SnoCorner is Long Beach’s ultimate ode to the sweets of New Orleans

SnoCorner—the bright, tricolored snoball shop located directly across the street from Poly High School—is a remarkable tribute to the sweet treats of New Orleans.

There are perfectly crafted beignets, a product of months of research and development, drool-worthy enough that some buy the entire daily batch in a single transaction. Plain or stuffed with banana pudding, chocolate, strawberry or apple, they are undoubtedly the best versions of this treat in the city. There are funnel cakes, reminiscent of the county fair and cooked to order, also likely the best version in the city. And, of course, there are snoballs—deliciously smooth, ice-cold treats tailored to your flavor preferences. With soft serve? Check. With condensed milk? Check. All the flavors you need? Check.

For owner Ashley Monconduit, SnoCorner is more than just a sweet shop. It represents the fusion of two proud cities that shaped her—New Orleans and Long Beach—and the family legacy of Black small businesses that spans decades in the very space SnoCorner occupies.

(This is not to be confused with Fluffy’s Sno-Balls, which shuttered its doors back in February.)

SnoCorner began with the union of a young couple: one from Long Beach, one from NOLA

“I’ve been in Long Beach my entire life,” Ashley said. “But my family is from Louisiana. My dad was born there and didn’t move to Long Beach until he was 25, while my mom was born and raised in Long Beach. Their union created a literal marriage of these two cultures in my sister and me.”

For those who haven’t had the privilege of visiting New Orleans, there is an instant kinship one feels if they come from Long Beach. Both cities share a deep sense of pride and ownership. They acknowledge their shared history—glorious, discomforting, awe-inspiring, hideous—much like Long Beach does.

The marriage of these two cultures is not just rare but serendipitous. It is this union that allowed Ashley to create SnoCorner, a space that is “New Orleans inspired and Long Beach made,” as Ashley puts it.

The colors of SnoCorner reflect NOLA’s deep emerald green, gold, and royal purple, but Ashley has softened and pastel-ized them to “give a more Long Beach vibe.” The flavors? You’ll find classics like blue raspberry, strawberry, cherry, watermelon and wedding cake, but also SoCal twists where customers can add Tajín.

SnoCorner is the perfect melding of Long Beach and New Orleans—but it wouldn’t exist without NOLA’s Gentilly neighborhood

New Orleans—especially Gentilly—was a second home for Ashley Monconduit.

When Ashley’s father, Michel, moved to Long Beach in the late 1980s from the Gentilly neighborhood of NOLA, he met a young Kim Kennerson. One of eight children, Michel had a deep connection with his family—and that eventually meant, when he had two children of his own, returning to New Orleans. For Ashley, her father’s home was not just his childhood memory, but a single-family house his family broke up into four smaller units, one of which is kept open for all family to visit.

And, of course, there is Dillard University, in the heart of Gentilly. Ashley spent summer internships there, studying while exploring the city’s culture and spending time with her family.

Stop Jockin’—one of NOLA’s most respected snoball stands—was directly down the street from her father’s family home. A staple for Ashley every visit, her longer stays allowed her, as a newly minted adult, to do something she never had the chance to do: bluntly ask if they wanted free work so she could learn how to make this specific treat.

In full circle, her father’s roots in Gentilly explain so much about Ashley’s tenacity, kindness, thoughtfulness, and respect toward her parents. Gentilly, after all, is home to one of NOLA’s most diverse populations. Though hit particularly hard by Hurricane Katrina, it has remained one of its most resilient.

It remains the root of SnoCorner’s very existence.

Like the history of businesses that ran through the building, SnoCorner remains family-centric

Mid-interview, Ashley’s father Michel comes in: “You need the ice cream machine? I have to clean it.”

Ashley insists there is no need; she can handle it later. Her dad? He would have none of it. Thirty minutes later, the machine was clean so she could continue her moment with me and handle anything else she wanted to accomplish. It is something that has been a consistent support.

“My parents help out so much—I’m not remotely surprised he is here,” Ashley said, laughing. “This is where I grew up. I remember sitting right there where you are,” she said, pointing toward the spot I was sitting in. “There are pictures of me growing up here. And now, where my Papa and then my Dad’s office used to be, is my business. It’s surreal, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

In a time when the Black community has seen its numbers and representation dwindle, SnoCorner represents a beautifully culinary representation of resilience.

Her mother Kim’s parents, Joe and Lucy Kennerson of Louisiana—yes, Louisiana has attached itself to Ashley’s spirit in more ways than one—had purchased the building on Atlantic Avenue in the 1970s. They represented a growing Black population that began in the 1940s when, after serving in the military like Joe did, they took their money westward. Their presence in the community was not to be understated: long-time advocates, leading the charge for Black representation in real estate, each were memorialized when they unfortunately passed.

“It wasn’t easy for Black people to own property or start businesses,” Ashley said. “Before he passed, my Papa told me, ‘I know you’re going to follow in my footsteps.’ And here I am, a business owner. They are with me every second. You can feel them in every crevice.”

Nearly every culture has its frozen treat—and SnoCorner perfectly replicates the NOLA snoball (and more)

There’s Philly water ice (lovingly made by Happy Ice’s Lemeir Mitchell on Melrose). There is shave ice (look for an upcoming feature on Belmont Heights pizzeria staple Speak Cheezy serving up this treat). There’s raspados. Italian Ice.

And like these iterations of frozen treats, the NOLA snoball is very specific, even requiring a machine made and engineered in New Orleans to create it. A snoball is silky smooth, like fresh compacted snow (hence the name). Once drizzled with a sweet syrup of your choice, it becomes a slick, cool concoction that is dangerously addictive and soothing on a hot day.

SnoCorner is its own NOLA-gone-West Coast vibe. There’s horchata, cherimoya, tiger’s blood, or apple pie as a seasonal flavor. There’s witty plays on treats we love, from cookies’n’cream to banana cream pie snoballs. It is exactly what Ashley iterates: New Orleans inspired, Long Beach made.

“Without New Orleans, there is no SnoCorner but SnoCorner is, through and through, inspired by both New Orleans and Long Beach,” Ashley said.

Ultimately, this is an experience for Long Beach—and one that should be enjoyed while the sun beams down

Snoballs in New Orleans create a deep sense of communal connection. For NOLA, the snoball shop is the ideal ice cream truck. The weight of the NOLA air during the heat is something one has to experience to fully grasp. In this sense, SnoCorner embodies those dreamy ideals. It is something Ashley wants Long Beach to experience like she did on countless days in Gentilly.

“It’s in the lining of who we are,” Ashley said. “These places are memories that are a part of us—and honestly, that has been my hope and reason for this place: to get together, to share. We’re blastin’ music outside. People are waiting and can’t help but talk to the people next to them. It’s like a perpetual backyard barbecue.”

And yes, Stop Jockin’ is a direct connection for SnoCorner. When the ice machine goes down, Ashley is a phone call away from figuring it out. It’s more than a snoball shop. It’s a newly minted Long Beach love letter to its residents, to the community, and to NOLA.

Now get one of those damn beignets. And a snoball. And a funnel cake. Because why not? The sun’s out—life’s too short to be stuck in your head.

SnoCorner is located at 1701 Atlantic Ave.