JUST DESSERTS

Australia’s first cacao bar has opened in Miami, serving four blends of the ancient drink as well as plant-based desserts, writes Amber Macpherson

VEGAN food haunt The LC has welcomed a new pop-up powered by cacao.

Sacred Taste is the latest plant-based eatery to open at the Miami hub, serving sweet treats, smoothies, gelato and its brand of raw cacao drinks all free of sugar and gluten.

Owner Maz Valcorza says she and her partner jumped at the opportunity to open on the Gold Coast, becoming Australia’s first raw cacao bar.

“I used to have two plantbased restaurants in Sydney and that was the first place we stocked Sacred (cacao powder),” Maz says.

“Earlier this year we really decided to focus on it, and it all happened really quickly.

“When this chance came up to have a space here (at the LC), we thought it would be perfect for this cacao bar concept.

“We wanted it to be completely sugar free, filled with our cacao and super foods, but also in the form of desserts.”

Sacred Taste offers four blends of raw drinking cacao, with the dessert products based on these flavours.

Maz says cacao has been used for centuries as a natural healing drink, believed to boost happiness and brain power.

“It’s good for energy and creativity,” Maz says.

“The cacao comes in four flavours — Earth which is pure drinking chocolate, Fire which is chilli cacao, Love with rose flavour that tastes like Turkish delight, and Vitality which uses matcha and mint.

“Those four flavours form the basis of our other offerings.

“We have house-made gelato and the ‘milk’ we use is made from hemp and coconut, and hazelnut and cashew.

“The gelato is chocolate fudge flavour, rose-flavoured gelato, chilli and mint gelato.

“They’re all served in our charcoal cones.

“We also have smoothies and bowls infused with super food — we’ve got a green one, chocolate and berry.

“Everything’s sugar free. Diabetics and all the people that usually can’t have them, they can have them. It’s very low in calories too.”

Not only is it completely cruelty free, Sacred Taste is also environmentally sustainable.

“Our bowls are edible — you can get some gelato and put it in a waffle bowl,” Maz says.

“You can get a cacao shot and we put it in a cookie crumb cup.

“We also have glass bottles. We charge $2 for the bottle but when you bring it back you get $2 off your next bottle.”

Sacred Taste’s cabinet is also stocked daily with delicious baked and raw treats, including Turkish delight cakes, chocolate fudge doughnuts, peanut butter brownies, cheesecake, and more.

“They’re all sugar free, low carb, keto friendly, organic,” Maz says.

“Food that is indulgent can be really good for you.”

Sacred Taste open daily from 7am to 9pm at 2176 Gold Coast Hwy, Miami