Grace Narayanan owns and operates the Malini Bikini Hawaiian Shave Ice stand in the American Legion Canteen at the entrance to the Riviera Beach in Lake Geneva. The stand has quickly become a popular stop for families on their way to or from the beach, as well as everyone who walks through downtown Lake Geneva and Library Park. Opening Malini Bikini was a passion project for Narayanan, who was inspired on a trip to a tourist destination in northern Wisconsin, where she experienced the sweet treat for the first time. We sat down with her to learn more about her entrepreneurial endeavor.
ATL: Tell us about your background.
GN: I was originally born in Indiana, but my family decided to move [to Lake Geneva] when I was going into kindergarten. We have extended family that lives here and my family started a vegetable farm that I got to work on with my sisters during my summers. I loved working on the farm.
ATL: What was the inspiration to open Malini Bikini Shave Ice?
GN: Lake Geneva has a huge dessert and ice cream scene but we were missing a dessert option for those who cannot have dairy or ice cream. My youngest sister and I are both lactose intolerant, so, living in Wisconsin, the “Dairy State,” we struggled to find a dessert option.
ATL: Did you face any challenges getting the business up and running? How did you overcome those challenges?
GN: There are always challenges when starting something new, especially as a young entrepreneur. One particular challenge we faced as we opened was educating people about shave ice — that it’s definitely not just a “snow cone” — it’s authentic, Hawaiian-style shave ice. We are happy to teach our customers about the difference between the two, show them how we do it on social media and prove to them that shave ice is the best. They usually agree once they take their first bite!
ATL: Teach us about shave ice. How many different flavors are there?
GN: Shave ice is made by finely shaving large blocks of ice into a snow-like texture. We make these specialty blocks of ice right here at Malini Bikini and use authentic shaving equipment to get it just right. Between our traditional and natural fruit juice flavors, we have over 20 flavors that you can top your fluffy, snow-like shave ice with! You can also make it the most traditional Hawaiian way by putting ice cream in the bottom then topping it off with sweetened condensed milk and li-hing-mui [dried plum] powder.
