{"id":173141,"date":"2026-02-11T07:28:14","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T07:28:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/173141\/"},"modified":"2026-02-11T07:28:14","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T07:28:14","slug":"how-dubai-chocolate-found-its-way-to-sacramento","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/173141\/","title":{"rendered":"How Dubai Chocolate Found Its Way to Sacramento"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a><\/p>\n

This story is part of our February 2026 issue. To read the print version, click here.<\/a><\/p>\n


\n
\n <\/p>\n

\n Dubai chocolate was made for our image-obsessed social media
\n culture. A thick chocolate shell breaks open to reveal a bright
\n green pistachio filling, threaded with crunchy strands of
\n kataifi, a shredded phyllo dough traditionally used in Middle
\n Eastern and Mediterranean desserts. The dramatic reveal became
\n central to how the chocolate spread on social media, with
\n creators searching their own cities for places to try it.\n<\/p>\n

\n The chocolate bar reportedly began as a pregnancy craving in the
\n mind of Dubai-based, British-Egyptian entrepreneur Sarah Hamouda.
\n Filipino chef Nouel Catis Omamalin helped her translate her
\n vision into reality. After videos of the bar circulated on
\n TikTok, it quickly gained international attention, inspiring
\n countless imitations and variations.\n<\/p>\n

\n In the Capital Region, home to California\u2019s massive pistachio
\n industry, the trend quickly took root and spread. At farmers
\n markets, customers began asking for it by name. In bakeries and
\n dessert shops, the same pistachio-and-kataifi combination
\n appeared in other forms, like cheesecakes, brownies, strawberries
\n and coffee drinks.\n<\/p>\n

\n To understand how the trend is playing out locally, Comstock\u2019s
\n visited bakeries and cafes across the region and spoke with the
\n people behind the counters.\n<\/p>\n

Local twists on a global trend<\/p>\n

\n Tina Haddad, the baker behind Dubai Chocolate Obsession, first
\n encountered Dubai chocolate on TikTok. When she started looking
\n into how it was made, the ingredient lists on store-bought
\n pistachio creams gave her pause.\n<\/p>\n

\n \u201cWhen I looked at the pistachio cream in the store, pistachio was
\n barely in there,\u201d she says. \u201cIt was maybe 17 percent pistachio.
\n The rest was syrup.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\n Dubai Chocolate Obsession offers a variety of Dubai
\n chocolate-inspired cakes and sweets, like this cheesecake.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\n With a background in catering and baking in the Bay Area, Haddad
\n decided to make her own version from scratch, building a
\n pistachio butter that relied on clean ingredients like coconut
\n oil and plenty of the nut itself. \u201cMy Dubai chocolate cheesecake
\n is the one people ask for the most,\u201d she says. \u201cI also do a
\n Biscoff version because I know not everyone can have nuts.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n Haddad primarily sells through Instagram and supplies desserts to
\n cafes across the region, including Mochi Caf\u00e9 in Sacramento and
\n Teaspoon in El Dorado Hills. Early exposure came through farmers
\n markets, where chocolate bar samples introduced new customers to
\n the flavors.\n<\/p>\n

\n One of those market appearances led to an unexpected boost. After
\n sampling her Dubai Chocolate, a producer from Good Day Sacramento
\n invited Haddad to appear on the show.\n<\/p>\n

\n \u201cThey came to my house to film,\u201d she says. \u201cThat day, I got so
\n many orders.\u201d Social media continues to drive discovery, but much
\n of her business now comes from repeat customers. \u201cI thought it
\n was going to be a trend,\u201d she says, \u201cbut it\u2019s the same people
\n coming back every week.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n Talgat Kazakbaev, who goes by TJ, was operating Chokberry out of
\n a trailer parked near the Westfield Galleria in Roseville when
\n videos of his pistachio-and-kataifi desserts began circulating on
\n TikTok. Demand escalated quickly. At the height of the surge,
\n customers waited up to two hours in line.\n<\/p>\n

\n \u201cAfter our second TikTok hit over a million views, everything
\n changed,\u201d Kazakbaev says. \u201cWe were selling out every day.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n One of the trailer\u2019s most ordered items is the strawberry Dubai
\n cup. Creamy chocolate spills over the rim, strawberries soak it
\n up, and the whole thing plays well on camera. It is easy to see
\n why people were willing to wait in line for it.\n<\/p>\n

\n The trailer became a destination, driven almost entirely by
\n online visibility. The demand was intense enough that Kazakbaev
\n opened a permanent Chokberry storefront inside the Galleria. The
\n original trailer continues to operate and has since expanded its
\n offerings to include loaded baked potatoes alongside desserts.\n<\/p>\n

From bars to beverages<\/p>\n

\n Owner Abdul Aziz spent years developing his coffee shop, Qisa
\n Coffee, before opening the brick-and-mortar space in Curtis Park.
\n The cafe draws inspiration from Yemeni and Peshawar coffee
\n traditions and from a neighborhood he describes as deeply
\n community-oriented.\n<\/p>\n

\n Pistachio was already a prominent part of the menu, so when the
\n Dubai chocolate trend emerged, the flavor combination fit
\n naturally. Aziz translated those elements into drinks. Dubai
\n chocolate-inspired pistachio matcha and coffee drinks were first
\n introduced through Qisa\u2019s monthly membership program, which
\n offers points and discounts.\n<\/p>\n

\n Later, the drinks became available to regular customers and
\n remain on Qisa\u2019s secret menu. The matcha version uses pistachio
\n cream, chocolate and cold foam, rotating in and out as
\n ingredients and demand allow.\n<\/p>\n

\n \u201cThe chocolate is expensive, and our menu changes often,\u201d he
\n says. \u201cSo we pay attention to what people keep coming back for.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n While Qisa quietly introduced Dubai chocolate, Sweet Oven Bakery
\n in Arden took a more visible approach.\n<\/p>\n

\n The bakery makes desserts that catch your eye, but the appeal
\n goes beyond looks. Owner Mindy Le makes everything from scratch,
\n and the flavors reflect that hands-on approach. Sweet Oven is
\n known for playful drinks like a tiramisu latte finished with a
\n full slice of tiramisu perched on top, along with the viral burnt
\n marshmallow hot chocolate.\n<\/p>\n

\n When Dubai chocolate entered the picture, Le created her own
\n version and produced it all in-house. \u201cIt started with the
\n macaron,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd surprisingly, it\u2019s still one of our best
\n sellers.\u201d Dubai chocolate also appears in matcha and lattes, but
\n many customers specifically ask for the Dubai chocolate
\n strawberries.\n<\/p>\n

\n Mindy limits those to when the fruit is at its peak. \u201cIn the
\n summer, the strawberries are sweeter and bigger,\u201d she says.
\n \u201cThat\u2019s when we bring it back.\u201d This choice mirrors how many
\n Sacramento businesses approach trends, with seasonality setting
\n the boundaries.\n<\/p>\n

\n \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\n Feda Faizi, owner of Chocolate Bash at Delta Shores, pours
\n chocolate on a Dubai strawberry cup, one of many reimaginings of
\n the Dubai chocolate bar that are available around Sacramento.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\n Chocolate Bash is a franchise with multiple locations across
\n California. In Sacramento, it sits in Delta Shores, tucked into
\n the shopping complex in a hidden spot that makes it feel almost
\n like a secret. Desserts rotate frequently, but items include a
\n Bash Burger, four fluffy pancakes piled high with three fruits
\n and your choice of drizzle.\n<\/p>\n

\n And, of course, the Dubai chocolate craze is firmly part of the
\n mix. The shop carries its core offerings while letting the trend
\n spill into mini pancakes and milkshakes, giving customers more
\n than one way to satisfy their flavor obsession.\n<\/p>\n

\n \u201cOnce people liked the flavor, they wanted it on everything,\u201d
\n says owner Feda Faizi.\n<\/p>\n

\n Faizi doesn\u2019t run the shop based on predictions about which
\n trends will last. Some desserts flare up and disappear quickly.
\n Others stick around longer than expected. What stays is decided
\n in real time, shaped by repeat orders and by how often people
\n return for the same item. When asked what trends he\u2019s watching
\n for in 2026, he laughs and refuses to give anything away. \u201cTop
\n secret,\u201d he says. \u201cYou\u2019ll have to come see.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the next Dubai chocolate?<\/p>\n

\n Dubai chocolate is one example of how international, social
\n media-driven food trends now move through the country. A single
\n post can change the trajectory of a food business overnight. A
\n video circulates, the algorithm picks it up, and suddenly, a
\n dessert that existed quietly the week before is drawing lines,
\n selling out, or forcing owners to get creative.\n<\/p>\n

\n For Maddy Edmunds, a Sacramento-based influencer who tracks
\n emerging food and drink trends, that repeat behavior is the tell.
\n \u201cWhen I start seeing the same thing pop up across multiple
\n platforms from creators or food accounts I trust, that\u2019s usually
\n when I pay attention,\u201d she says. \u201cWhat really sparks my interest
\n is when local spots start putting their own spin on it.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n Looking toward 2026, Edmunds expects fewer trends built purely
\n around shock value and more that reflect how people are eating
\n now. She points to the continued rise of low-ABV and nonalcoholic
\n drinks, along with plant-forward and gluten-free options becoming
\n more integrated into everyday menus rather than treated as
\n alternatives.\n<\/p>\n

\n As dining out gets more expensive, more food trends are being
\n shaped by what content creators are making at home, ideas that
\n feel approachable, affordable and easy to recreate. Social media
\n may spark the idea, but what lasts in Sacramento is whatever fits
\n into real life and what keeps people coming back for more.\n<\/p>\n

\n \u2013\n<\/p>\n

\n Stay up to date on\u00a0business in the Capital Region:
\n Subscribe to the Comstock\u2019s newsletter
\n today.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This story is part of our February 2026 issue. To read the print version, click here. …\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":173142,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[121,123,122],"class_list":{"0":"post-173141","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sacramento","8":"tag-sacramento","9":"tag-sacramento-headlines","10":"tag-sacramento-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173141","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=173141"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173141\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/173142"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=173141"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=173141"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=173141"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}