Cariana Fasciano is the woman behind Merry Hot Cocoa, a pop-up hot cocoa bar that made its debut back in 2022 just in time for the holidays. The shiny black trailer decorated with greenery can be found at Church Square Park in Hoboken and popping up throughout Hudson County. Merry Hot Cocoa was so popular last year that Cariana actually opened up a kiosk at Pier A Park this past summer. Read on to learn more about Cariana’s background and the delicious hot cocoa available at her truck, Merry Hot Cocoa.
About Cariana
Cariana, a self-proclaimed sweet tooth, calls herself a hot chocolate connoisseur. “When I take a sip of hot chocolate, I take myself back to being 5 years old on the couch watching a Christmas movie in front of the tree,” she said. “I want to give everyone that vibe in one sip.” While Cariana and her family currently live in Secaucus, her family has roots in Hoboken and she lived in Hoboken for several years.
The hot cocoa truck isn’t Cariana’s first food-related business — she is also the owner and baker behind Why So Jelly doughnuts, a custom doughnut bakery. She had the idea to have a hot chocolate pop-up after playing in the kitchen with her four-year-old son. “I’m a sweet tooth and he loves sprinkles,” she said. “We were messing around and came up with some ideas, and I thought I could really do something with this.”
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Cariana got the necessary paperwork and leased the shiny black trailer. She was popping up in Hoboken right after Thanksgiving. The timing is deliberate, she says. “I wanted to do something with the holidays,” she said. Don’t let the truck’s diminutive size deceive you: everything served is high quality. “The recipe for the hot cocoa is exactly what my Grandmother used,” Cariana said. “It’s real milk, cocoa powder, sugar, and some other fun stuff.” Almond milk is also available, but nothing mixed with water can be found here.
The hot cocoa itself is the base of Cariana’s creations. There are multiple styles of hot cocoa on the menu, but customers can pick and choose what they would like. “I wanted a Chipotle vibe,” she said. “People can get exactly what they want.” So far, the two most popular menu items are the Milk and Cookies, and the Merry.
Most of the drinks from Merry Hot Cocoa are decorated with a special rim, whipped cream, and of course, sprinkles. The Merry is a classic hot cocoa, topped with whipped cream or marshmallows, and sprinkles. Cariana has a petite blowtorch on hand to give the marshmallows the perfectly roasted flavor to complete the S’mores Hot Cocoa. The Candy Cane Lane tastes like essential winter, made with a peppermint rim and topped with whipped cream and more crushed peppermint.
Where to Find Merry Hot Cocoa
The best way to find where Merry Hot Cocoa will pop up is to follow the truck’s Instagram account. Cariana said last year that the truck will be at many Hudson County tree-lighting celebrations, and we expect the same to happen in 2023. A few days ago, Merry Hot Cocoa posted about setting up shop for 2023 at its original Church Square Park location.
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Cariana said back in 2023 that she’s been pleasantly surprised with the positive reception she’s gotten with the hot cocoa truck. “I wanted to be out through the holidays and into January,” she said. “But it’s going really well, even better than I expected. I am booked for private events for Valentine’s Day and several weddings.” She said that once the truck made its appearance on social media, things really took off.
