What’s Cooler Than Being Cool? Ice Cold Hawaiian Shave Ice in Tygh Valley
Joni Faria serves up to P.O.G. shave ices to some very happy customers on a scorchingly hot day.
Honu Hawaiian Tygh Shave Ice is bringing a taste of island living to Tygh Valley in Wasco County.
Shave ice- or ice shave as it’s called in Hawaiʻi is a classic summer staple in the islands. On a hot summer day, there’s nothing better than this cool tropically flavored treat. Each spoonful is like taking a bite out of a lightly packed snowball to discover it is exploding with the flavor of passionfruit, orange, and guava. Then just add some sweet cream to the top and your tastebuds to really get lost in that tropical paradise.
Bringing Hawaiian Shaved Ice to the Mainland and to Tygh Valley, Oregon
Harley and Joni Faria of Tygh Valley, OR have been making this island specialty for four years in Tygh Valley. The Faria family has deep roots in Hawaii and has been in the shaved ice business for over 20 years in the Portland and Vancouver area.
“We have a passion for shave ice, as odd as that may sound. It has been part of my family since I can remember. My mom and dad are from the islands, so I guess it was inevitable,” said Harley “Our favorite thing in the world is serving shave ice to someone who has never had one. The reaction is priceless and keeps us going.”
Nothing beats the heat like a delicious treat. Photo Credit: Harley and Joni Faria
“We’ve been working with and for my folks for the last 20 years. And then we thought, what the heck? Why don’t we try and bring this here?” said Harley “So one day we went out into the driveway and just tried it and people stopped by and were like ‘Holy cr*p’! What is this stuff?’ People just kind of went nuts for it around here.”
They get the ingredients for their flavorings directly from Hawaii.
“Then we mix them all up here in the kitchen,” said Harley “We make all of them here at home with an exorbitant amount of sugar and fruit concentrate and purees.”
Although they do also have some sugar-free flavors for those looking to cut back. Sugar-free flavors include P.O.G, Tiger’s Blood, Mango, and Coconut.
Joni serving up smiles and shave ice. Photo Credit: Harley Faria
But if you’re an old-school sugar lover there are over twenty flavors to choose from, including
Gummy Bear, P.O.G. (Passion, Orange Guava), Tiger’s Blood (Coconut, Strawberry), Grape, Lemonade, Bubblegum, Cherry, Sour Apple, Strawberry, Fruit Punch, Strawberry Raspberry, Pineapple, Passion fruit, Lime, Watermelon, Mango, Guava, Banana Colada, Coconut, and Cotton Candy.
“The P.O.G is probably our most popular flavor,” said Harley.
“The first-timers are always my favorite, they’ve never had anything like it. They’re expecting a crunchy snow cone and then they bite into it and they’re just like blown away,” said Harley.
Joni said kids' reactions were her favorite part of the job.
A mountain of flavor goes into every bite.
What’s the difference between a snow cone and an ice shave?
Unlike snow cones, which are made of large chunky granules of ice, shaved ice is delicately shaved by a thin blade to give the ice the consistency of newly fallen snow. The difference in texture and consistency makes it perfect for absorbing flavor consistently so that the person enjoying the treat is not left with any of those annoying flavorless spots.
Plus shave ice often comes with the choice of adding a hugely popular additional topping: sweet cream. A small amount of this delicious extra adds an ice-creaminess to the dessert that can take your tastebuds on a vacation to a tropical paradise.
“It just melts in your mouth,” said Harley.
Puppers can enjoy this refreshing summer treat too. :) Photo Credit: Joni and Harley Faria.
Furry friends like shave ice too!
Chomp! Shave ice is fun for everyone! Source.
Giving Back to Their Community
Harley and Joni said that they loved serving shave ice as a way to meet new people and give back to the people in their community.
“It’s a really small community, and this was a way for us to meet people and get out in the community,” said Harley, “And we do fundraisers for the fire department. In the fall they do a taco feed that we usually do shave ice there and then we donate everything we make to them.”
Harley and Joni Faria enjoying a selfie moment during a day out on the river.
It’s Been A Slow Summer Due to COVID
Joni said Honu Shaved Ice, was more of a seasonal summer gig for her. She said it has been slow this summer due to the decreased tourism and canceled events because of the pandemic. But the Faria’s are using the extra time to get a new logo made and explore new options for their business.
“We can do all kinds of events, weddings, baseball games, fairs,” said Harley, “And this year we got into the Wasco County Fair which is something we’ve wanted to do since the beginning.”
Joni and Harley wanted to invite everyone to come out to the Wasco County Fair and try their Hawaiʻian style shaved ice.
“We’re really really excited to be in the Wasco County Fair. This is awesome for us,” said Joni.
Take a drive out to Tygh Valley this weekend to try some Hawaiian Shave Ice for yourself! Photo Credit: Joni and Harley Faria
Treat Yourself
Honu Hawaiʻian Shaved Ice in Tygh Valley is open Friday-Sunday from 11:00 a.m to 5 p.m. or catch them at the Wasco County Fair from August 19th-22nd.
Want to bring Hawaiian Shaved Ice to your event? Contact them here.
