The readershavespoken… - West Hawaii Today

Tim TerMeer enjoys the
satisfaction his customers
get from the ice cream,
shave ice and other
cool treats he serves at
Anuenue Ice Cream. It’s a
satisfaction he has known
since the 50’s when he
worked as a classic “soda
jerk” at an ice cream
parlor inside a Howard
Johnson’s near Chicago.
TerMeer still serves
authentic ice cream sodas
from his Kawaihae shop
that he has owned for the
past 13 years. But these
days he is best known
as the maker of North
Hawaii’s best shave ice,
a title he has earned for
the past two years.
Best Shave Ice
Anuenue Ice Cream
“I feel that to win it
one time, it might be
luck,” said TerMeer. “To
win it a second time must
mean I’m doing something
right.”
TerMeer is grateful for
the acknowledgement and
he is rewarded by seeing
the satisfaction of his
customers.
“I have people tell me
all the time how good my
shave ice is,” he said.
TerMeer’s machine uses
a 5-inch blade to shave
a block of ice, and he
sets the machine to make
very fine shavings that
are as soft as the best
powder snow at a worldrenowned
ski resort.
NORTH HAWAII NEWS JUNE 23, 2011
Customers have the
choice of about 35
flavors plus five sugar
free offerings that are
sweetened with Spleda.
Most of the syrup is
mixed from concentrate
except for the li hing
mui, whose unique flavor
is hard to get right in a
concentrated mixture.
TerMeer has tried
three brands of shave ice
flavoring and he believes
he has chosen the best.
“I’m so pleased that
other people feel the
same way,” he said.
He also hand-picked
his favorite ice cream
maker: Big Island Brand.
It is made locally in small,
nine-gallon batches. This
reduces the amount of
time necessary to mix
the ice cream, which
results in a thick and
creamy product that has
less air mixed in with it.
Freshness also matters.
“My ice cream is almost
never more than one-anda-half
weeks old,” said
TerMeer.
He even serves one
flavor created just for
his store, called chunky
white chocolate ginger.
White chocolate chips and
chunks of candied ginger
are mixed into Big Island
Brand’s delicious vanilla
ice cream.
In addition, TerMeer
sells pizza by the slice
and hot dogs, which are a
hit with beachgoers who
come into the shop wet
and hungry after a day at
Hapuna Beach. TerMeer
has a lot of repeat
customers who live on the
island, and plenty of offisland
visitors frequent
the shop during every
vacation to the Big Island.
“I’m the first place they
stop before they check
into their hotel,” he said.
His favorite aspect
to his job is getting to
know his customers
and talking story with
people who have flown
in from all around the
world, like a particular
Japanese family who
has frequented his shop
several times each year
since he opened.
“It’s fun,” he said. “I
really enjoy meeting and
talking to folks,” he said.
He also enjoys knowing
customers enjoy his treats
and he is pleased to be
voted the best shave ice
in North Hawaii.
“It’s very gratifying,”
he said. “I’m trying to
be the best. It’s neat to
know other people feel
that I am, too.”