Hansen's Sno-Bliz

We are so thrilled to be honored by the James Beard Awards as an “American classic.” Ashely is in New York for the ceremony tonight.

WWLTV has a very nice article about our history and the award, along with video from our opening day.

NOLA.com has a great article today on Ashley, Hansen’s, opening day, and our James Beard award, full of pictures and videos:

Ashley Hansen grew up inside her grandparents’ snowball stand. She was 15 when she started working for Mary and Ernest Hansen. Now she’s 40. And now she owns Hansen’s Sno-Bliz.

She’s spent her life working the ice shaving machine Ernest Hansen invented in 1934. She knows every nook of the cinderblock stand and can immediately lay her hands on each yellowed clipping praising Hansen’s sweet cups of shaved ice and every faded photograph of the customers who come back year after year to wait on the yellow line.

Read the full article, see the pictures, and watch the videos on NOLA.com.

We open for the 2014 season in just a few hours. To wet your appetite, here are two articles posted yesterday about Hansen’s Sno-Bliz.

From NOLA.com:

On Thursday (March 6), [Ashley] Hansen took a break from preparing her snowball stand for opening day and answered questions from fans submitted by Facebook and Twitter.

Read the full article and view the video of her responses.

From WWLTV.com:

It may not quite feel like snowball weather Friday, but if you do have a craving for one of the best in New Orleans – and America, according to the James Beard awards – head to Hansen’s Sno-Bliz, as the culinary landmark opens for its 75^th season.

The snowball stand at Tchoupitoulas and Bordeaux marks its diamond anniversary Friday as it reopens for the warmer spring and summer months.

Read the full article.

Today the James Beard Foundation announced the winners of it’s America’s Classics award. Hansen’s Sno-Bliz was one of this year’s five recipients. We are honored to receive this award from such a prestigious organization. We know that Mary and Ernest Hansen are smiling down on us proudly at this moment.

We also want to send a huge thank you to everyone who has sent us congratulation notes via email, Facebook, Twitter, etc. We don’t have time to respond to all of them, but we want to let you know that we do read every one.

Read more at NOLA.com.

Did anyone happen to catch us on WGNO-TV | ABC26 yesterday? Here is a link to the video clip:
I Predicted Snow On News With A Twist…

Two recent posts full of wonderful pictures taken at our shop:

From NOLA Eater: Hansen’s Sno-Bliz, Tuesday, 5 p.m.

Here, photographer Todd Voltz captures the essence of the Sno-Bliz experience. From waiting in line with sweaty adults and antsy children, to trying to decide what flavor to get ? Cream of Nectar? Satsuma? Both??while taking in the hoarded ephemera of Hansen’s past and the sound of their original ice-grinding snoball machine. And the best part, enjoying that hard earned Sno-Bliz on the sidewalk, while cars whiz by on Tchoupitoulas and the sun sinks down into the big pink sky. Welcome to summer time in New Orleans.

Olivia Grey Pritchard Photography with a kid’s mini-session. These kids are seriously adorable and sure love their snoballs.

According NOLA.com, Seth Rogan said “Hansen’s Sno-Bliz, that’s one of the coolest things ever.” We love you too, Seth!

Over on WWLTV, Ashley demonstrates how to make an Atomic Sno-Bliz.

The Southern Foodways Alliance posted a nice article today about snoballs in New Orleans and our opening day. It also includes this video of pictures of Hansen’s through the years with audio from a 2011 interview with Ashely and Jerry.

Thanks to all of Hansen’s terrific friends and loyal customers for voting Hansen’s Sno-Bliz 2012’s “Best Sno-Ball Stand” in Gambit Weekly!!

We gave our old screen door to our good friend Gator Girl. She turned it into a beautiful work of art for us to hang up in the shop.

If you want a copy for yourself, prints are available from her Etsy shop.