Authors: Aimee Thomson & Lucas Campbell
Trace Foodsteps has launched their kava bar in the Adelaide Hills, providing South Australians and Pacific Islanders alike with authentic Vanuatuan kava.
The cafe and kava bar, Trace Foodsteps Market Store, showcases food and beverages from local producers. Grab a fresh bite to eat or enjoy a unique, relaxing drink of kava as you lounge in the new venue. Trace Foodsteps is a food and drink market producer and distributor operating in Hahndorf.

Many Australians associate the drink with a mild high, and the kava that Trace Foodsteps offers mirrors that gentle relaxing feeling. Owner Teresa McLuckie says, “I would describe our kava as ‘gentle socialisation’ because it’s actually a relaxant as opposed to a stimulant. Alcohol is a stimulant, kava is a relaxer.”
Unlike Fijian Kava which can be flat and bitter, McLuckie says, Vanuatu kava has a fresh, lemony taste. She describes its effects as a “muscle melting sensation.” Trace Foodsteps’ kava comes in powder form, ready to be mixed, and is a blend of Noble kava root and basal stem.

The new space is home to a tiki style bar with comfortable seating opening onto a back deck. McLuckie showcases art from Vanuatu, decorating the walls and bar with beautiful traditional artifacts. She also offers a range of gourmet chocolates to enjoy while you sip on kava.
Although the bar has only just opened, McLuckie shares that she’s had wonderful responses from Pacific Islanders living in Adelaide, as well as plenty of people who are new to the drink. We think the bar is going to be a hit!

So how did this kava bar come to be? From the ages of eight to twelve, McLuckie lived on a remote Vanuatu island where her father was teaching at a local high school. She and her sister were the only Australian kids on the island, so naturally the pair learned Vanuatu languages and over the years have formed wonderful, strong relationships with locals.
Increasing numbers of restricted visa Vanuatuan workers led to the 2021 policy change allowing the importation of kava root. McLuckie saw it as a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the drink, and traveled back to the country as a food producer to develop a kava product for South Australians.
While traditionally kava is consumed by mashing the root into a pulp to extract the juice, it can be a challenge to import the fresh product into Australia, so instead, McLuckie has sourced dehydrated kava root that has been ground into a powder, which can then be stirred into water and made into a sharp-tasting drink. The bar serves drinks made from this recipe, as well as offering kava in its powdered form and in stronger takeaway bottles of pre-made kava to purchase.

McLuckie says, “in Vanuatu there’s 83 islands together, but only 44 are occupied, and those 44 are filled with hundreds of villages. Each village grows its own kava as well as a whole bunch of other produce, because they live and survive from what they grow in their gardens. Therefore, it is all organic by default.” She says you know it’s the best kava you can get because it comes from excess of the same produce locals use themselves.
In Vanuatu’s Tanna Island, the kava root is traditionally chewed, whereas on other islands the root is mashed and ground using limestone shaped into a chisel and filtered through coconut fibres. Trace Foodsteps aim to maintain the traditional flavour while making the drink more accessible to the general public.
Trace Foodsteps will be showcasing their produce at a food and booze market next Saturday, 23rd of November from 10am until 10pm. It will be the perfect opportunity to try a glass of kava and kick off the weekend!
Trace Foodsteps Market Store and Kava Bar
Where: 59 Mount Barker Road, Hahndorf, SA
When: Thursday and Sunday 10am-4pm, Friday and Saturday 10am-9pm
Facebook: Trace Foodsteps
For more information, click here.
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