SMALL BUSINESS, BIG DREAM

April 1, 2023 Community Billboard

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet

Beat the summer heat. Try Halfcup’s variety of comfort foods and you will be amazed how the flavors will jump right through your mouth. Its unique and delicious pastries, yummy ice creams,
best fries and heart whelming coffee eases your day. The ambiance is warm and cozy ,it makes you feel like your at home ,it will hug you instantly upon entering the place. ”Signature fries” is one
of their best seller. It is prepared with lot of chopped tomatoes, sour cream, herbs, and ground meat, which creates an explosion of flavours in your mouth.

Mostly of her ingredients are locally produced. The Half Cup venue brings “homey vibes,”
“comfort place,” and “safe place” for customers. Their kitchen is open for everyone to see how they prepare the food, putting premium on good sanitation and cleanliness. Chelsy Salinas, 33 years old and happily single, owns and manage the bakery shop. Before she opened her own business , her parents also owned a food business, and Chelsy was the one who baked cakes, eventually baking
became her passion.

Chelsy was inspired to start a small food online business in 2013 through deliveries. In late 2014, they opened their own business – Halfcup Bakeshop. Challenges met their way in 2017, but two years after, and inspired by the clamor of regular customer , it reopened in 2019 at KM5, 5th floor of the Blue Ocean Department Store building. It operates from 9:00AM until 6:30PM. Chelsy, graduated Hospitality and Tourism Management, major in Hotel, Resort, and Restaurant
Management at Saint Louis University (SLU) and also studied Professional Baking and Pastry at Magsaysay Center for Hospitality and Culinary Arts (MHCA).

“I would say, my skills were enhanced at MIHCA, special shout out to my mentor Chef Napoleon
Carbonel. Parang duon talaga nag level up. Kasi before that I was like a hobbyist” Chelsy mused. She considers her café as an achievement and she encourages everyone to do better in life specially to her hardworking employees. Halfcups tagline -”We will never be whole because we will always be half of what we can become”. The shop owner said “its not always the flavour but its about the heart “, revealing that plans are under way to open up a branch in Baguio.

Inside the cafe ,one finds a mini gallery where art pieces are displayed—like hand crafted items by Apryl Munoz while their wall interior were doodled by his brother including their logo which is
a cup with a half-placed line. Art and coffee shop give a pleasing mood for the costumers and one way in promoting local artists works the owner said.

By: Francis Jay Alipio/UB Intern