In March of 2020, then 19-year-old Jyan Isaac Horwitz was out of work due to the coronavirus pandemic. Still motivated and eager to live the American dream, the young man decided to launch his own bakery: Jyan Isaac Bread.
Horwitz started with a small window location on Ocean Park Boulevard and an Instagram account. He was able to secure the window space due to his father’s 20-year career in the restaurant industry but every few months, he and his team expanded service due to demand.
Horwitz and his father created temporary pop-ups on Beverly Boulevard inside the Easton Gym building, at Café Bolivar, and across many local farmers markets. After more than 17 months in business, Jyan Isaac Bread announced the opening of their first full retail location, which opens on Thursday, Sept. 23 at 1622 Ocean Park Boulevard. The bakery currently employs 25 staff members from all over Los Angeles.
“We are finally ready to welcome you into the bakery. The presence of actual people coming to buy bread inside the bakery will bring to life what I’ve been thinking about for the past year. Now, customers can be there to smell fresh bread coming out of the oven and watch the process. It will be very special,” Horwitz said.
Horwitz is surrounded by experienced bakers in Marco Angeles and Sergio Espana, both formerly of Santa Monica’s Tartine. The team has spent the last 16 months working on a full menu of breads and bagels for the upcoming opening. Menu highlights include classic City Sourdough Loaf, Marbled Rye, dark and dense Danish Rye and Sourdough Bagels. Jyan Isaac Bread sources organic grains from Camas Country Mill and Central Milling.
Horwitz’s favorite menu item is the city loaf, which is a sourdough bread. He also said, “The first 100 People that come in on opening day will receive a free baguette.”
The current shop has been five years in the making.
Horwitz began baking bread in 2016 at Gjusta bakery and cafe as a junior in high school. While working at the Venice bakery, Horwitz was struggling in the classroom and was actively searching for something he had a passion for.
“I was never the type to be able to sit in that classroom and listen to lectures. I was really bad at doing my schoolwork, I felt like a prisoner and I just wanted to do my own thing, and do what I loved,” Horwitz said, “I fell in love with bread baking. So, you know, opening a bread bakery was kind of the thing that I decided to do, it was kind of just gonna happen naturally because I didn’t want to go to school.”
Horwitz’s said he’s excited to be on this path.
“I just say find a passion, or like something that you love to do,” He said. “And then, just the rest will come because once you find something you love, you figure out a way to make it work, you know.”
The bakery hours after opening day will be Wednesday-Sunday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. They provide delivery to Culver City, West LA, Santa Monica, Pacific Palisades and Marina del Rey.
daniel@smdp.com
