A Swiss woman caught on to the Dubai chocolate trend and began making it commercially.
An oriental delicacy has conquered the whole world: Dubai chocolate. A Swiss woman caught the trend, and began making them for sale in her own kitchen.
Mira Güntert / ch media
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These words flow like honey from everyone’s lips: Dubai chocolate.
A few weeks ago, the sweet trend took social media by storm, and has since become one of the most sought-after products in the world. Various brands have created their own versions, such as Lindt, which recently launched its own Dubai scarf. Courageous people did not hesitate to queue in the cold – sometimes for hours – to obtain a piece of the precious limited edition.
The kadaïf bar – sweet threads used in many oriental dishes -, pistachio cream, sesame paste, tahini and of course chocolate have won the hearts of gourmands.
Michaela Gysin, a resident of Möhlin in the canton of Aargau, has a very enterprising spirit; she did not hesitate to ride the media wave, trying to add her own little touch. “I saw a lot of videos on Tiktok,” says Michaela. The trained baker and pastry chef began working on her own creation at the end of October.
A first small delivery of only two plates was sent to the Volg store in Zeiningen. Gysin did not yet know how his personal Dubai chocolate would be received. Answer: it was a dazzling success:
“As soon as I got home, I got a call. I was told that the two chocolates were no longer there and that I would have to bring five more bars. So I went straight back to the kitchen.”
Michaela.
The kadaïf must be sliced and fried
Since then, the production volume has increased considerably. The three Argovienne molds in which the chocolate hardened were no longer enough. Michaela produces consciously, with a lot of manual labor. So the kadaïf she buys in a Turkish store must be cut and fried, and the chocolate must be melted. She also makes the required pistachio cream herself.
The fact that the kadaïf pistachio layer has a less bright shade of green than most large-scale versions due to the lack of colorants has already caused irritation among buyers.
Kadaïf, made with grilled vermicelli.
However, pistachios are no longer an essential part of Gysin chocolate. Michaela began expanding her repertoire very early. In addition to the classic, varieties such as Raffaello, Läckerli and Yogurette have been added. Although these no longer contain pistachios, the kadaïf and tahini still give the filling a similar consistency to the original.
Christmas varieties are coming soon
When Lindt and Co.’s large-scale productions began producing their Dubai chocolate, Gysin already offered various varieties. And there are all sorts of possibilities.
“Soon, I will prepare Christmas flavors, like cinnamon, speculoos or toasted almonds”
Michaela Gysin
It now delivers around fifty bars to Zeiningen, and the Volg store in Bözen has also become a customer. It also sells its Dubai chocolate to order to companies and individuals.
The back panel is ready to cool. The decoration is only on the front side; the kadaif pistachio mass and the chocolate are still missing.Image: Mira Güntert
Today, Dubai chocolate is one of the vital pillars of Switzerland. In addition to her 60 percent workload as a health specialist at the hospital, she also runs a food truck. She also makes personalized cakes, cupcakes and macaroons to order.
“A lot of people ask me where I get my energy from. But if you enjoy doing something and it’s well received and you have a good structure, then a lot of things happen on their own.”
Michaela Gysin.
His dream: a café
Either way, Michaela wants to use her enthusiasm to get closer to an overarching goal.
His greatest wish is to be able to open an establishment in Möhlin. A meeting place, similar to a café. But not in a classic way; rather with a social aspect. Michaela dreams of a place where all families, children, adults or seniors, can feel welcome. During the day, everyone could come and cook or craft together. In the evening the café could be transformed into a pub for adults. “Young people could spend their free time here,” says Gysin.
All that remains is to wrap the finished Dubai chocolate bars.Image: zvg
Because a project of this scale can only be realized with a nice sum of money, the trained baker and pastry chef has been working on her personal preliminary projects for a long time. A way like any other for her to earn money and draw attention to her goal.
The Swiss woman dreams that her chocolate recipe from Dubai can help her in one way or another. Whether, for example, with a large company which secures the recipe and gives it a share of the profits. Or that sponsors can be found to support her in the next stage. The mother of three therefore assumes heavy duties, which far exceed a full-time workload. All this to be able to realize his dream of opening a café one day.
