Asato Family Shop celebrates six years

Asato Family Shop, known for its sherbet made in “local kine” flavors like li hing float, strawberry and river (lemon-lime), celebrated its six-year anniversary in December. The biz threw a special celebration at its shop on Dec. 22 to honor the community, according to business founder Neale Asato.

“We had treats to pass out like cups of frozen hot cocoa and monaka sandwiches, and we played a POG game for an in-shop discount,” he says. “It was nice to see all the support from many of our loyal customers and many new ones.”

While its local-inspired sherbet flavors are immensely popular, the biz is also known for seasonal specialties like frozen crème brulee and pumpkin custard pie. 

Here’s a look back at some of its unique flavors over the last six years:

2024: Frozen crème brulee: rich vanilla bean custard with torched sugar crust

“After our trip to Japan trying their commercial version of frozen crème brulee, we came back and tried to make a more rich, complex version,” Asato says. “We think it turned out great and our customers really enjoyed it. The torched sugar crust gives it that authentic crème brulee experience.”

2023: Spam, eggs & rice: Egg custard base with crispy Spam, Rice Krispies and furikake

“Making a Spam flavor for the 2023 Waikiki Spam Jam went viral online, and people went crazy for it at the event,” Asato says. “It was an egg custard base with crispy Spam bits, Rice Krispies and furikake — inspired by the classic, Hawaii ‘local kine’ breakfast of Spam, eggs and rice.”

2022: Butter mochi: Chewy butter mochi sherbet

“We love butter mochi and finally turned it into frozen form in 2022,” Asato says. “The rich base was a puree of a ton of butter mochi. It had a slight chew to it when frozen.”

2021: “Golden Girl": Salted caramel with caramel crunch and gold leaf

“Working with Carissa Moore after her gold medal win at the Olympic Games in Japan was an honor,” Asato says. “We did a tasting in our shop and created her dream flavor with a touch of gold!”

2020: Liliha Bakery Coco Puffs: Chocolate custard with Chantilly

“Our collaboration witrh the iconic Liliha Bakery, turning their famous Coco Puffs into a frozen form, was a highlight of 2020,” Asato says. “The rich chocolate custard base with a swirl of buttery Chantilly was a truly indulgent flavor.”

2019: Pickled mango juice: pickled mango sorbet

“Pickled mango juice is a seasonal favorite, turning sour pickled mango brine into sorbet,” Asato says. “It’s for people who are true fans of mouth-puckering sourness.”

2018: Li hing float: li hing strawberry with vanilla ice cream

“One of our best-selling specialty flavors we created early on and it’s still loved by many,” Asato says. “It was inspired by crack seed shops selling li hing Icee floats. It’s the perfect balance of sweet, sour, salty and creamy.”

This year, you can look forward to more pop-ups by Asato Family Shop’s orange truck, along with new collaborations, according to Asato.

“We plan to take the truck out to different neighborhoods around Oahu,” he says. “We just want to say thank you for the years of support for our small family business. We couldn’t do it without the support of our community, and we look forward to seeing them soon!”

The shop is open for walk-up pint orders from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Sunday and Wednesday.

CONTACT
Asato Family Shop
1306 Pali Hwy., Honolulu
Asatofamilyshop.com
Instagram: @asatofamily

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta can be reached at kelli@alohastatedaily.com.