Yogurt — it’s one of those foods that’s easy to take for granted. You can get it everywhere in basically every flavor. There’s a new shop in SoFlo that’s upped the ante on this fermented favorite. Deco’s lactose tolerant correspondent Chris Van Vliet has all the deets.
Aroa Craft Yogurt & Cafe in Plantation takes yogurt seriously. Very seriously. They make it on-site every day and this all-important task is placed squarely in the hands of someone very special.
Folks flock to Aroa Craft Yogurt & Cafe for one reason — to devour the work of this man.
Ignacio Aguerrevere, Aroa Craft Yogurt & Cafe: “I am the yogurt master.”
One does not become a yogurt master overnight. One devotes oneself to the job at hand.
Ignacio Aguerrevere: “Well you gotta learn. You gotta study what you’re doing, right? And you gotta practice a lot.”
All that is done to reach the ultimate goal — perfection.
Ignacio Aguerrevere: “What takes some effort is to be able to make it consistently and to achieve the results that you want in a sanitary manner.”
The master works his craft inside his yogurt room for all to see.
He pours many gallons of organic, fat-free milk into a heated tank for pasteurization.
Then he adds bacteria — a very important step, indeed.
Ignacio Aguerrevere: “And it produces lactic acid as a result of that, and that lactic acid is what makes yogurt yogurt.”
Many hours later, the liquid is hung in bags and strained. This is the crucial part of the process.
Ignacio Aguerrevere: “We can strain for a few hours, we can strain for a few days. That gives us the flexibility to end up with different textures and different flavors of yogurt.”
It eventually ends up in refrigerated tubs, ready to be enjoyed. How can one man possess so much knowledge?
Ignacio Aguerrevere: “And I know this because I am the yogurt master.”
At this Plantation eatery, you can go the sweet route with mixtures of fresh fruit and maybe some granola.
Or use it as a savory herb-filled yogurt dip with chips, chilled soups, yogurt-based drinks and salads aka balance bowls — are part of the healthy menu.
Face it — they’re on a mission.
Ignacio Aguerrevere: “Show that yogurt can actually be a main ingredient for your lunch, as a snack in the afternoon or for dinnertime.”
Johnny, customer: “I don’t really have a taste for yogurt. It’s not like my preference but after eating the apple cinnamon, I really liked it.”
Ignacio Aguerrevere: “See you again at Aroa. Adios from the yogurt master.”
Aroa is a family-run business and they started making yogurt in Venezuela over a decade ago. When the yogurt master and his sister moved here, they were determined to turn South Floridians on too.
FOR MORE INFO:
Aroa Craft Yogurt & Cafe
1045 S University Dr.
Plantation, FL 33324
954-533-0328
http://www.aroayogurt.com/
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