Want to show some-bud-y that you love them? Maybe you have a bestie who needs a little ‘pick’-me-up, your sister just had a(nother) baby, or you just remembered it’s the boss’ birthday and whoops-a-daisy, no-one organised a present. Relax, this is what flowers are for and no, we’re not talking old-school bouquets or naf box-based arrangements.

We’re head over heels for the fresh, high quality, and on-trend blooms from Flowers Gold Coast, made by locals, for locals. And get this, we’re talking delivery seven days a week, all over the GC, on the Very.Same.Day (if ordered by 3pm). Who doesn’t love supporting a hands-on small business who lives and breathes their craft, and clearly everyone, because their insane number of five-star Google reviews have catapulted them to pole GC florist position.

We all know organising flowers online can be notoriously painful, but the lovely Vaïana and her team have simplified the process and made it super easy. Whether you’re placing an order from here on the Coast, from interstate, or even from overseas, it’s straightforward to navigate, find what you want, and place your order. And, in addition to their epic same day GC suburb delivery (love that for us), they also service Northern New South Wales and Logan, plus ship to New South Wales, Victoria, the ACT, and the rest of Queensland!

Choose from an array of stunning fresh blooms, on-fleek dried flowers, awesome hampers and beautiful basket bundles, all made in our very own Ashmore. Plus, there are plants to delight the crazy plant lady/lad in all of us (long live the Fiddle), and even flower subscriptions! Unique each time and themed to suit your brief, subscriptions are perfect if you want to shoosh up your dining table, front desk or shopfront on a weekly, fortnightly or monthly basis.

Brides and event planners, listen up because the self-proclaimed perfectionists at Flowers Gold Coast have your back. From a simple bouquet to a full floral ensemble with arbour worthy of Bennifer nuptials status, no request is too big or too small. They love meeting in person (or FaceTiming) their clients to make sure every i is dotted and t is crossed and seriously, who does that?

Sourced and styled by qualified florists, all flowers and foliage are from the best Australian flower markets to ensure your blooms are fresh and the best possible quality. Budget isn’t an issue here, with prices starting from $80.

To give you some inspo, we can’t go past the Bestie Basket and surely it’s not weird to order one for yourself #AskingForAFriend. It includes THE most swoon-worthy handmade basket, a bottle of delicious Freixenet rosé or prosecco, a Bon-Lux candle, a hydrate face mask from Willow Skin, and of course, a super cute bunch of flowers.

And don’t forget that you can add all sorts of goodies to your blooms, from local suppliers wherever possible. This includes artisan soy wax candles from Drift Trading Co, Kokopod handcrafted chocolates, Simply Soap company soap bars, Willow body products for her, him and bub, Love Tea sets, various boozey faves, and lots more.

With an impressive variety of stunning flower options available, Flowers Gold Coast (literally) deliver the goods any day of the week.

Where: www.flowersgoldcoast.com.au

When: Monday – Sunday. Same day delivery for Gold Coast orders placed before 3pm

Words by Bianca Trathen.

STORY SPONSORED BY FLOWERS GOLD COAST

Being a chocolatier doesn’t sound like a tough job, but someone’s gotta do it! Alicia Chapman is the local we all need to be friends with who “works” with chocolate everyday, at least since she founded her handcrafted and bespoke artisian chocolate business, Little Cocoa in 2018.

Based in Southport, Alicia supplies weddings, business events, dinner parties and to the public for Mother’s Day, gender reveals, Valentine’s Day or whatever your occasion. However you get your fix, the beautifully presented morsels of goodness are colourful and high-gloss, making an impressive gift… but of course, no judgement for treating yourself. We caught up with Alicia to chat all things chocolate.

How long have you been a Gold Coast local?
I’ve lived on the Gold Coast since primary school. After high-school I moved to Melbourne, then Germany and then back to the Gold Coast in 2018 to start my business, Little Cocoa.

What do you love most about living here?
The lifestyle and the scenery. It’s very laid back, you can have coffee’s by the beach which I love. It’s always great weather and the GC is just so beautiful.

Tell us about Little Cocoa.
Little Cocoa is an artisan chocolate business. We handcraft fine chocolate pralines, dragees, bars and more as unique, personalised gifts and indulgences.

Have you always wanted to be a chocolatier?
I was working as a pastry chef for a Melbourne chocolate company which first peaked my interest in chocolate. I then discovered an amazing bean-to-bar chocolate business in Germany. Once I saw and tasted the incredible chocolates they were making, I realised I needed to be a part of it.

What has been the biggest opportunity and/or challenge for Little Cocoa to date?
The hardest part would definitely be the business side of things. I’m a creative and in my past jobs I have always worked behind the scenes, so the marketing and sales are certainly new to me but I enjoy the challenge.

What’s the most popular chocolate in your range?
Everybody loves our gift boxes of chocolate pralines. It’s our signature product and they’re really beautiful to look at. The 12 piece has 5 delicious flavours – salted caramel, raspberry & white chocolate, blackcurrant gelee, milk hazelnut & a dark LiChu ganache.

Tell us about your newly released vegan chocolate range.
We quickly realised that we need to offer chocolates that everyone can enjoy, whether it’s by lifestyle choice or dietary restrictions or allergies. We often get asked about vegan chocolates and we have been making them on the side at customers requests. We decided to launch them to coincide with World Chocolate Day!

What is the process of creating your chocolate for Little Cocoa?
I take a high-quality Belgian couveture chocolate, melt and then temper it. Then it gets poured into our moulds, the fillings are piped in by hand and then covered with a chocolate base. Once set, I can tap them out of the moulds! It’s a lengthy process but certainly worth the effort.

Where can we find your Little Cocoa’s chocolates?
You can find all of our products on our website at www.littlecocoa.com.au or come in and visit us at our commercial kitchen in Southport.

Let us in on a secret, what future plans can you reveal are in place for Little Cocoa?
Our long term goal is to be making our own bean-to-bar chocolate where we buy the dried cocoa beans, then roast, winnow and grind it into our own signature chocolate.

Tell us your favourites on the Coast…
Restaurant for dinner: Iku Yakitori Bar
Bar or pub for a drink: The Cambus Wallace
Café for breakfast: Paddock Bakery
Coffee spot: Caffeine Kings
How does your weekend usually look: In the kitchen!

Ahhh Chirn Park, you’re the northern GC’s answer to Burleigh…minus the traffic and with an intimate village vibe. Embracing its increasingly trendy rep, Chirn Park is welcoming more and more cool/interesting/unique businesses to this once underrated neck of the woods. In fact, there’s now even a Chirn Park Festival, attracting an army of CP enthusiasts over its two-year lifespan. Us included.

Being the fans that we are, here are nine reasons why locals…and not so local locals….are flocking to Chirn Park en masse!

Cruize Espresso
It was love at first sight when we spotted the adorable logo alone. With a beautiful soft colour palette, swoon-worthy serve-wear, phenom wall art (Jai Vasicek, we see you…everywhere) and the instagrammable “I love you a latte” neon sign, the menu is as delicious as the fit-out. Think modern brekkie and lunch dishes beautifully presented with pretty-as-a-picture floral garnish, epic coffee, and the friendliest service in the land.
Where: Shop 6/37 Musgrave Avenue

Quan 55
‘Quan’ is Vietnamese for bar, so no prizes for guessing what this Chirn Park fave serves! Host and owner Wynn serves up the same food as she does at home, even using her mother-in-law’s treasured 20-year-old crock pot! Now that’s authenticity personified! It boasts fabulous food and cocktails and ambience galore, thanks to the awesome interior and never-ending rotation of bums on seats.
Where: 4/55 Brooke Avenue

Luigi & Sons Barbershop
The longest established barbershop on the Coast, Luigi and Sons now have 3 shopfronts with contemporary, fresh fit outs, and a passionate team trained to deliver amazing haircuts with old-fashioned service. Catering for all the modern man’s barbering needs, they fuse traditional skills with very ‘now’ techniques. Beard-shaping and cut-throat shaves are also a speciality, so book that manscape yesterday.
Where: 4/58 Brooke Avenue

Little Barista Espresso Bar
Looking for a consistently high-quality caffeine hit, all day breakfast or lunch? Call off the search coz Little Barista delivers all of the above. Perched in arguably the most prominent corner position in Chirn Park, this rustic coastal gem is always buzzing. You can smell the glorious aroma of award-winning brews as you walk up the street, and don’t forget to bring Fido as pooches are welcomed with open arms.
Where: 3/39 Musgrave Avenue

Lambar Pizza
If pizza and pasta aren’t the answer, srsly what was the question? Whether you’re channelling takeaway, a meal in-house or perhaps have a private function on the horizon, Lambar is your BFF in waiting. Making all meals with love using the freshest, locally sourced produce, it’s impossible to go wrong here. And the pepperoni on the pizza is that you can BYO wine. Did someone say unicorn?
Where: 4/37 Musgrave Avenue

Daark Espresso
I mean, if they were to rename Chirn Park, it would be Daark Espresso. Well worth the queue, it’s the go-to for the professional brunching set. The coffee is as good as it gets, and the nosh is #goals (Spanner Crab Eggs Benedict, come at us!). Pull up a pew inside this rustic gem, or opt for a table outside on the wraparound balcony. Add a super buzzy vibe and friendly staff, and it’s not hard to see why it’s an institution.
Where: 2/41 Musgrave Avenue

5B2F Bakehouse
If you’re mad for a bakery and srsly who isn’t, step this way and tell us you’ve had better! With classic French pastries and artisan sourdough for days, one look in the cabinet choccablock with THE most spectacularly crafted baked goodies and you’re sold. The brainchild of renowned South Korean pastry chef extraordinaire Moonsun Yoo, we are well and truly buttered up.
Where: 55 Brooke Avenue

Ground & Sound
Cooking whole food from scratch and serving up specialty single origin PNG caffeine, this is where coffee meets music. Ground & Sound hosts live artists several times a week, music trivia night every second Wednesday night, plus there are regular open mic nights for budding artists. Inside, peruse musical memorabilia from the 60’s and beyond, or plonk yourself outside and soak up the epic tunes.
Where: 6/23 Musgrave Avenue

Moss n Stone
Moss n Stone offers the freshest and most on-trend blooms, arriving in-store daily. Delivering to all areas of the Gold and Tweed Coast, there are flowers and foliage for all occasions and persuasions.  Also stocking an exquisite range of giftware, babywear and homewares, it’s your one stop shop for all things lovely, with a hint of uniqueness.
Where: 4/41 Musgrave Avenue

Words by Bianca Trathen.