Chef Jason Winters of Speak Cheezy has done something he has long wanted to do: Offer Long Beach its best and only version of the famed Hawaiian shave ice.
Speak Cheezy’s connection to Hawaii brings shave ice to Long Beach
For those who visit Oahu, the North Shore is a gem of a space. A collection of food trucks that serve up musubi and roasted chickens. A variety of places to watch surfers tackle the waves. And, of course, a stop at Matsumoto’s. Owner Stan Matsumoto—whose parents Helen and Mamoru opened the space as a general store in 1951—has created a cult-like following with his masterful, widely varied takes on shave ice.
For Chef Jason, he is one of their loyal followers.
“My many trips to Hawaii made me just fall in love with shave ice,” Chef Jason said. “There’s something automatically nostalgic about it—it’s a cold treat for hot days, instantly bringing you back to summers—but it’s also unique, especially for Long Beach.”
On that note, Chef Jason is right: Icey treats have their mark in nearly every part of the world, be it other countries—halo-halo in the Philippines, raspados in Mexico, bao bing in China, Italian ice in Italy, patbingsu in Korea…—or other cities in the States—ice water from Philly or snoballs from New Orleans, which is best represented locally by Snocorner in Central Long Beach…
Shave ice is inherently unique in its texture, structure, and creation—hence why the birth of Speak Freezy is such a worthy note to highlight in the Long Beach food scene.
Speak Freezy’s take on shave ice bring the dessert to new levels in Long Beach
Chef Jason has always been someone fiercely dedicated to his craft. After all, Speak Cheezy was birthed out of his slinging sourdough pizzas out of his very own oven-on-wheels. And this was all years before the sourdough crust craze began to take over the Southland. The result? It was dubbed one of the best pizzerias in the nation by the Washington Post.
And like his approach to pizza—method-centric, research-heavy, try-and-try-again-proofed—his take on shave ice required the same dedication. It had to go beyond the simple drizzling of a sweet syrup atop shards of thinly shaved ice.
In the world of Speak Freezy, you can surely score a classic rainbow shave ice, where layers of cherry, orange, pineapple, lime, blue Hawaii, and grape come together in a kid’s ultimate sweet-tooth cure. But Chef Jason adds little citrus-filled balls of flavor on top that explode as you eat them. When you dig deep enough, you discover a tart soft serve sitting at the bottom, hidden by the ice.
And yes, he takes a cue from Matsumoto and offers matcha shave ice, but his version is layered with an additional side of strawberry syrup, soft serve ice cream, mochi chunks, toasted coconut, and condensed milk. An ube shave ice comes with a dollop of purple ube whipped cream. These are the flavors and styles
And, as with any shave ice—be it here or in Hawaii—it all harkens to the treat’s Japanese origins.
The Japanese origins of shave ice
The craziest thing about tracing shave ice’s origins isn’t that it is difficult to do. No. Hawaiian shave ice is the result of an influx of Japanese immigrants bringing kakigōri to the island; it’s that simple. But just how old the treat is? Fascinating.
Kakigōri began appearing in Japan’s Heian period that ended just before the 1200s began—over eight hundred years ago. Aristocrats would have plebeians hand-crank machines that would shave blocks of ice saved from colder months and drizzle a sweet syrup on them. It wasn’t until the late 1800s that the first formal kakigōri was believed to have opened in Yokohama. And though times have advanced with electronic shavers, one can still find some traditional kakigōri hand-cranking their shaving machines for the frozen treat in the streets.
When it comes to Hawaii, the first form of the treat was given to plantation workers by Hawaii’s rich influx of Japanese immigrants in the early 1900s through the 1950s. It also included being sold at shops like Matsumoto’s, which sells over 300,000 shave ices a year.
Speak Freezy is located on the east-facing wall of Speak Cheezy, located at 3950 E. 4th St.
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