ITALY MEETS FRANCE
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.....meets my crazy mind. Our next Flavor Drop is here, and it's a big one! On Thursday, we will launch the IZOLA Croissant Pizza. I'll betcha never tried a pizza like this before.
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This has been a loooooong time coming....We began our journey with the Croissant Pizza on February 4, 2024, while we were still closed for relocation and on the hunt for a new home for IZOLA. Chefs Lidia and Lane led the charge, executing Jenny's and my ideas for development, and we have made countless iterations to get to this point. Congratulations to you both - I think we've really redefined a classic.
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IZOLA's Croissant Pizza is made with a crust crafted from our Signature Croissant dough - buttery, flaky, crispy, and delicate. It's topped with pepperoni, house-made pizza sauce spiked with 'nduja, whole milk mozzarella, heaps of mascarpone cheese, fresh oregano, and hot honey. Yum......yum......yum.....
Our pizza sauce is cooked low and slow to develop deep, layered flavors. The secret ingredient? 'Nduja (pronounced EN-DOO-YAH). The en-do-what?! 'Nduja is a spreadable salume that hails from Calabria, Italy. It's salty, rich, and buttery, adding a complexity to the pizza sauce that just takes it over the top.
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The heaps of silky, creamy mascarpone cheese melting on top of the hot pizza is topped with fresh oregano for earthiness and IZOLA's own hot honey, steeped in habanero peppers.
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We're baking these to order, so there are a few pro tips to share:
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As part of our lunch menu, Croissant Pizza is only available from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day, while they last. Our crust takes 4 days to make and proofs for 3.5 hours, so when they're gone, they're gone!
It is only available for walk-in, dine-in only (therefore not available for pre-order or to go)
Please plan for a 10ish-minute wait after ordering your pizza.
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And a very, very special shoutout to IZOLA customer @k_dot_her. Our Croissant Pizza was inspired by her winning entry into our Instagram contest last year - she introduced 'nduja to us and suggested a croissant with the flavors of 'nduja, pepperoni, burrata, and hot honey.
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We are open and baking hot from the oven every Tuesday - Sunday, from 7a-2p (Croissant Pizza available 11a-2p).
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In a rush and have a pre-order? Just call us at the bakery when you arrive, and we'll bring your order out to you! We call it IZOLA Drive By. (Pls remember, no pizza preorder or to go!)
*IMPORTANT*
SUNDAY STREET CLOSURES
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Attention - The Hot Chocolate Run is this Sunday morning, and unfortunately, they're closing down both 14th Street and Island Avenue, fully blocking vehicular access to IZOLA.
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We will still be open, but if you are not walking to the bakery, we recommend you either visit us on Saturday or delay your visit until after 11 a.m. on Sunday or park east of Highway 5. If you are local to Downtown San Diego, we hope you come to see us. We'll be baking, and the full menu will be available hot from the oven.
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We wish we could provide you with more details, as we usually post the hourly street closure information, but unfortunately, the organizers of the event have not made this readily available. We are working hard to obtain more information and will post it on our Instagram page as soon as we have it.
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If you have mobility challenges and cannot reach the bakery, please get as close as you can and call us (619-289-8358), and we will bring your order to you.
TIME TO SAY GOODBYE
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Last week for Fig and Fennel Sourdough! We'll be retiring this flavor on Wednesday March 12. So place your pre-orders now! It is also available frozen if you'd like to stock your freezers.
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New flavor drop coming soon......we did the final taste test yesterday.....Yum, Yum, Yum. I can't wait to share it with you.
Thank you to everyone who helped nominate IZOLA for San Diego Magazine's Best Of San Diego. Now it's time to vote!
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If you love IZOLA, please vote for us for:
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We're on a mission to change the way Americans experience sourdough and croissants and thank you for your help in sharing the IZOLA love.
HOST YOUR EVENT AT IZOLA
Planning a wedding, cocktail party, networking event or corporate offsite? IZOLA ISLAND is an amazing architectural space, and we want to share it with you!
LIVE MUSIC SATURDAYS
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Every Saturday, we host live music at the bakeshop from 8a-1p. Come on by to see how talented our local San Diego musicians are! Here are just a couple of the artists that will be by this Saturday.
NATE LUCIER
8-9a
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Nate Lucier of Nate Lucier's Rock N' Roll Orchestra. Playing original songs that have a rock n' roll vibe, but with a modern feel.
KAHLIL NASH
9-10a
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Emerging from the elite San Diego music scene in California, San Diego Music Award winner Kahlil Nash is a Funk/Rock and R&B recording artist/producer who is a multi-instrumentalist. Influenced by artists Michael Jackson, Jimi Hendrix, and Prince, Kahlil Nash thrives to entertain his audience.
BEN PARKS
10-11a
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Please welcome Ben Parks to IZOLA for his inaugural performance at the bakeshop!
ESPI LOVE
11a-12p
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POETauthor. dancer. vocalist. model. actress.
WHO ISÂ IZOLA?
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We shared with you recently a little bit about who IZOLA was named after - my Grandma Izola. If you want to learn more about Grandma Izola, you can read about her influence on me here. But today I want to share with you about who is IZOLA, the bakery: IZOLA is our team...our team of bakers, bread makers, greeters, chefs, bussers, inventory specialists, project managers, expeditors, packers, human resources, croissant makers, dishwashers, maintenance, runners, baristas....the list goes on and on.
They cheer each other on, they go above and beyond for our guests, they come with their whole hearts, they work early hours, they work late hours, they step up and do hard things every day.
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Thanks to the team who produces thousands of pieces of pastry a week, hundreds of sourdough, the baristas who are churning out a drink every single minute on the weekends, the back office team negotiating lower costs and making sure we're fully stocked, the packers and expeditors who pack a unit every 22 seconds, the team who carries literally one ton of flour down our stairs every week, the bussers who clear over 500 plates a day, the team who folds hundreds of napkins a day, the bakers who bake almost 500 trays of pastries a week and carry hundreds of loaves of sourdough up our stairs, the team keeping our coolers and warehouse organized, the dishwashers who wash almost a thousand dishes a day on the weekend. And I'm just scratching the surface here...
Jenny and I don't come from the restaurant industry, and neither of us have every worked a service job before IZOLA. Believe me when I say that the restaurant industry is full of the hardest working people in town! Jenny often asks me how in the world there could be so much work behind our one little bakery. And the thing is, we wouldn't be here today without the smiling faces you see here. They're a team that deeply believes in what we're doing and who loves our community. We thank you guys. Each and every one of you. Thank you for creating magical things here on Island Ave.
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If you wanna stop by and meet our team, we are open and baking hot from the oven every Tuesday - Sunday, from 7a-2p! In a rush and have a pre-order? Just call us at the bakery when you arrive and we'll bring your order out to you! We call it IZOLA Drive By.
Thank you to everyone who helped nominate IZOLA for San Diego Magazine's Best Of San Diego. Now it's time to vote!
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If you love IZOLA, please vote for us for:
Â
We're on a mission to change the way Americans experience sourdough and croissants and thank you for your help in sharing the IZOLA love.
HOST YOUR EVENT AT IZOLA
Planning a wedding, cocktail party, networking event or corporate offsite? IZOLA ISLAND is an amazing architectural space, and we want to share it with you!
LIVE MUSIC SATURDAYS
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Every Saturday, we host live music at the bakeshop from 8a-1p. Come on by to see how talented our local San Diego musicians are! Here are just a couple of the artists that will be by this Saturday.
ISAAC CHEONG
10-11a
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Isaac Cheong is a San Diego Based musician and photographer. Also known as "She Blonde Swede" his EP "The shopping cart" is available for listening on Bandcamp.
AARON BOWEN
11a-12p
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Aaron Bowen is a local San Diego musician, guitar builder, and well practiced recording artist. Bowen has recorded and produced many local musicians, he has truly lifted the music community in San Diego. His musical style encompasses many genres fused into a unique, well sculpted tone, that encapsulates the listener into a trance. Aaron plays at Izola often, we are lucky to have him.
JUST.....CAN'T.....WAIT.....
I've been itching to announce our newest croissant drop. Jenny wants me to stay mum since we're not quite done with testing, but we are getting oh.....so......close......and I just can't help myself! So here's an ultra close shot of what we're working on. What do you think it is??
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We started this project on February 4, 2024 (!) and worked on it for almost 4 months until May 24, 2024 when it finally passed initial testing. We started production testing on January 5, 2025 and we're about 10 tests in, with the 11th (and hopefully final) test happening later this week.
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What could we be possibly testing that it would take us this long?! Everything from temperature, to adjusting for the famous salt, fat, acid, heat balance espoused by my chef crush Samin Nosrat, to crunch levels, to how it's served and eaten. And because we are baking everything hot from the oven, we're working through the logistics of how this impacts our overall baking flow.
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So keep your eyes peeled on your inbox - I'm hoping the next email you get from me we'll be announcing our newest drop....
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In the meantime, we have launched mimosas at IZOLA! Fresh squeezed orange juice and bubbly, topped with colorful microflowers because we could all use a little extra beauty in our day.
We are open and baking hot from the oven every Tue - Sun, from 7a-2p.Â
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In a rush and have a pre-order? Just call us at the bakery when you arrive and we'll bring your order out to you! We call it IZOLA Drive By.
HOST YOUR EVENT AT IZOLA
Planning a wedding, cocktail party, networking event or corporate offsite? IZOLA ISLAND is an amazing architectural space, and we want to share it with you!
FINDING HOUSING AFTER INCARCERATION
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At IZOLA, we filter our business decisions through the lens of our five justice-based pillars, paired with guest experience.
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Economic Justice. Environmental Justice. Gender Justice. LGBTQIA+ Justice. Racial Justice.
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As part of our mission, we firmly believe in hiring a diverse team from a variety of backgrounds, one that reflects the community in which we live in. We're proud of the team here at IZOLA, because it is through our diversity that we've been able to build great things - from what we think is the kindest, most compassionate customer service in town, to the ability to serve over 1000 croissants and sourdough loaves a day hot-from-the-oven.
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63% of our current leadership team are women. 38% BIPOC. 25% LGBTQIA+. 13% Restorative Justice.
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Many of our top performing team members have been formerly incarcerated. And as we've learned more about their post-incarceration journeys, we've also gained a deeper understanding of the serious obstacles they face while working hard to rebuild their lives. And one of those key challenges is housing instability.
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Today I turn to you, IZOLA family, to help us break down some of these barriers that one of our team members is facing.
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This team member pours his heart and soul into IZOLA, each and every moment of every day. He quickly became someone that we rely on, and he's the first to jump in and help. We admire his focus, determination and spirit.
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But he's facing tremendous difficulty finding housing. As a condition of his probation, his residence can be searched at any time. He's been in the market to rent a room, but is turned down when the possibility of a search is mentioned. The search would only occur on his room and not to the remainder of the house he is living in.
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If you have been wanting to rent out a room to a kind, respectful tenant, please reach out to Jenny at jenny@izolabakery.com. We'd love to link you up with our team member, and we'd be happy to answer any questions you might have.
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Thanks for helping strengthen our community one person at a time.