Bon Appetit Seacroft: Meet the woman behind the Leeds cafe voted one of the city's best places for breakfast

Nikki Howarth, 42, is the owner of Bon Appetit in Seacroft. As well as the famed cooked breakfasts, the cafe and bistro serves an ever-changing array of food, including Caribbean cuisine, Sunday roasts, sandwiches, burgers and salads.

Nikki, who was born and raised in east Leeds, opened the business in South Parkway three years ago - a month before the first lockdown - and now runs it alongside her 19-year-old daughter.

She told the Yorkshire Evening Post: “I was a fashion designer for 15 years but I’ve always been a foodie. It started off as a food prep business, but I quickly outgrew my kitchen, it was absolutely tiny.

“We went into lockdown a month after I opened the cafe and we just did deliveries, so we were lucky that it turned out okay. I know a lot of people who come in and I guess I’m a bit of a social butterfly.”

Bon Appetit is a real family affair. Nikki’s daughter, Lola, works in the kitchen with her mum and is behind the cafe’s sweet treats and bakes, and her auntie and sister often help out when needed.

Nikki added: “Customers can expect bubbly smiling faces, lots of prep meals and Caribbean food - we do a bit of everything, we’re a bistro as well as the breakfast side of things. We try to change it up all the time.

“My daughter loves baking so she makes lots of freshly-baked buns. It’s not going to be her forever job because she’s doing her A Levels, but it’s a way for her to get a bit of a wage. And I absolutely love working with my daughter, it’s one of my favourite parts of the job.”

Bon Appetit was recently voted one of the best places for cooked breakfasts in Leeds by YEP readers, and Nikki was thrilled to find out the news. She praised the support of the Seacroft community, who helped to see the business through the pandemic.

“It means the world,” Nikki said. “Everybody is so lovely, it’s a really good community around there - everybody sticks together and stands by you. It’s a really nice place to be.

“I think people love our breakfasts because the plate is really clean, not greasy, and we keep the beans and tomato separate. We put a lot of effort into the presentation as well as the taste.”

As well as running the cafe and deli, Nikki also offers freshly-prepared meals to order and catering at weddings and other private events. She has plans to expand the catering arm of the business - as well as eventually opening a second site.

Nikki added: “It can be really stressful running your own business, having to work so many hours - seven days a week. It’s a lot of pressure, juggling the catering too. But you just do whatever you can to get by and my passion for food keeps me going. And my passion for not failing!”