Interior of Casa Cacao, located at 367 E. Hudson St. Credit: Alayna Lopez | Lantern Reporter
When visiting a cafe, one may expect a place to socialize, study or satisfy their caffeine fix, but Casa Cacao is putting a new spin on these standards.
Set for a Thursday grand opening, Casa Cacao — located at 367 E. Hudson St. in Columbus’ Old North neighborhood — will be the first local cafe to sell both kava- and cacao-infused beverages, according to co-founder and Ohio State student Ayala Wolak. Beginning Thursday, the cafe will be open for regular hours from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Sunday.
Amanda Ferguson, a herbalist at the Ohio Herb Center, said kava kava — or just kava for short — is a ceremonial plant native to the Pacific Islands that possesses relaxant properties.
“Kava is known to relax the body and relieve pain,” Ferguson said. “It also weakens inhibitions and anxiety, which may help with socializing.”
Ferguson said the root of the kava plant can be consumed in the form of tablets, powder, liquid drops or by simply soaking the root in water.
According to Casa Cacao’s website, aside from kava- and cacao-infused beverages, the cafe also plans to offer kombucha, coffee, espresso, hot chocolate and alcohol-free wines.
Wolak, a fourth-year in Romance studies, said she and her father, Ohio State alum Nick Wolak, founded Casa Cacao on the principle of providing new and distinct drinking experiences for others.
“Casa Cacao is a family business with a lot of time, effort and love put into it,” Ayala Wolak said. “It’s a cultivation of many things from around the world that we love and want to share with Columbus.”
Ayala Wolak said at Casa Cacao, kava is served in powder form and mixed into drinks with the option to include additives like cinnamon, agave, oat milk and various syrups to offset the strong, bitter taste it is known to possess. She said Casa Cacao also serves kava in a more concentrated form, as a shot mixed with water.
“Each drink has about 1 1/2 tablespoons of kava powder,” said Ayala Wolak. “If you get a 12-ounce tea, it’ll be less potent than if you get a shot.”
Though kava is one of the cafe’s staples, Ayala Wolak said the initial idea behind Casa Cacao was having it exclusively serve cacao-based products, a concept inspired by the chocolates her father brought back from his international travels.
“My dad and I would bond over trying these chocolates when I was in high school,” Ayala Wolak said. “We also experienced cacao with people who respect the plant and bean more than typical chocolate.”
Nick Wolak said Cacao — not to be confused with the cocoa found in hot chocolate — is prepared in a paste form and more potent than cocoa. He said its most active chemical is theobromine, a slow-acting stimulant with energy-boosting effects similar to caffeine.
“Caffeine is like a spike with a crash, whereas theobromine is gentler going up and down and also lasts longer in the middle,” Nick Wolak said.
After graduating high school, Ayala Wolak said she ventured West to attend the University of Oregon. After a year, she said she decided it wasn’t the right fit and ended up relocating to Los Angeles, where she eventually came across some local kava bars in an attempt to find an alternative for alcohol.
With a newfound appreciation for kava, Ayala Wolak said she returned to Columbus in pursuit of sharing it with the community.
Ayala Wolak said Casa Cacao soft-launched in February and has since experimented with its menu items, hours of operation and events that feature guest speakers and open mics.
“The opening of Casa Cacao has been like a homecoming for me; not only back to Columbus, but into myself,” Ayala Wolak said. “It represents the way I want to continue creating and sharing with others as I move forward in life.”
Ayala Wolak said she hopes visitors will consider Casa Cacao to be a safe and inclusive space.
“I hope people feel like we care about them and leave with a sense of community,” Ayala Wolak said. “I hope that they tried something new or at least had the opportunity to, and that they always feel welcome to come back.”
More information about Casa Cacao can be found on its website.
