats to try. And the coffee, oh don’t even get me started on the coffee.

So, when one such friend and I were making plans to meet in Dover around 10 a.m. last Thursday, she didn’t even have to ask where I wanted to eat. “… So you just wanna meet at La Baguette?”

Yes. Yes I did.

I’ve been quite interested in the place since starting at the paper about five years ago, when some coworkers mentioned it. Chef Ludovic Bezy brings authentic French techniques and recipes to the table, and it glistens off every beautiful, buttery creation under those glass cases. The first thing I ever had from his kitchen was one of their cruffins (that’s a croissant shaped like a muffin) at my very first meeting for the State News, and it was love at first bite.

It wasn’t long before I entered the store myself, and met owner Anita Wheeler-Bezy, who gave me an impassioned tour of her husband’s many creations. I’ve tried a few over the years, from cookies to macarons (my wife’s favorite), and from danishes to tarts. All of them are great, but those cruffins have made it into the Mt. Rushmore of my favorite pastries, right up there with the legendary raspberry danish of Morning Buns in Millville (now closed, rest in peace, sweet prince), and the donuts of Carlson’s Thai Kitchen (I know, it sounds crazy) in my hometown of Annapolis.

So, it was no surprise I ended up with a cruffin on my plate that Thursday morning. Pumpkin flavored, in keeping with the season. My breakfast buddy, one Laura Walter (the other, better writer of this column), almost did one too, but for variety’s sake she went with a danish (raspberry!), so we could just split them down the middle and share. Naturally, I picked up a container of chef’s macarons to go, for those precious husband brownie points, and Laura grabbed a savory, bacon-y scoop of potato salad. Yes, they do savory quiches, sandwiches and fresh French loaves of bread, too.

Folks, if your life ever takes you past Dover, consider a detour for pastries. If it were up to me, you wouldn’t be allowed to drive through town without one in your hand. So light and flakey, but soft and melty, but also so crunchy and sweet. And they serve Rise up Coffee as well, which is a perfect match for any breakfast. There’s a Rise Up column in me at some point, come to think of it.

Breakfast was so good in fact, that none of the work talk Laura and I had planned to do actually happened until our plates were completely clean. It’s just the kind of food you really want to focus on enjoying to the fullest. But once it was done, we had a lovely chat in the charming outdoor seating, sorting out the next issue of Bay to the Beach. We popped back in to say goodbye to Anita, who cheerfully told us she was on her way to drop off a catered lunch at my afternoon meeting.

Two La Baguette meals in one day was just fine with me.

As an aside, I am so excited to share the upcoming Bay to the Beach magazine with all of you. Our Shop Small gift guides are always a lot of work, but they’re one of my favorite things we do. Over the next few weeks, Laura and I will be in and out of local shops from Dover to Middletown, Cambridge to Milford, Salisbury to Bethany Beach, photographing items to help encourage everyone to support local businesses this holiday season. Can’t wait to get it in your hands!

Find La Baguette at 323 S. Governors Avenue in Dover, Del., and online at labaguettede.com.

Bay to the Beach: Byways is a regular column in which we explore interesting places and projects on the Delmarva Peninsula. Videos and more photos at baytobaynews.com/bay-to-the-beach-byways.