Lulani's Shave Ice and Dog House
When I sat down to
interview Paula Lee, co-owner of
Lulani's Shave Ice and Dog House the temperature was hot enough to cook an egg
on the sidewalk so I couldn't have chosen a better day to pay a visit a shave
ice establishment. Many of you are
probably thinking the same thing I thought, "big whoop, another sno-cone
business." I couldn’t have been
more wrong. Shave ice is a completely
different concept and the taste is nothing close to the traditional sno-cone,
it's actually much, much better. I know,
it surprised me too.
I haven't indulged
in a sno-cone since I was a kid. I ate
it in much the same manner as everyone else - sip/drink out most of the flavor
from the top of the sno-cone and then try to quickly eat the remaining tasteless ice
before the paper cup disintegrates in your hand while you wipe food coloring
from your clothes and arms. Sound eerily
familiar?
You will not
experience the above while enjoying a shave ice and that's only half the
story. There are more than 52, yes I
said, 52 flavors from which to choose! I
stuck with a basic watermelon flavor and thought I would be daring by asking
Paula to top it off with a Snowcap. More
on that later as well, but for now just take my word for it when I say my eyes
rolled back in my head. There was an
explosion of flavor. The Snowcap was the
pièce de résistance of the shave ice.
Now, on to the
interview…
MoCo: At the risk of sounding like an idiot, but I
have to ask to satisfy my own curiosity and that of my readers, what in the world is
shave ice and how does it differ from a sno-cone?
Paula: I get asked that question all the time so I
don't mind telling you. Sno-cones are
made from hard, crunchy ice and all the flavor sinks to the bottom of the cup. On the other hand, shave ice is made from
purified water that has been frozen over a period of two days. The solid block of ice is then carefully
shaved by a special machine until it almost resembles fine snow shavings. (MoCo:
I got an up close look at how it's done.
It's pretty cool).
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| Lulani's Owner Paula Lee All Photo Credits: Treasured Moments Lifestyle Photography |
 |
| Paula demonstrates process to an associate |
 |
| Time to add a little flavor |
MoCo: That's awesome. Now, let's go back to the basics for a minute. How long have you been operational and why did you select this business? I ask because I see your other business, a mail center, shares the same building.
Paula: Let me answer the second question first. My husband and I opened our mail center 30
years ago and we began to realize that people were mailing as many packages and
letters as they used to do so we began to think about other ways to bring
people in the door. Well, we thought
and thought and then I remembered that when we honeymooned in Hawaii in 1985 we
visited a shave ice business and I loved the product so we wondered if we could
make a success of that type of business in Mobile. We did two years of research on the business
and then we taste tested flavors for another year and then opened Lulani's in 2012.
MoCo: I see that you have more than 52
flavors. That's an enormous
variety. What is the most popular
flavor?
 |
Paula: I'd say probably Cotton Candy or the Tiger
Blood (watermelon, strawberry and coconut).
We offer a flavor of the week and we often let customers suggest a
flavor and then let our customers decide if they like it. Little tasty cups are available in the store
for samplers. Some of our flavors
include: Baha Mama, Margarita, Egg Nog,
Jolly Rancher, Root Beer, Red Velvet Cake, Blue Bubble Gum, Dill Pickle, Sour
Apple...
MoCo: The Snowcap I had on my shave ice was beyond
description. Can you tell me what's in
it?
Paula: The only ingredient I'm willing to share is
condensed milk. The other ingredient(s)
are proprietary. Sorry.
MoCo: Oh not a problem. I understand. I wouldn't divulge my trade secrets either. Are there other add-ons that you offer?
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| Paula and her crew |
Paula: There sure are. They are:
chocolate syrup, caramel, whipped cream, sour spray and Sour Patch Kids.
MoCo: I see someone in the back preparing one now
and it looks quite large. Is that the
largest you make?
Paula: Oh no! Our largest shave ice is 6 pounds.
MoCo: You have got to be kidding me? How does one eat something that huge?
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| This little lady won her shave ice in a drawing |
Paula: Very carefully (she
laughs). No, but seriously, I
tell people to eat it from the sides up and then start in the middle until it
collapses.
MoCo: I saw a trailer parked outside. Does this mean "have trailer, will
travel?"
Paula: We just got the concession trailer about two
months ago and we've already had requests to bring it on-site for various
events. If anyone is interested in
reserving us for an event they are welcome to contact me. We are looking to hire a couple of
people. Most of my current staff will be
returning to school soon so I'll need help from evenings and weekends. Interested parties can stop by during store
hours.
Moco: One last question, even though we live on the
Gulf Coast where it's warm for a large portion of the year, does the cooler
weather in late fall and winter adversely affect your weather?
Paula: It does somewhat. That's why we also started selling hot dogs,
thus the name Lulani's Shave Ice and Dog
House. All of our dogs are made with 100
percent real beef. We sell the BBQ Slaw
Dog, the Hebrew Dog, the Slaw Dog, Chicago Dog, and the Taco Dog. The dogs help fill the gap during the cooler
months.
MoCo: I know I said the previous question was the
last, but being a journalist, I'm trained to be observant. Is that you I see in the picture over there? It looks like you're a dancer too?
Paula: Yes that's me. I'm a member of the Zuri Dance Company here
in Mobile. I started off as a belly
dancer. We perform at lots of
events. We'll be at BayFest this
year. I also dance independently as a
hula dancer with seven others. This
group is called Aloha Dancers. If
someone wants to hire us (Aloha Dancers) for an event or party they can stop by
here and talk with me.
MoCo: You are one person who no one can ever say is
lazy by any stretch of the imagination.
You're one busy lady. Thank you
for your time Paula!
About:
Lulani's Shave Ice
and Dog House
Owners: Warren and Paula Lee
6148
Old Pascagoula Rd.
Theodore,
AL 36582
251 653-1995
Email
Lulanisshaveice@gmail.com
Hours: Mon-Sat 11-6; Sun 1-5
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MoCo is always on the lookout for the
next good story. Hit me up if you know someone who should be Spotlighted
on MoCo.
Until Next Time - Go Out and Do
Something Awesome!
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