Alia El Alami: Baking Happiness into Every Bite

How many times have you heard the proverb “Life is short. Eat Dessert First”? And how many times have you munched on it? If you do have a sweet tooth, you would know and understand the importance of a dessert. This last part of a meal is perhaps the most awaited one and an ultimate coaxing weapon for mothers around the world.

Numerous meals of boring veggies have been finished under the prospect of favorite desserts. While they are mostly sweet, there is no dearth of savory and uniquely flavored desserts across the world. The ingredients, their combination, preparation method, secret family recipes and a whole lot of love results into desserts that are colorful, indulgent and lip-smacking. In short, the perfect way to end your day.

The most common form of desserts has to be cookies or biscuits and one can have it any time of the end (because why not!). But if you thought, baking a cookie was an easy task, wait till you you have seen some beautifully baked macaroons.

Originally made from ground almonds and other nuts, macaroons come from the kitchen of Italian monasteries which found its way to the masses and became popular as a year-round, any-time sweet snack. Chances are, you’ll fall in love with them in just one look. The same happened with Alia El Alami, the Founder of Looshi’s.

She recalls her first encounter saying, “I will never forget my first Macaron. I had seen them before, their vibrant colors glistening in the French patisserie windows. They seemed so delicate and precious, something to eat only on special occasions. When I first broke through that crispy outer shell and into the creamy, chewy, delicious center my taste buds came alive.” Smitten by their taste, Alia decided to make it her mission to bring Macarons to everybody.

From Home Baker to Store Owner

Alia would regularly bake at her home. Her home, more often than not, would be filled with the lovely aroma that one associates with baking. She would often add her unique element to the recipes to enhance the flavors that drew praise from those who tasted it. After her first son was born, she found herself with more time at home to indulge in her passion for baking.

With positive feedback from family and friends, Looshi’s started off as a home business, selling to clients through its facebook page. Alia adds, “I used to bake at home and sell to offices/birthday/wedding events. I was only baking some pies and macarons. Once I saw a good pick up in demand, I moved the business concept to a small business boutique bakery in JLT, Dubai. And we added a full range of desserts.” Her idea to run the bakery was met with full support from her father and brother who were running a dessert restaurant in Egypt.

Today, Looshi’s is a go-to place for delicious desserts where her team uses premium ingredients and still maintains a good price offering to its clients. It also handles B2B clients, where it supplies personalized dessert sections in its menu or supplied directly from the current menu.

A Celebration called Life

Alia loves what she does and thinks of her work as an extension of her personality. Her work gives her a chance to offer delightful experiences to the customers at Looshi’s. For Alia in the beginning, it was very hard to understand the market and try to compete with all the established brands. This line of business, being very unpredictable, started to be very stressful. However, with the right plan and motivation in place, situations got better. The competition is most certainly cut-throat, however, when one provides and maintains a unique service, like Looshi’s, the customers do appreciate it.

The steady progress acted as a motivational factor, seeing the demand grow and customers liking and wanting Looshi’s items. Alia adds, “Seeing customers giving us positive feedback and personalized emails after trying our products definitely pushes us to keep going. Winning awards and getting recognized for the hard work and efforts that we place into our brand gives the whole team a sense of accomplishment and we consider them as proud moments at Looshi’s.”

Alia’s entrepreneurial journey has given her the insight to always broaden her knowledge and accept all sorts of information – criticism, and feedback that comes her way. She feels that it’s important to do one’s research appropriately to minimize negative outcomes and build a brand that stays with the customers forever.

New Recipes in the Oven

Alia and her team at Looshi’s are very hardworking and are excited to see the brand grow. Every individual places its full efforts and cares about the brand. Going forward, Alia would like to see Looshi’s as the neighborhood bakery where everyone can find small boutique shops located in community areas. She would also like to venture into different services within the confectionery sector; Distribution services, getting premium and high-quality brands within the chocolate and confectionery sector.

To satiate your next sweet craving, connect with Alia at www.looshis.com