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mokenamessenger.com life & arts
the Mokena Messenger | December 13, 2018 | 19
The Dish
Cacao Cafe serves up Latin dishes, pastries and drinks
Amanda Villiger
Assistant Editor
Making chocolate is a
process that takes a not-soextraordinary
bean, the cacao
bean, and turns it into
something delicious.
The transformation takes
the bitter, earthy seed and —
after a long process of roasting
and grinding and mixing
— makes it a sweet treat
people around the world
love to eat.
When Linda Aceves, of
Tinley Park, started her journey
to open Cacao Cafe, she
was presented with a similar
challenge in the form of a
space that did not look like
much on the outside or the
inside.
Located at 9111 W. 151st
St. in Orland Park, Cacao
Cafe now fills what was
once an empty space with
no guts, so to speak. With a
little creativity and a lot of
hard work, Aceves turned it
into a modern internet cafe.
Aceves, who graduated
from Tinley Park High
School in 2009, fell in love
with baking during a class
she took there but ultimately
decided to pursue premed in
college.
Soon into her studies to
become a doctor, she said
she took a step back because
she just knew it was not the
right path for her. While
taking some time off from
school, she saw an advertisement
for a culinary school.
She took the plunge and
applied, finding herself enrolled
and taking classes at
Le Cordon Bleu College of
Culinary Arts in Chicago before
she knew it.
“I wasn’t really sure what
I even wanted to do; I just
know I just love to bake, I
like to cook and I really like
to people’s face and emotions
when they see something
beautiful, like a cake
or something,” Aceves said.
“So, that’s my whole inspiration.
Having this big place
now, I have so many ideas.”
Baking was something
Aceves said came naturally
to her, and she has chosen to
use her talents in the kitchen
to get back to her roots with
Cacao Cafe, which specializes
in Latin pastries and
drinks, and has light breakfast
and lunch items as well.
Having free wireless internet
makes the space great for
people who are working remotely,
but Aceves said she
also hopes to see the space
become a “community cafe”
where people want to attend
private or public events and
even host their own.
The cafe just opened in
early November, but Aceves
said she already has a few
regulars.
“We are a scratch kitchen,
so we prepare everything in
house,” said Aceves, who has
partnered with Back of the
Yards Coffee Co. in Chicago.
As a result, Cacao Cafe
is able to serve a variety of
Latin-infused coffees, including
a traditional drink
called cafe de olla. The drink
is served in an earthen clay
pot, similar to terracotta,
which gives the drink its
own unique flavor.
“Coffee, it’s a big thing in
our culture,” Aceves said. “I
think I started drinking coffee
since I was 5 years old.”
Aceves parents both immigrated
to the United States
from Mexico, and she and
her two younger brothers
were born in the U.S. As the
oldest of her siblings, she is
also the first one in her family
to graduate from high
school and college — and to
own her own business.
“I’m also the first to actually
live my dream and
live that so-called American
dream that every immigrant
parent has for their child,”
Cacao Cafe
9111 W. 151st St. in
Orland Park
Hours
• 6 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-
Saturday
• 6 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday
For more information ...
Web: cacaocafeorland.
com
Email: cacaocafe@
yahoo.com
she said. “I’m very proud.”
The cafe is to have a set
menu with popular Latin staples
soon. And Aceves said
she likes to have a variety of
rotating, daily specials.
In 2019, she said she plans
to get a liquor license, which
will allow the business to
create liquor-infused pastries
and espresso drinks.
While many of the drinks
may be geared toward an
adult clientele, Aceves said
the cafe is certainly a familyfriendly
place with options
for youngsters, as well.
She said she also plans to
grow the menu over time to
incorporate more options for
vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free
patrons.
One of the breakfast favorites
at Cacao Cafe is the
huevos rancheros ($6.99),
made with two sunny side
up eggs atop fried tortillas
and topped with cheese and
homemade salsa. The dish
comes with a side of refried
beans and rice.
Sopes ($8.89) are on the
lunch menu and feature fried
corn discs topped with refried
beans, steak, lettuce,
pico de gallo, queso fresco
and sour cream.
The counter at Cacao Cafe
presents an enticing array of
Latin baked goods, including
various flavors of crumbly
sugar cookies called polvorones
($.90 each); seashellshaped
sweet breads called
A variety of Latin pastries tempt customers at the counter of Cacao Cafe in Orland Park.
Amanda Villiger/22nd Century Media
conchas ($1.05); empanadas
de fresa and empanadas de
piña ($.95), which feature
a sweet dough wrapped
around a strawberry or pineapple
fruit filling; molasses
FEATURING:
cookies in the shape of a
small pig, called puerquitos
($.80); and jalapeno queso
bread ($1.25).
Coffee can be served to
go in three sizes: 12 ounces
• Health & Wellness • Fitness
• Medical • Dental
• Insurance and more!
MORE INFO: (708) 326-9170 ext. 16
22ndCenturyMedia.com/healthy
($1.99), 16 ounces ($2.29)
or 20 ounces ($2.59). It also
can be enjoyed in a mug in
house ($2.59). Coffees can
be made as specialty Latin
drinks, as well (add $.50).
Saturday
Jan. 19, 2019
9am - 1pm
V E N D O R S W A N T E D
Tinley Park
Convention
Center
DEADLINE:
DEC. 12, 2018