Fast-rising Izola bakery unveils expansion plans for 2026

Just like the yeast it uses in the hundreds of hot-from-the-oven croissants and sourdough loaves it sells each day, Izola artisan bakery in San Diego’s East Village is getting ready to grow. Izola co-founders Jeffrey Brown and Jenny Chen have purchased a 5,000-square-foot building in City Heights that they will convert this year into a large-scale dough factory. Pastry teams will mix, prep, shape and freeze pre-baked bread items. From there, the pastries will be trucked to individual Izola bakeshops, where they’ll be proofed and baked in programmable Salva ovens from Spain. Izola artisan bakery co-founders and co-executive chefs Jenny Chen, left, and Jeffrey Brown. (Jeffrey...