- Jeffrey Lamont Brown
- Dec 30, 2024
Has this year flown by or what?? Just a year ago, IZOLA was closed, and after receiving some disappointing news about the permitting requirements for our original loft location, we decided to move. So we were on the hunt for a new home for IZOLA! Our IZOLA Core team was also busy in the production kitchen working on testing new flavor drops so that when we reopened, we'd be set with exciting new croissants and sourdough to share - like our current flavor drops, the Muffuletta Croissant and Currants & Spice Sourdough, both of which were created during our closure.
We first toured 1429 Island Avenue (the future home of IZOLA) in January and immediately knew it was the perfect fit. With its big, airy dining area, opening up to a spacious patio overlooking a park, it was the community space we were looking for where our guests could linger and enjoy a cappuccino and croissant. We also needed a sizable production space for croissant and sourdough production and plenty of refrigeration to support the demand, and that is tough in this town!
It was a 6-week roller coaster ride of negotiations, including days when everyone thought the deal was dead, except Jenny and me (I'll share a little secret with you - we're both just a tad bit stubborn). But by March, we were moving in!
Our closure was expensive, and we knew opening a restaurant would be expensive, too. Hence, we did as much of the renovations ourselves as possible but were also supported by a fantastic team of contractors who believed in what we were trying to create on our little corner in the East Village. Amidst the renovations and moving out of our old space, we tried to make time for fun things like watching the solar eclipse. After filling two 40-yard dumpsters and 10 weeks of wrangling, we were finally ready to set a reopening date.
We interviewed hundreds of candidates to build out our re-opening team and spent two weeks deep in hands-on training. We celebrated passing our inspection and couldn't wait to reopen our doors on June 27, 2024.
We've been open at Island Avenue and cranking for 6 months and have learned so much. Meeting with guests and seeing IZOLA bring so much joy to the community has been the ultimate joy and honor for Jenny and me. We're incredibly proud of what our team has accomplished through what could have been a devastating setback. We work through challenges and setbacks daily because we each believe in creating experiences through hot-from-the-oven croissants, sourdough, and community. Thank you to each and every one of you for walking along on this journey with us!
And I want to give a big, big thank you to our investors—without them, IZOLA would not be here today. You helped us withstand the closure, move, rebuild, and reopen stronger than ever. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
We're stoked to ring in the new year and see what 2025 has in store for IZOLA. Happy New Year!!
HOLIDAY HOURS
Tuesday, New Year's Eve 7a - 2p
CLOSED NEW YEAR'S DAY
Thursday 7a - 2p
Friday 7a - 2p
Saturday (with live music!) 7a - 2p
Sunday 7a - 2p
LET THERE BE WIFI!!
I often say that being a business owner is simply about solving one problem after the other. One surprise we were hit within our first week of renovations in our new spot on Island Avenue was that the only internet service available was.....drumroll, please...DSL! Yes, it was the year 2024 and our only option was DSL. I've named it (Darn Slow Line).
So began our journey to find decent internet. Only nine short months later (ha-ha) of permitting and construction, I'm excited to share that our total download capacity is now 1G, shared with guests and admin. So come "office" at IZOLA and enjoy our faster Wi-Fi!
(I still yearn for fiber internet, maybe our next location!)
JOIN IZOLA
As we shared above, IZOLA is still here today because of our investors. We've fought through many obstacles over the past year, and now we are even more driven to fulfill our mission of changing how Americans experience sourdough and croissants.
We've been asked why we want to scale beyond our single location, and the simple reason is that with scale, we can scale our impact.
We want to provide a healthy return for those who have invested in IZOLA. Scale creates more growth opportunities for our team while creating more living-wage+ jobs for our community, too (50 are planned for IZOLA Main in City Heights). Scale allows us to share IZOLA with the greater Southern California community and offer great-tasting food with exceptional hospitality, served hot from the oven.
So, each investment in IZOLA helps us achieve our goals of building our new production facility in City Heights, expanding IZOLA's sales, providing job training, opening new bread cafes, and improving our technology. Watch our short webinar or visit our Microventures portal to learn how this redevelopment will improve profit margins while creating jobs in a zero-emission dough factory.
If you're ready to invest, just click the "INVEST" button on the top right hand side of the page. You can invest as little as $1000.
Questions? Feel free to email me at jb@izolabakery.com.
And remember that investing is risky...most small businesses fail, so please don't invest more than you can afford to lose.
HOLIDAY CHEER
Happy Holidays from the entire IZOLA Team. Thank you all for your support, laughter, and love this year. On Christmas Eve, IZOLA will be open during its regular hours, from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Place your pre-orders now, or pop by to see us.
HOLIDAY HOURS
Christmas Eve: 7a - 2p
Closed Christmas Day
Thu - Sun: 7a - 2p
YEAR END INVESTING
As we near the end of the year, I wanted to take a moment to thank our over 500 investors for their support of IZOLA's justice-based mission. Creating meaningful change takes a lot of time and effort.
Without our investors, we wouldn’t be here today, nor would we have created nearly 50 purpose-filled jobs guided by leaders that reflect our diverse community:
56% Women
44% BIPOC
22% LGBTQIA+
22% Restorative Justice
We need your help to scale our impact. We are raising funds now to build our new production facility in City Heights, expand job training, open new bread cafes, and improve our technology. Watch our short webinar or head to our Microventures portal to learn how this redevelopment will improve profit margins while creating jobs in a zero-emission dough factory.
If you're ready to invest, just click the "INVEST" button on the top right hand side of the page. You can invest as little as $1000.
Questions? Feel free to email me at jb@izolabakery.com.
And remember that investing is risky...most small businesses fail, so please don't invest more than you can afford to lose.
We're excited to share with you another chapter in the adventures of Crispy the Croissant, who we introduced to our email subscribers last month. Crispy the Croissant and the poem below were both created and written by Chef Lane, our Sourdough and Bake Lead. Not only can she bake, inspire our team members, and make beautiful sourdough, but she is a storyteller and artist to boot! If you missed Crispy's comic strip, you can catch it here!
TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS:
CROISSANT EDITION
Crispy and their friends on a cold winter’s night,
Were packed in a box all snuggled in tight.
Twas the night before Christmas, and they awaited the man,
Who would come down the chimney and fall into their plan.
From the kitchen they gazed at the glistening tree,
And saw milk and cookies where they ought to be.
“That should be us!” they said to each other.
“Santa would LOVE 96 layers of butter!”
But one croissant didn’t feel so secure.
Unlike butter, her flavor was much more obscure.
Twas Munchy, the Moroccan Black Olive croissant,
Too funky and naughty for Santa to want.
Then what to their wondering eyes should appear
But a pair of black boots and a man with a beard!
As soon as Santa arrived fireside,
Munchy snuck out of the box to hide.
St. Nick was quiet, and went straight to work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk.
He saw them and toward the kitchen he came.
And they whistled, and shouted, and told him their names;
"I’m Crispy! I’m Knotty! I’m Gooey, I’m Crunchy!
"I’m Sugar! I’m Butter! I’m Swirly! I’m Smunchy!”
They shouted and begged him to please have a taste,
“Those plain sugar cookies would be such a waste!”
Then Santa spotted the runaway treat.
Another croissant he had yet to meet.
St. Nick picked her up and, smiling, expressed,
“You must have fallen away from the rest.
“What is your name, dear little croissant?
“And, tell me, what is it for Christmas you want?”
Munchy trembled, quite nervous was she,
But she told him the truth, as plain as could be:
“I wish to be chosen and loved a bunch.
“But I’m naughty. You probably won’t like me too much.
“Those sugar cookies are tender and mild,
“But me, I’ve got olives! I’m funky and wild!
“And not only that, I’ve got buckwheat inside,
“And sourdough starter and a chocolate surprise!
“With black stripes all over, I’m strange as can be,
“But maybe too wild for you to love me?”
“I’ll admit,” the man said, “that sounds pretty weird,
“But a wild thing is not to be feared.
“Just because you’re different, doesn’t mean you’re bad.
“You might be the best treat I’ve ever had.”
He invited Munchy to fly on his sleigh,
And take the place of cookies that day.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
Croissant in hand, up the chimney he rose;
And Munchy sang out as St. Nick took a bite,
“Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!”
ARCHITECTURAL
MARVELS
When I launched IZOLA just over 4 years ago, I was in part selfishly driven by my desire to have unlimited access to hot, crusty, tasty bread at every meal. Then Jenny asked me if I could try my hand at making a croissant, and I'll tell you a little secret - I told her no! 🫢 But....I finally wisened up and gave it a try, and thankfully, I didn't let my failed first attempt (see below) stop me!
What has enchanted me about the croissant is that we can create something with 96 layers of butter, each no thicker than a strand of hair. After they proof and bake, they expand to create the most beautiful honeycomb structure, which is marvelous to look at and creates a pillowy, decadent experience.
Test Bake #1 in 2020 (we've now tested over 700+ iterations...)
PRE-ORDER NOW FOR THE HOLIDAYS
If you'd like IZOLA at your holiday celebration, now's the time to start placing pre-orders. You can skip the rush and pickup this week - our croissants and sourdough freeze great and we'll include reheating instructions so they'll taste just like they're coming out of IZOLA's ovens on Christmas Day. Or pre-orders for Christmas Eve pickup open this Wednesday!
Our newest flavor drop, the Currants & Spice Sourdough, is like a warm holiday hug...filled to the brim with almost a half pound of currants, paired with ginger, nutmeg and cloves.
And our SOURDOUGH FLIGHT IS BACK! Choose any 3 flavors of our sourdough and you'll get a half loaf of each.
And don't forget our other newest flavor drop, our Muffuletta Croissant. Like a charcuterie board wrapped up in a croissant, come LUNCH AT IZOLA! Filled with sweet capicola, mortadella and Genoa salami and paired with provolone cheese and a briny olive salad, our Muffuletta Croissant is wrapped in our Beldi olive croissant. Our Muffaletta Croissant is available for pre-order now. Available for walk-ins at IZOLA Lunch (11a-2p).
HOLIDAY HOURS
Regular hours this week (Tue - Sun 7a-2p)
NEXT WEEK:
Christmas Eve: 7a - 2p
Closed Christmas Day
Thu - Sun: 7a - 2p
HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDMA IZOLA
Today would have been my Grandma Izola's 111th birthday.
The bakery is named after her for so many reasons. Her home was always open—anyone could show up on her doorstep, and they'd be welcomed in, served a hot cup of coffee with a warm cherry pie, and served a side of good ole' Kansas conversation, where the focus isn't on a destination or conclusion but on the act of connecting.
I also admit that I wasn't always well-behaved growing up in Kansas. With the wisdom that comes with age and experience, I am so grateful for the opportunities my family gave me, and for the structure, Grandma Izola helped provide, which I needed and craved in my youth.
Cheers to Grandma Izola. I hope we do right by your legacy.