After nine years of shaping our approach to coffee and pastry through our work with Sweet & Savory Collective, Little While is our way of bringing everything we’ve learned into one place. Thoughtful coffee, carefully made pastries, and a space designed for people to slow down and stay a little while.

Three men sitting at a small table in a cafe or restaurant, with drinks and food, engaging in conversation.

Interior of a shop with a tall potted plant, a wooden shelving unit with boxes, books, and hanging clothes.

An orange to-go coffee cup with a white lid on a small round marble table.

A person with short dark hair, glasses, and a tattoo on their arm, working behind a coffee shop counter, preparing a beverage.

A wooden A-frame sidewalk sign advertising coffee and pastries outside the shop.

A latte with latte art on top, served on a wooden tray with a second drink, on a round marble table.

Group of people inside a coffee shop, ordering or waiting for their drinks, with baristas preparing beverages behind the counter.

A woman with dark hair and red highlights takes a photo with her phone inside a cafe. On the table in front of her are coffee drinks, a green iced beverage, a dessert, and a wooden tray.

A person sitting with their back to the camera, seen through a glass reflection, with a city street scene visible on the glass.

Display of baked goods on a tray, including eggnog conchas, chocolate croissants, and other pastries, with small price tags

OUR PURPOSE

Little While is here to share and create moments of significance and delight through our distinct flavors and experience.

We have proudly created a space for our customers to slow down, and savor the present and cannot wait to grow our community.

A hand-drawn line art illustration of a cafe storefront with large windows, a central door, and signs indicating coffee and pastries inside. The upper part of the building has seven windows, and a sign above the door reads 'LITTLE WHITE'.

Stop-in-your-tracks flavors and ingredients (take a peek at our current menu), and an absolutely all-star team.

OUR SECRET WEAPON?

Man with glasses and tattoos enjoying a coffee and a pastry at home.

NAYTON ROSALES
General Manager

What led Nayton to Little While is a decade-long passion for exploring coffee and wanting to share that passion with friends and new folks he meets along the way.

CRYSTAL CASTILLO
Pastry Chef

A little more about Crystal, coming soon.

A man with a beard and tattoos, wearing a backwards cap and a light blue button-up shirt, is sitting cross-legged on a chair. He is smiling and holding a Chemex coffee maker with a paper filter inside. The background is plain and light-colored.

STEVEN TORRES
Founder and CEO

Originally from Calexico in the nearby Imperial Valley, holds degrees in accounting and business administration from Central Washington University. His career path transitioned from finance to restaurant ownership in San Diego, driven by a passion for coffee and a desire to blend his financial acumen with his love for food.

A woman with blonde hair, glasses, and a white t-shirt extends her hand forward, holding a piece of cake toward the camera indoors with white curtains in the background.

MADYSON HODGE
Culinary Operations Manager

The culinary heartbeat behind Pop Pie Co. and Stella Jean’s Ice Cream, and Little While. From pies to pints to pastries, she keeps the magic (and butter) flowing.

GAN SUEBSARAKHAM
Founder and Executive Chef

A Thai Chef with an MBA from National University, pursued culinary arts locally at Grossmont College. His journey from Khon Kaen, Thailand, to establishing multiple culinary ventures in the U.S. exemplifies the pursuit of the American dream.

A man with dark hair and a beard, wearing a blue denim shirt and beige pants, sitting by a white curtain, holding a powdered sugar-covered pastry, smiling at the camera.

JUSTIN GASPAR
Operations Support Manager / Pastry Architect

A pastry chef and baker with a steady, thoughtful approach, Justin brings balance, patience, and precision to the craft. He’s endlessly curious, the kind of person who can talk about fermentation or laminated dough with the same wonder an artist feels when finding the perfect color or a musician discovering the right note.

Interested in joining the team? Email your CV to info@poppieco.com and say hello if you live and breathe coffee, and community like we do.

OUR ROASTERY

Little While is about savoring the moment, and it starts with beans roasted on our Stronghold Roaster S9X. We roast in small batches, with consistent care, and the kind of precision that turns coffee into craft.

Shop our beans (soon!)