Published Jun. 9, 2026at6:00am
Not everyone can perform well under pressure, but Nasir Armar definitely can. And he doesn’t just perform — he excels.
A year ago, Armar had only just started making croissants. But on Sunday, the co-owner and chef of the Ferry Building’s Parachute Bakery (opens in new tab) took home the top prize at the 2026 Best Croissant San Francisco Contest (opens in new tab).
“Winning an award in our eighth month feels incredible, because it feels like the recognition of all the hard work and dedication of not just me, but the entire team. It’s just been very rewarding,” Armar says. “It gives us the confidence that what we are creating is resonating with San Francisco and the community.”
Nasir Armar at Sunday’s competition at the Clift Royal Sonesta. | Source: Courtesy Fiona Duong/French Morning/Frenchly
It’s certainly a come-from-behind win considering that one week before he and partner Alex Hong opened Parachute in September, Armar was logging long hours learning how to make a respectable croissant, the kind for which San Franciscans endure long lines to procure.
“Every day until opening, almost two days before opening, our croissant kept collapsing,” Armar recalls. The bakery’s location next to the waterfront means dealing with high humidity, which can affect the dough. It took constant, small improvements for the bakery to snag the win, Armar says.
The contest, held at the Clift Royal Sonesta in Union Square, saw 10 competitors vying for three prizes. Parachute won two — best original creation and best classic croissant — and Le Marais took home the People’s Choice Award. (Bonjour Bakehouse earned a best original creation title.) The event was hosted by Frenchly, an arts and culture magazine; French Morning, an online media group for expats and Francophiles; and the French American Hospitality and Gastronomy Association. These groups narrowed down the pool of contestants through a year-long voting process. In addition to Parachute and Le Marais, the participants Sunday included Bonjour Bakehouse, Carousel Patisserie, East Bay Bakery, Sarmentine, and The French Spot.
Parachute was a last-minute entrant, Armar says, invited to participate after another bakery had to drop out. On the morning of the event, he was scrambling to prep while also managing the usual bakery operations. He and his team arrived at the venue with just 10 minutes to spare.
“There was nothing on our tables, just our boxes and our croissants, compared to other bakeries, where some of them had 20 to 25 items on their spread,” Armar says, noting that he didn’t even remember to bring a cutting board and had to cut his pastries on cake boxes. “It felt really daunting to be amongst all these super cool bakeries that have been in the Bay Area for so long, and such big names.”
Armar was confident in Parachute’s traditional croissant and didn’t make many changes for the competition. But for the original creation category, he made a s’mores-inspired croissant, featuring chocolate dough filled with chocolate ganache to mimic the slab in the campfire classic. He topped the pastry with house-made graham cracker crunchies and finished it with marshmallow infused with pine cones and spruce tips, both foraged for Parachute.
He spent several days leading up to the competition doing intensive R&D, and the s’mores croissant will go on the menu soon, for anyone to taste — and judge.
Fresh pastries displayed at the Parachute Bakery opening Sept. 4. | Source: Morgan Ellis/The Standard
Before opening Parachute, Armar spent more than 10 years in fine-dining restaurants. But his initial venture in the culinary world involved helping out at his dad’s bakery in India, where there were no Californian ingredients or French techniques.
Parachute isn’t slowing down. Armar is looking into expanding to at least one other location.
“I think with hard work and dedication, anything and everything is achievable,” Armar says.