Waking up to the smell of freshly baked bread is an everyday reality for the roommates of 1380 Studio.
1380 Studio is not just a bread delivery service, it’s also home to five USC students. In between classes, each roommate takes turns baking and hand-delivering their baked goodies by bike on streets surrounding the university.
Max Afrasiabi, a junior studying philosophy, says he grew up surrounded by freshly- baked bread in his community of Portland, Oregon.
When he came to college, it was one thing he longed for back home.
“I really was craving handmade bread, so about a month ago I decided to dive into it,” Afrasiabi said. “We started baking bread here in our house at 1380, which is our address. We started making bread and it came out really, really well the first time, and since then we started making bread every week.”
Karim Fouad, a senior studying architecture, had been cooking before he moved into 1380 with his other roommates.
“We just naturally started cooking together, cooking meals for each other, and whenever we would spend time together it was just something we would do,” Fouad said.
The business was created when the roommates came together to cater a friend’s birthday party earlier this semester.
“I think there is something about cooking for someone, and when they enjoy the food it is one of the most rewarding feelings,” Fouad said.
Customers interested in buying their bread can directly scan a QR code to the order form, located on their Instagram and website.
1380 Studio is currently selling one type of bread on their website, their “Original Country Loaf.” Each loaf sells for $13.80 and is delivered directly to each customer’s door.
Afrasiabi spends about three hours on every two loaves of bread, beginning the night before and continuing to bake until the next morning.
“It’s like a round, big round, beautiful loaf of bread, kind of like a big sourdough loaf, and it’s very, very similar to sourdough…,” Afrasiabi said. “So that’s our main thing because it’s just so good for everything.”
Afrasiabi explained that their original loaf is used for a variety of different things: a sandwich, french toast and even croutons.
1380 Studio made its first debut on campus at the Mena Marketplace by USC’s Middle Eastern North African Student Assembly on Tuesday.
The roommates began baking bread for the market a week before Thanksgiving. 1380 Studio created a specialized menu for the marketplace that featured their original country loaf, a ful pita sandwich, jam and za’atar butter.
“We were trying to make it Middle Eastern-themed to really tie it back to me and Karim,” Afrasiabi said. “I’m Persian and he’s Egyptian, so we were really trying to bring in the food that we know and that we grew up with to create a menu more specifically for the MENASA market.”
Afrasiabi explained that while 1380 Studio is currently only selling bread, it is just the beginning. The roommates hope that 1380 Studio will become a “size-specific, event-based kitchen” that can do consistent catering.
“We are definitely not limited to bread, we do all sorts of cooking,” Afrasiabi said. “We’re really just looking to do any sort of cooking. We really love cooking for people and providing that experience and bringing them together to really have a wonderful time.”