Why do we call it "shave ice" and how is it different from a snow cone?
Great questions. First, it’s believed this treat, shave ice, originated in China, possibly as early at the 7th century and was brought to Hawaii by Japanese immigrants. It differs from a snow cone in that the texture is "snowlike" versus being more like crushed ice. On some parts of the Hawaiian islands you’ll even find it called “Japanese style”, especially when ice cream, azuki/adzuki beans and a snow cap are combined to make it a one of a kind treat. Ultimately, you’ll never find a “shaved ice” shack in Hawaii. It will always be spelled “shave ice” and so to honor that tradition, we chose to spell it without the “d”.
Who is Kiki?
I'm Kiki (second from the left). Some people call me Christy too. And this is my family.
My husband Jon and I (and the kids of course) have lived in Nashville, Kansas City and now Knoxville. We love to travel and took our first trip to Hawai'i in 2014. Little did we know how we would fall in love with the islands, the people and their shave ice. Since then, we've been back six more times (four times with the kids). One of the MANY things we love about Hawai'i is their "shave ice". There's just something special about how they make it there. From the light fluffy snow drenched in the most tasty tropical flavors you can imagine to the surprise of the ice cream in the bottom and the sweet snow cap on top. Yum! |
After our March 2018 trip to Hawaii, I told my husband and kids, we have to find a way to bring this back stateside, because it's unlike anything we've ever had back home!
And so, I headed off on an adventure to source the most authentic ice shavers, syrups and toppings to make a "shave ice" that tastes as good as our favorites in Hawai'i. And here we are! From my family to yours, we hope you enjoy this special treat and we hope it brings a little Aloha to your day! |
Where did the name Kiki come from?
MANY years ago while attending college at Belmont University in Nashville, TN, I took a job as a nanny. From day one, the one little girl I had the pleasure of getting to know called me Kiki instead of Christy. And it stuck. Many of my friends from those seventeen years living in Nashville still call me Kiki from time to time. So, when I sat down to try and come up with a name for this business I had a whole list of Hawaiian words picked out, but everyone I shared the list with kept pointing me back to Kiki and so it just seemed to be the right fit.