Our Story
Down Island is one of our area’s few chef-owned and family-operated restaurants. It is the brainchild of Chef Brannon Janca, co-founder of Stinky’s Fish Camp and former corporate chef/partner at Word of Mouth Restaurant Group. Chef Janca hails from the Mississippi Gulf Coast where his family influenced his passion for food, art and entertaining. He spent his summers in his grandfather’s gardens and chicken coups learning the true definition of farm to table. Janca has a unique and artistic approach to food and design, and is known for revolutionizing casual dining. After graduating from The Culinary Institute of New Orleans and honing his craft at Gautreau's and Commander’s Palace, Chef Janca moved to Santa Rosa Beach where he has lived and worked for the past 20 years alongside his friend and partner, Jim Richard. In January of 2018, Janca decided he needed a change for his personal growth and well being. It was time to get back to the reason he became a chef: his love of cooking and hospitality. Brannon quit his job, found an old building on Highway 98, and spent the next few years renovating it into his dream restaurant alongside his wife, Stefani.