Frost Bites

The tradewinds have died down and things are really heating up – your house, your car, and the hair plastered to your sweaty forehead.

You’re thirsting for an icy treat. But the only thing less appealing than the pre-packaged, processed bars stocked in the supermarket freezer is the frigid reception from the sullen girl working the cash register.

Chill out with the new, all-natural shave ice by a familiar East Oahu favorite.

Clayton “Uncle Clay” Chang opened his House of Pure Aloha just a few doors down from his former Doe Fang snack shop in Aina Haina. The crackseed and frozen li hing icees are gone. Instead, HOPA offers a menu of delicious, true-to-fruit shave ice flavors concocted by Chang’s nephew/business partner Bronson Chang and Kapiolani Community College culinary graduate Rena Suzuki.

Syrups are made from local produce and ingredients every morning. The mango, lilikoi, papaya, lychee, and coconut taste tree-fresh. Melt over the decadent, creamy Waialua milk chocolate. And if the just-brewed essence of the Kona coffee doesn’t have you buzzing the surprisingly delicious spinach/kale combo will.

Top it off with Tropical Dreams ice cream from the Big Island and the zing of Uncle Clay’s secret sauce. Don’t forget to add your thoughts to HOPA’s chalkboard and be prepared to mingle; Uncle Clay loves to meet new people and will introduce you to everyone else in the room.

So you know where to go to cool off with a warm welcome.

Now that’s how to sweet the heat.

Uncle Clay’s House of Aloha is open in the Aina Haina Shopping Center Mon. – Thurs., 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., Fri. – Sun. 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. Call 808.373.5111 or check HOPA's facebook page for more information.