Litol Shef : an Iska’s journey to a home-based business
“Cooking isn’t complicated—anyone can cook.”
Aaliyah, the founder of Litol Shef, is a full-time student at the University of the Philippines Diliman and a part-time business owner, selling pastries and coffee in Marikina and on campus. She began cooking during the peak of the pandemic, never imagining she would enjoy it as much as she does, especially since she initially preferred eating and watching series over cooking or baking. Her first course, Nutrition and Dietetics, introduced her to a love for cooking, which she continues to pursue. Although she is now studying in a different field, she still takes courses related to cooking, promising herself to never stop learning.
The name Litol Shef was inspired by the 2007 Pixar Animated Film Ratatouille, in which the rat Remy is affectionately called “Little Chef” by Linguini. Since she is not a professional chef, Aaliyah playfully modified the spelling to “Shef,” finding it a cute and fitting brand name. Currently, Litol Shef is a home-based business offering freshly baked goods and coffee, with a small, carefully curated menu to ensure quality. Their menu features favorite cookie flavors like S’mores, Double Chocolate, and Dark Cereal, along with limited-edition flavors each month. They also offer savory options like Cheese Rolls, Pesto Bread, and Korean Buns, as well as a selection of drinks such as Spanish Latte, Banana Latte, and Coffee Float, with new, limited flavors introduced monthly.
Her entrepreneurship journey began in 2019 when she started selling homemade chicken fingers, prepared by her mother, to her classmates due to the limited food options in their school canteen. In 2020, inspired by a popular TikTok trend, she began making s’mores dips, which eventually led her to develop her own recipe. With guidance from her mother, a baker with over two decades of experience, and by watching YouTube tutorials, she learned to bake and began selling these treats to friends and family.
In 2021, her mother discovered a passion for bread-making, prompting them to expand Litol Shef’s menu to include breads. As the pandemic eased and face-to-face classes resumed, Litol Shef’s baking activities became more seasonal, primarily during holidays and for special orders. Aaliyah recalls 2024 as a particular year of growth, where their business reached a wider audience by participating in bazaars, resuming regular baking, and introducing coffee to the menu. This expansion reinforced her confidence in Litol Shef’s potential for future growth.
Balancing her dual roles as an Iskolar ng Bayan and a business owner has been challenging, especially in managing time, dealing with the rising costs of ingredients and supplies, and coping with the unpredictability of sales—such as when she experienced having no sales at all during a bazaar. She adapted to these challenges by organizing her schedule and prioritizing school tasks that needed immediate attention. She also conducted research and development to strategize the pricing of not only raw materials but also labor, utilities, and other incurred costs. After experiencing low sales, she increased her marketing efforts, confident in her product’s quality, and was able to attract more customers through social media.
Aaliyah is committed to honing her baking and cooking skills and continually looks for ways to improve her business. She has a strong interest in food science and hopes to pursue formal culinary education. Her dreams include supplying Litol Shef products to cafes, catering special events with coffee booths and cookie giveaways, and eventually opening a physical store.
Aaliyah considers her journey with Litol Shef a success, sustained by the support of her family and friends. She feels grateful for the growth and resilience that have allowed her to pursue her dreams over the past four years.
Reflecting on the four years since establishing Litol Shef, she describes it as an outlet to pursue her dreams and a platform to show others that cooking isn’t complicated—anyone can cook.
