Juan Pablo Crespo / @juanpamark
Photos: Courtesy of Cacao Art
It is as Venezuelan as the jaggery, as European as a bonbon made in France or Belgium, as Floridian as the tupelo honey and as Garcia as the sisters Susana and Isabel. This is Cocoa Art, a luxury handmade chocolate factory located in Miami, which succeeds based on eclecticism.
Susana and Isabel are two Venezuelan entrepreneurs who in 2010 opened a family business in the City of the Sun, after having created “Latitud 10 Chocolatería Artesanal” in Caracas, a year before. However, after moving to Miami more than 5 years ago, the star king has continued shining for them together with the 100% Venezuelan Superior chocolate (El Rey).
Aníseed and jaggery is their most appreciated bonbon and along with the Tupelo honey and cardamom outline the spirit of the company. “These bonbons represent our philosophy very well: inspiration in our Venezuelan flavours, our shared trips and our new home in Miami,” Isabel García says, a journalist with studies in Political Science in London with training course in chocolate making with chef Andre Rosset, MOF. His sister Susana, an architect and the “Maitre” chocolate maker at Cacao Art, trained at Le Cordon Bleu, a culinary academy in Paris and at the famous Ecole Lenôtre, with the chef Thierry Atlan, MOF, in the same city.
Venezuelan inspiration
And how is the aniseed and jaggery that surprises the palates unfamiliar with the raw cane sugar, as it is also known this product derived from the sugar cane, which also stirs the sensory memory of the Venezuelans who taste it? Isabel tells us that “this chocolate is one of our favourites, inspired, of course, in the Venezuelan golfeados of our childhood (and we continue eating them when visiting Caracas). Instead of real anise, we use organic fennel seeds roasted and ground by us and the sweet touch of jaggery makes it perfect. We pair it with 61% chocolate so it is not oversweet. It is fun to see the responses: Venezuelans make an almost immediate connection to anise and the golfeado, while foreigners (without any difference) are surprised by the taste and are not able to guess what to attribute it to, although they have always liked it! This bonbon was awarded by the International Chocolate Awards (Gold in 2015 and Silver in 2016).
“We consider it very important to respect all the ingredients of a creamy ganache or a good caramel and that these, in turn, complement without overshadowing (or are overshadowed) by the chocolate. That’s where the true talent of the chocolate makers is in play” Isabel describes to Vivaelcacao.com.
The original creations by Cacao Art go much further, thus the tupelo honey and cardamom bonbon arose with its peculiar profile. “We discovered the tupelo honey here in Florida. In fact, this honey is only extracted from some very special trees that grow in the swamps of North Florida. It is delicious, very subtle and flowery. We pair it with cardamom, a warm spice that combines very well with honey. We have been enjoying it since a trip we made to Scandinavia some years ago. This bonbon was awarded by the Good Food Awards in 2014, and it is a finalist again this year. “
Educating the palate
Day after day, with its unique creations, Cacao Art has been developing a task of persuasion about quality chocolate. For a reason the chocolate factory slogan is “for true appreciation of chocolate”. “Recently, there has been an explosion of the bean to bar world and craft chocolate in the United States and this has helped people understand more about the superior quality of Venezuelan chocolate. We love to work with chocolate made in Venezuela with Venezuelan cocoa, not only for supporting what’s ours, but also because we know that it is one of the best in the world.”
Isabel states “in homemade chocolate making, especially in the USA, there is an important educational aspect. We would like people to understand the difference between an industrial bonbon and one made with fine chocolate, of origin, mixed with worthy ingredients.”
-A Forbes article places Cacao Art Chocolates as one of the best homemade chocolates for gifts, but what projects do you have to remain in such a competitive market?
-We are always testing and experimenting with new flavours and combinations. Each year, after many tests, we create two or three new chocolates, in search of inspiration from our Venezuelan childhood, travels and Florida flavours. We always try to look for what is the latest, local and original, in accordance with the chocolate that we use.
–How many chocolates, truffles and other products do you offer? Where can they be obtained?
-We have about 20 chocolates in rotation. Some are turned over according to the season as the Apple and Bourbon Caramel and the Gingerbread (ginger spices) made only in winter. In addition to our chocolate truffles, we offer little bags of chocolate discs with inclusions that we call “On-the-go”, something a bit more informal for snacks or for eating in the office.
The products can be purchased through our website. We can ship to all the USA. You can also visit us at our workshop in South Miami (7165 SW 47th St, Miami 33155). Likewise, a selection of our chocolates are for selling at some bakeries, hotels and cafes in Miami, including Atelier Monnier, All Day Coffeshop, The Golden Hog, 1 South Beach Hotel, among others.
Facebook: @CacaoArtChocolates
Instagram: cacaoart
Pinterest: CacaoArt
Twitter: @CacaoArtMiami
www.cacaoart.com
Teléphone: +1 786 3972301
