After four years and a few left turns, the acclaimed Izola Bakery has finally found its feet with a soft-opening at 1429 Island Street in June. Moving two blocks from 13th Street to the new flagship location took “seven months, three weeks, and five days,” laughs Jeffrey Brown, who launched Izola with his partner Jenny Chen in 2020. But who’s counting when it’s only the first step in building a bread empire?
The 7,211-square-foot space next to Fault Line Park includes nearly 3,000 square feet of an interior ground-level dining room with its finishing ovens, a 1,546-square-foot patio, and almost 1,900 square feet of basement area, where Izola’s dough kitchen now resides. Brown walked me through the facility last week during a surprisingly uncrowded morning.
“This is a step towards building what we envision, or really to deliver on our stated mission, which is to change the way people think about croissants and sourdough,” he explains, which he hopes to accomplish by building a state-of-the-art, zero-emission factory at Fairmount Avenue and Thorn Street in City Heights sometime next year.
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Once operational, the City Heights Dough Factory would allow Izola to increase its production 20x, potentially launch wholesale and direct-to-consumer channels, and eventually open more bakeshops across San Diego. Brown says they’ve already got eyes on location in La Jolla and aspirations for North County, Orange County, and Los Angeles. Still, they’d most likely start with one attached to the Dough Factory to help build community in the neighborhood.
“City Heights has some amazing food and a whole bunch of amazing stuff. But in terms of investment in the community, it’s under-invested,” he explains. Izola will focus on hiring from within the immediate community and the Second Chance program, which helps pair formerly incarcerated employees with employers. It’s part of Izola’s five social justice principles: economic, gender, LGBTQIA, racial, and environmental.
Courtesy of Izola Bakery
But expansion at the cost of quality would be a “deal killer,” explains Brown. He and Chen scoured the world to find equipment that could increase output and quality, looking everywhere from Germany to the Netherlands, Spain, Japan, and the United States. He thinks they’ll have it dialed for the buildout, but in the meantime, they’re full steam ahead in East Village. Izola is only available Tuesday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., but Brown assures me they’re “moving mountains” to open on Sundays.
“We’re growing production at somewhere between four and six percent a day,” he says, a slow ramp-up to get his primarily brand-new team of employees up to speed without pushing too hard. But he says in about a month, they’ll likely be able to double their inventory, which will get them closer to his goal of “having a hot croissant for everyone who wants one.”
Photo Credit: Sylvie Coulange
San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events
Every Sunday in August is a Pepino Pop-Up
Suppose you can’t wait for Chef Sebastian Becerra (Eleven Madison Park, Herb & Wood, COI) to open Pepino, his Peruvian eatery and bakeshop coming to La Jolla next year. In that case, I have good news for you. Every Sunday in August, he’ll be on hand at Michele Coulon Dessertier (7556 Fay Avenue) from 8 a.m. through noon (or whenever he sells out), slinging some of his signature menu items as well as some works-in-progress, like shakshuka on toast, Peruvian-inspired sandwiches and burritos, and pastries like dulce de leche-stuffed chocolate muffins. Keep an eye out for his menu every week on Instagram, and for more support, check out Pepino’s Kickstarter, which launches August 1.
Chef Obi Comes to Matsu For One Night Only
On Tuesday, August 6, chef Saransh Oberoi (a.k.a. chef Obi, a.k.a. the guy who beat Bobby Flay on Food Network) joins chef William Eick at Matsu for a seven-course dining experience that promises to play on Obi’s modern Indian cuisine expertise, as well as a few surprises. Book your reservation for August 6, or live with regret.
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Courtesy of Fox Point Brewing
Beth’s Bites
Troy made the touchdown when he announced Travis Swikward would be opening a new restaurant in UTC, but here I come with the extra point—the name of said restaurant. Fleurette will open sometime next year with modern French cuisine and one hell of a lot of pressure to follow up Callie.
Fox Point Brewing Company is Encinitas’ latest brewery. Situated at Fox Point Farms—an agriculturally-centric planned community with a cafe, farmstand, the city’s first new brewing operation in 30 years.
I’m all in for Java Joe Musgrove. I’ll drink his coffee, cheer his strikeouts, and definitely eat the taco he created with Puesto to benefit the local animal shelter, The Animal Pad. Can I have it with one of Doug Hasker’s famous Puesto lagers?
Rancher Hat Bar, out of Scottsdale, Arizona, is making a California appearance on Sunday, July 28, from 2 pm to 6 pm at The Original 40 Brewing Company in North Park. Gobble a Western Cheeseburger, slam a Mexican lager, and enjoy some country tunes while you craft your very own cowboy or trucker hat for keepsies.
Have breaking news, exciting scoops, or great stories about new San Diego restaurants or the city’s food scene? Send your pitches to [email protected].
Two families were displaced from their Carmel Valley townhome after it went up in flames earlier this afternoon.
This happened just before 3 p.m. on Moratalla Terrace. Fire investigators said the fire started inside a garage unit because of faulty electrical equipment and robotics projects. One neighbor said she’s thankful for the quick response.
“The people that own the house were in the driveway calling 911, and within, I think within five minutes of me smelling the smoke the fire trucks were here,” said Nikki Briggs. I’m just thankful that everyone was okay, and that it didn’t keep spreading. Like if it would have been a wildfire, that would have been terrible.”
Firefighters say most of the damage was contained in the garage. A total of nine people were displaced by the fire. Five people lived inside the unit that burned. Thankfully all of them made it out safely without any injuries.
Shares of Gossamer Bio, Inc. (NASDAQ:GOSS) have received a consensus ‘Hold’ rating from the 10 research firms currently covering the company, according to a report from MarketBeat. The average 12-month price target among analysts is $5.43.
Why it matters
Gossamer Bio is a clinical-stage biotech company focused on developing therapies for immune-mediated and inflammatory diseases, as well as oncology. The ‘Hold’ rating and mixed analyst views could impact investor sentiment and the company’s ability to raise capital for further drug development.
The details
The analyst ratings for Gossamer Bio include two ‘Sell’ recommendations, four ‘Hold’ ratings, and four ‘Buy’ recommendations. Some firms have lowered their price targets on the stock, with HC Wainwright decreasing its target from $10 to $5.
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Gossamer Bio released its latest quarterly earnings report on March 17, 2026.
The players
Gossamer Bio, Inc.
A clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company headquartered in San Diego, California that is focused on developing oral, once-daily therapies for immune-mediated and inflammatory diseases, as well as oncology.
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The takeaway
The mixed analyst views on Gossamer Bio highlight the challenges facing the company as it seeks to advance its pipeline of drug candidates through clinical trials and regulatory approvals. The ‘Hold’ rating could make it more difficult for the company to raise capital and fund its operations.
Oceanside Harbor Beach. (File photo courtesy of @CityofOceanside via X)
A man apparent drowned in the waters near the Oceanside Pier Saturday morning, despite efforts by lifeguards and paramedics to revive him.
The Oceanside Fire Department’s Lifeguard Division and the Oceanside Police Department responded to a report of a missing man at about 4:30 a.m.. Officials said the man was last seen swimming in the ocean about a half-hour earlier.
Lifeguards and police immediately initiated a coordinated search effort using pier vantage points, surveillance cameras and watercraft, but the search was suspended at approximately 5:30 a.m. after no one was found, fire officials said.
“At approximately 10:50 a.m., lifeguards discovered an unresponsive adult male, matching the earlier description, in the water near Lifeguard Tower 12, at Oceanside Harbor Beach,” Division Chief Blake Dorse said in a statement. “The individual was removed from the water, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation was immediately initiated.”
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Fire and rescue personnel continued efforts to resuscitate the man on the way to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. He is believed to be the one who was reported missing near the pier.
Authorities did not release the man’s name.
“The Oceanside Lifeguard Division reminds the public to exercise caution when entering the ocean, especially during early morning hours or when lifeguards are not actively monitoring the water,” Dorse said. “Always swim near an open lifeguard tower and avoid entering the water alone.”
