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Sweet Shop Brings 'Snow Creams' from L.A. to the East Village

By Lisha Arino | August 27, 2014 10:45am
 Snowdays Shavery, which opened on Aug. 22, 2014, serves snow creams, a frozen dessert made from shaved blocks of cream, instead of shaved ice.
Snowdays Shavery
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EAST VILLAGE — A unique new dessert that has the texture of snow but tastes like ice cream has made landfall on East 10th Street.

That’s how Tony Quach describes the frozen treats he serves at Snowdays Shavery, which opened last Friday near First Avenue.

“I would say conceptually, it’s more of a shaved cream as opposed to a shaved ice,” he said. “Instead of being very crunchy and watery, it’s very creamy, but still has that texture that’s very light and fluffy.”

Quach first encountered snow creams in Los Angeles, where he lived for three-and-a-half years, he said.

The dessert, which is made by shaving blocks of frozen cream, has become trendy in L.A.'s food scene, he said, but it has not yet to made its way to the East Coast. When Quach decided to move back to New York, he also resolved to open up his own snow cream shop.

“I really wanted to bring this concept to New York," he said. "I felt like this was something that New York needed."

In L.A., snow creams typically come in Asian-inspired flavors like green tea and red bean, Quach explained. But Snowdays offers more diverse and Big Apple-influenced flavors like “New York Cheesecake” and “Yeti Tracks,” a cookies and cream-like flavor with blueberries mixed in.

So far, the shop sells six flavors that are made in-house with fresh ingredients, as well as milk and cream from Hudson Valley Fresh, a dairy farmer partnership that delivers to the store three times a week, Quach said.

However, he has come up with more than 20 different recipes — like corn muffin and avocado — which will be offered as part of a secret menu in a few weeks, he said. The shop will also serve seasonal flavors like sweet potato.

Customers can also add more than 20 different toppings like fresh fruit, nuts and sprinkles, as well as six different “drizzles” including condensed milk, housemade fruit purees and chocolate syrup. For those overwhelmed by the selection, Snowdays also offers combinations of snow creams and toppings.

The creams cost $5 for a 20-ounce cup, $6 for a 24-ounce cup and $8 for a 32-ounce cup. The combinations cost a dollar more, while toppings are 50 cents each and drizzles are free.

So far, snow creams have been a hit in the neighborhood, Quach said. Since opening day, customers have given him positive feedback and the shop has received a five-star rating on Yelp, he said.

“It’s really crazy. People love it,” Quach said. “We’re getting return customers, sometimes in the same day.”

Snowdays Shavery is open from 1 to 11 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday and from 1 p.m. to midnight Thursday through Saturday.