California's governor locked his restaurants down for a year.
Ron DeSantis kept Florida open – and now he's eating his way through every place that survived.
At a walk-up window in West Palm Beach, he just declared the winner.
The Governor Shows Up at a Spot That Outlasted the Lockdown Era
The stop was Buccan Sandwich Shop – part of DeSantis's ongoing "Diners, Drive-ins & DeSantis" social media series, a deliberate nod to Guy Fieri's Food Network show.
DeSantis brought First Lady Casey DeSantis and daughter Madison.
The shop is not a tourist destination.
It operates out of a small window tucked into the back kitchen of a restaurant on South Dixie Highway – order, grab it, go.
Fifteen years in business.
Built around made-to-order sandwiches from James Beard-nominated Chef Clay Conley.
https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/2032252769412006006?s=20
The signature offering is the Beef Carpaccio – rare sliced beef layered with Parmesan, arugula, caramelized onions, and a sharp lemon vinaigrette on a baguette.
Madison tried it.
She approved.
DeSantis tasted it, declared it his number one cold sandwich in Florida, and said what he always says: "You will not be disappointed."
What Newsom's California Can't Show You
While DeSantis was driving around Florida eating stone crabs, roast pork, and Jesus chicken with Sheriff Grady Judd, Gavin Newsom was presiding over a restaurant industry his lockdowns gutted.
DeSantis made the call to reopen in 2020, took the heat from every mainstream media outlet in the country, and turned out to be right.
Buccan has been feeding Palm Beach locals for 15 years and just earned a spot in the Michelin Guide.
That's what Florida's open economy looks like in practice – a James Beard-nominated chef building a gourmet concept around a walk-up window, $16 sandwiches, and a run that no lockdown interrupted.
Casey DeSantis Was There Too – and That's Not a Small Detail
Florida's First Lady has spent 2026 leading Healthy Florida First – a statewide initiative testing food products for toxins and heavy metals, modeled directly on RFK Jr.'s Make America Healthy Again agenda.
She's been holding press conferences across the state releasing independent lab results on infant formula, candy, and bread.
https://twitter.com/ReOpenChris/status/2026122996746740052?s=20
She was standing at Buccan Sandwich Shop when her husband named it Florida's best.
The series has already taken the governor to Tom's Chicken Shack in Bartow, Kathi's Krab Shack in Steinhatchee, Arco Iris Café in Tampa, and the S.S. Wreck & Galley Grill in the Keys.
Every stop gives a small owner a spotlight they could never buy with advertising dollars.
Florida just welcomed 143.3 million visitors in 2025 – a state record.
DeSantis kept the lights on.
The sandwiches are $16 and Michelin-recognized.
That's the trade.
Sources:
- Sophie Pendrill, "Governor DeSantis crowns Buccan Sandwich Shop as Florida's cold sandwich champion," CBS12, March 16, 2026.
- "Governor Ron DeSantis Announces Another Record-Breaking Year for Florida Tourism: Florida Welcomes 143.3 Million Visitors in 2025," Executive Office of the Governor, 2026.
- "Ron DeSantis isn't quite full," Creative Loafing Tampa, February 2026.
- "We visited Michelin Guide-recognized Buccan Sandwich Shop in West Palm Beach," Yahoo Entertainment, July 2025.
- Ana Goñi-Lessan, "First lady Casey DeSantis' food testing program snubbed in Florida budget plans," WUSF, February 2026.
