Leilani's Snow Hut

Leilani began the business after numerous endeavors to find the perfect, authentic Hawaiian style Shave Ice. The ice must be as fine and fluffy as powdered snow. However ice texture was not the only important ingredient...flavor, variety and convenience were also key factors. Each time Leilani visited her family in O'ahu, she would make sure to sto... p by the famous Matsumoto's Shave Ice store before returning to the mainland. While Shave Ice can be found almost anywhere in the Hawaiian Islands, there were no Shave Ice stores available in the South Bay unless you were at a sporting event where a Shave Ice truck happened to be or if you were willing to drive a long distance. Leilani, her husband Pete, and their baby Kaleolani would bear the 30 minute commute and travel as far as Poway just to satisfy their cravings for this refreshingly delicious treat. Sadly, there were several occasions after the long trek north, that they were unfortunately greeted by a "closed" sign, restaurants too busy to serve the Shave Ice on their menu, or broken Shave Ice machines. Too often they returned home empty handed. After consecutive failed attempts, Leilani decided to open her own Shave Ice business so she and many other Shave Ice lovers in the South Bay can enjoy this bit of "Aloha Spirit" whenever they wanted. Leilani teamed up with her childhood best friend Kathleen, a certified food safety manager and avid cooking enthusiast to make this dream a reality. By the grace of God and equipped with her family's full support, Kathleens experience and Leilanis vision, passion and intimate knowledge of this beloved ice cold treat, Leilanis Snow Hut was born.Read More