AUSTIN, Texas — With this intense heat, many Central Texans are looking for ways to stay cool. Some have headed out to the lakes, pools and rivers, but what if we told you there's a place in town that'll have you feeling refreshed in no time, no swimsuit required?
Casey's New Orleans Snowballs was founded in 1996. Since then, they've been serving up elevated versions of the snow cone to Central Texans looking for a cool treat.
"With your normal snow cone that you're going to get, it's going to be made by generally crunching up or grinding ice," co-owner Mars Chapman said. "It's not going to be fun to eat. All the stuff it's going to go to the bottom. And it's just kind of this lackluster experience that really leaves you feeling with a feeling of regret. Whereas with a snowball, what we do is we shave a block of ice that makes the super-soft fluffy snow."
Casey's is a seasonal shop that is usually open from March 1 up until the end of October.
Chapman said the pandemic was tough on the shop, but it's slowly recovering.
"We're certainly better than 2020 and 2021," Chapman said. "Our weekends have been very busy, but our weekdays are still slower than they should be in the summer."
But the current triple-digit heat still has people showing up. Chapman said during a busy weekend day, the wait time is about 20 minutes.
"They all need to get the same quality of product," Chapman said. "And so, we want that snow to be super soft. We want the syrup to be just right. And most important, we want the secret ingredient to be in there – and that's love. We really care about what we do."
On the weekends, the shop sells about 700 snowballs a day. Chapman wants to remind his customers that the staff cares about their well-being, so he's reminding people to stay cool while waiting in line.
"We have a sign that says, 'Please line up in the shade because it gets hot,'" Chapman said. "We want people to be comfortable while they're waiting or as comfortable as they can be. So we ask for folks to generally line up just in the shade."
Chapman is expecting a busy couple of months.
If you're looking to head out to Casey's, you should know their chocolate and creams are a staple! Here are some other customer favorites:
- Strawberry Cheesecake
- Dreamsicle
- Orchid Cream Vanilla
- Grandma's Nectar Cream
- Boston Cream Pie
If you're looking for something more refreshing, KVUE's Pamela Comme recommends getting peach and mango syrup with Chamoy and Tajín on top. You won't regret it!
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