Meet Soukaina Benmbarek

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Soukaina Benmbarek. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Soukaina, thank you so much for joining us today and appreciate you talking about a sensitive topic. It’s unfortunately relevant to so many in the community as layoffs have been on the rise recently, and so we’d appreciate hearing your story and how you overcame being let go?

In 2023, I was working in sales at ResMed Inc. It was a great company—truly employee-centric—but despite hitting and often exceeding my numbers, I found myself under intense stress from constant micromanagement. At the same time, my personal life was stretched thin with young kids, a demanding work schedule, and a marriage that needed attention and care. I was running on empty.
Then, in October 2023, layoffs were announced. I remember the 8 a.m. Zoom call vividly. When I realized I was part of the layoff, I turned my camera off so no one would see me cry. My instinct was survival: within an hour, I was searching LinkedIn and applying for jobs. With two small kids and so much uncertainty at home, I applied to ten positions that same day and had four interviews lined up within a week.
But as I went through those interviews, something became clear: the stress of jumping back into another high-pressure corporate role felt heavier than the uncertainty of being unemployed. For the first time in years, I had space to breathe. I started sleeping through the night instead of lying awake with anxiety. I became more present with my kids. Slowly, I realized the layoff was a blessing in disguise—an unexpected pause that allowed me to reset and actually hear what I needed.
After about six months, I began thinking about my next chapter. I wasn’t interested in returning to corporate life. The turning point came during a trip to urgent care with my daughter—the joys of preschool germs. I noticed the hospital didn’t have a cafeteria or even a small canteen. The idea of filling that gap stuck with me. I’ve always loved coffee and dreamed about owning a small café, so the concept of a coffee cart felt natural. I went all in: I took barista classes and even applied to work at a local coffee shop to learn from the inside.
As I started planning the logistics, I realized that especially in a hospital setting, offering food alongside coffee would be essential. To keep costs down, I returned to something I’d always loved—baking. I had baked cakes for friends since I was a teenager, but picking it back up as an adult brought me a sense of peace and joy I didn’t expect. That joy guided me to make a small but meaningful pivot.

And that’s how Little Oven LLC was born.

I soft-launched in January 2025, and it has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my career. Losing my job forced me to slow down and realign with what genuinely brings me happiness. In the end, the layoff didn’t set me back—it set me free.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

Little Oven is built on a simple philosophy: bake high-quality, small-batch goods using the best ingredients possible. Every item is made to order, crafted with care, and created with the intention of bringing comfort, joy, and a bit of indulgence to our customers’ day.
As we approach our one-year anniversary, we’ve participated in more than 50 markets, which has helped us build a wonderful, loyal community of customers—people who have supported us from our very first table setup. Their feedback and enthusiasm are what fuel our creativity and keep us growing.
In addition to our market and direct-to-customer business, we’ve begun expanding into wholesale. We’re proud to have our first wholesale partnership with Cappuccino Cottage, a local woman-owned coffee shop that shares our passion for community and quality. Being featured in her café has been an exciting milestone and a meaningful affirmation of the work we put into every batch.
Some of our most-loved specialty items include our eggless banana bread cookies, our olive-oil Belgian chocolate brownies, our brookie bars made with our signature brownie, and our crowd-favorite crookies—flaky butter croissants filled with our house-made cookie dough and baked to golden perfection.
Quality ingredients are at the heart of everything we make. We use European butter for its higher butterfat content, which creates a richer flavor and more tender baked goods, and Belgian chocolate for its superior cocoa quality and smooth texture. All of our loaves, including our brownies, are olive-oil based, which adds moisture, depth, and a cleaner ingredient profile.
We recently launched our website, where customers can place orders directly and also find dedicated links for corporate gifting and party orders—two areas of the business that have been growing quickly.
At Little Oven, we strive to make baked goods that taste incredible and also feel good to share—with family, with coworkers, with friends, or simply with yourself. It’s about creating something delicious, honest, and made with genuine care.
Looking ahead to 2026, we have a lineup of new products, markets, and collaborations that will take Little Oven into its next stage of growth.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Looking back, there are three qualities that I believe were most impactful in my journey: determination, emotional resilience, and self-awareness.
First, determination. Whether it was navigating a layoff, learning barista skills, or building a business from scratch, I’ve always had a drive to keep moving forward. That persistence helped me take small, consistent steps that eventually led to big results.
Second, emotional resilience—or, put simply, not taking losses personally. Setbacks happen in business, and they can feel intense in the moment, but I’ve learned to treat them as opportunities to learn rather than reflections of my worth. That mindset allows me to stay focused on solutions instead of getting stuck on disappointments.
Finally, self-awareness. I know my skill set and my limits, and I’m not afraid to call in help when needed. Whether that means asking a mentor for advice, collaborating with other experts, or bringing in a team member to fill a gap, recognizing when to reach out has been critical to growth.
For folks early in their journey, my advice is to cultivate these three areas intentionally:

Determination can be developed by setting small, achievable goals and celebrating progress along the way.
Resilience grows by reframing setbacks as learning opportunities, and by creating support systems—friends, mentors, or communities who help you stay grounded.
Self-awareness comes from honest reflection: know what you excel at, be aware of your blind spots, and don’t hesitate to leverage the skills of others to complement your own.

If you focus on these qualities, you’ll find that challenges become stepping stones and your growth—both personal and professional—accelerates in ways you may not expect.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

Little Oven is always excited to connect with like-minded partners and collaborators. We’re particularly interested in working with local coffee shops, small businesses, event planners, and organizations that value high-quality, handcrafted baked goods and building strong community connections. Whether it’s wholesale partnerships, pop-up events, or corporate and special event orders, we love finding creative ways to share our products with new audiences.

If you’re interested in collaborating, the best way to connect is through our website, where you can find a dedicated contact form for wholesale and partnership inquiries, or you can reach out directly via email. We’re always thrilled to explore new opportunities and bring a little Little Oven magic to more people!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.justlittleoven.com
• Instagram: @justlittleovensd