{"id":106000,"date":"2025-08-28T17:28:40","date_gmt":"2025-08-28T22:28:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?p=106000"},"modified":"2026-01-01T16:04:36","modified_gmt":"2026-01-01T22:04:36","slug":"watch-dubai-chocolate-trend-inspires-local-bliss-bowls-innovation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/watch-dubai-chocolate-trend-inspires-local-bliss-bowls-innovation\/","title":{"rendered":"WATCH: Dubai chocolate trend inspires local Bliss Bowls innovation"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b style=\"font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, 'Noto Sans', sans-serif, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji'; font-size: 16px;\">By Amanda Pirkowski and Kate Wunderlich<\/b><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Medill Reports<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dubai chocolate, the new indulgence and dessert of the moment, can be enjoyed in ways other than its solid, chocolate form. Bliss Bowls, a family-run a\u00e7a\u00ed and smoothie store with four locations in the Midwest, including one in the Loop, is doing just that. The place put a special twist on the recent Dubai chocolate craze, creating a Dubai chocolate a\u00e7a\u00ed bowl.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Bliss Bowls Dubai chocolate trend\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/1113389111?dnt=1&amp;app_id=122963\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">VIDEO TRANSCRIPT:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Amanda Pirkowski: Good evening and welcome to Medill Reports. I&#8217;m Amanda Pirkowski.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kate Wunderlich: And I\u2019m Kate Wunderlich. Today, we&#8217;re diving into a sweet trend taking over social media and our taste buds, Dubai chocolate.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pirkowski: I&#8217;ve definitely seen it all over my social media feed, and it\u2019s not your ordinary chocolate bar. It&#8217;s chunky and filled with pistachio cream and a crispy kataifi pastry, basically, a shredded, fried wheat.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wunderlich: The trend began in Dubai&#8217;s top-tier chocolate shops but then exploded across the U.S., with influencers jumping on the hype and fast-food chains like Shake Shack offering a Dubai chocolate shake.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pirkowski: But here in Chicago, one family business decided to put their own spin on the treat. They created a Dubai chocolate a\u00e7a\u00ed bowl, a new addition to all of their other sweet bowl offerings. Let&#8217;s take a look at Bliss Bowls.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wunderlich: Joining us now to tell us all about Bliss Bowls and this sweet, Dubai chocolate innovation is Maysa Abdullah, owner of Bliss Bowls in the Loop. Welcome.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Maysa Abdullah, Owner of Bliss Bowls in the Loop: Thank you so much for having me.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pirkowski: Yes, so first of all, Maysa, can you tell us exactly what is a\u00e7a\u00ed, this purple liquid we\u2019ve got going here?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Abdullah: So, a\u00e7a\u00ed is a berry that grows in the Amazon rainforest in South America. It is very popular in Brazil. It also has a lot of health benefits. It&#8217;s known to boost energy, promote skin health and help in digestion.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pirkowski: Amazing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wunderlich: Wow, I need to eat some more a\u00e7a\u00ed.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pirkowski: Definitely.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wunderlich: And how did you discover this superfood?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Abdullah: It all started when my brother went on his trip to Hawaii and had his first a\u00e7a\u00ed bowl there, and he immediately fell in love with it. He loved the flavor, the concept. He loved that it was delicious and healthy, and it looked beautiful, too, all of the colors of the fruits and the look of it. He fell in love with it, so he decided to bring it here to Chicago and Wisconsin. And he said, \u201cLet&#8217;s all team up the siblings and start our first business.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wunderlich: Wow.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pirkowski: Yes, we love a family business. So, you&#8217;ve obviously got these traditional, fruity bowls. But can you tell us a little bit more specifically about the Dubai chocolate one?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Abdullah: Yes, our bowls are all inspired by each of our siblings. My sister actually came up with that one. She called me and said, \u201cI tried the Dubai chocolate bar, and I fell in love with it. Let\u2019s bring it into our a\u00e7a\u00ed bowl.\u201d And that&#8217;s when we experimented. And it complemented our a\u00e7a\u00ed base so well. We put it on the menu, and it was a big hit.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wunderlich: Wow. Could you show us how to make one of those?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Abdullah: Yes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pirkowski: Let&#8217;s do it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Abdullah: So, you start off, we do our a\u00e7a\u00ed through a soft-serve machine. That&#8217;s how we get the swirl.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pirkowski: A beautiful swirl, very tall, too.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Abdullah: Yes, and we have granola.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wunderlich: And where do you get your granola?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Abdullah: We get our granola. We have two types of granola. We have a company make it for us. We have a gluten free and one with almonds.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pirkowski: This is fresh fruit. This looks wonderful.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Abdullah: Yes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pirkowski: And, so then, what are we putting on next?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Abdullah: Next, we will put on the Nutella.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wunderlich: Do you use that in any other bowls that you sell?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Abdullah: Yes, we actually have a Nutella bowl with strawberries and bananas. Our Nutella in the store is actually warmed up, so that&#8217;s why it&#8217;s kind of hard right now.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pirkowski: Ooh, the pistachio cream. I\u2019m excited about this.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wunderlich: Delicious.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Abdullah: We actually made this bowl on St. Patrick&#8217;s Day. That&#8217;s when we launched it because it&#8217;s green.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pirkowski: So creamy and delicious. Yum. And this is the kataifi, right?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Abdullah: Yes. This is the phyllo dough.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pirkowski: That\u2019s what\u2019s in the Dubai chocolate right there.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Abdullah: That&#8217;s the center of it. And then we put more pistachio.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wunderlich: Looks so creamy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Abdullah: It is. And then we end it off with dark, shaved chocolate.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pirkowski: Yum. Amazing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wunderlich: Wow, looks delicious.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pirkowski: I think we\u2019re going to dive in and do a taste test right here.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Abdullah: Go ahead.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pirkowski: Exciting. So, more than just this, what are some of the other bowls that you have at Bliss Bowls?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Abdullah: We have fruity options, like the Brazilian bowl, which is strawberry, mango, kiwi. We have a very berry bowl, which is all berries \u2013 strawberry, raspberry and blueberries.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pirkowski: Ooh, that sounds tasty.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Abdullah: Yes, we also have a popular one with peanut butter. It&#8217;s called the peanut butter bowl. We&#8217;re also coming up with the back-to-school bowl, which is going to be a s&#8217;mores bowl. It&#8217;s gonna have graham crackers and marshmallows to complement the fall, too.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pirkowski: Yes, peanut butter reminds me of school. Anyway, this is delicious with kataifi and the pistachio. Definitely reminds me of a Dubai chocolate bar.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Abdullah: Yes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pirkowski: But thank you so much, Maysa, for joining us here today.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Abdullah: Thank you so much for having me. Thank you.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wunderlich: For more a\u00e7a\u00ed combinations, be sure to visit the Bliss Bowls website. And, for more trends, visit Medill Reports.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pirkowski: Yes, thank you again.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Amanda Pirkowski and <\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kate Wunderlich are<\/span><\/i> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">graduate students at Medill. You can follow Amanda on Instagram at @amandapirkowski and Kate at @kate_wunderlich.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bliss Bowls in the Loop is located at 115 N. Wabash Ave. You can also learn more at <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.blissbowls.us\/\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.blissbowls.us\/<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or @blissbowls_acai on Instagram.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Amanda Pirkowski and Kate Wunderlich Medill Reports Dubai chocolate, the new indulgence and dessert of the moment, can be enjoyed in ways other than its solid, chocolate form. Bliss Bowls, a family-run a\u00e7a\u00ed and smoothie store with four locations in the Midwest, including one in the Loop, is doing just that. The place put [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":994,"featured_media":106003,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194,5251,5542,5521],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-106000","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-culture","category-chicago","category-msj25","category-summer-2025"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>WATCH: Dubai chocolate trend inspires local Bliss Bowls innovation - Medill Reports Chicago<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Dubai chocolate, the new indulgence and dessert of the moment, can be enjoyed in ways other than its solid, chocolate form. 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