A new and refreshing opportunity awaits taste buds of the willing at Si! Fresh Delights, which opened early July.

The small shop offers raspados, or shaved ice, but it isn’t the garden variety sno-cone experience. Each cup full of shaved ice is more accurately described as a cream-laden cornucopia of fresh cut fruits and vegetables. But don’t take that as a health food claim because these drinks will surely tingle taste buds with their sweet array of flavor.

Sonia Segovial co-owns the shop with partner Juan Aguilar at 623 NW Cedar Avenue. Segovial’s mother is the mastermind behind the original recipes Si! Fresh Delights uses, including the bionico cream and homemade fruit purees used in the shaved ice. They also offer juices, gelatin desserts and strawberries and cream — to name a few. Locally sourced ingredients are used whenever possible and all the fruit is cut fresh daily. While they maintain a regular menu, many items they offer have been creations from customer requests. Segovial said that is where some of the most unique things she has made have come from.

“We wanted to bring something new to Redmond, like our fruit salads and bionico cream,” Segovial said. “Our customers always come back with their fruit salads and ask for a little more of our cream.”

Segovial and Aguilar had been in construction before opening the shop. Segovial had always wanted to get into the food industry like her mother and when the opportunity arouse she took it, enlisting the help of Aguilar. Now, both can be found at the small location — which has been a starting point of sorts for some local businesses — cutting fruit, making purees and offering Redmond a unique refreshment not offered elsewhere.

“I wanted to do something I love, and I love working in the kitchen and I love working with people,” Segovial said.

Segovial said she wanted to start small and spent the last couple months troubleshooting the subtleties of owning a small business. She found her groove and is excited to see where her business goes. She has plenty of goals, including fashioning a food cart off what she offers and possibly in several years opening a full restaurant. Currently, though, she is planning up a winter menu that would fit the cold weather better, which will include tamales and tortas.

“These are my first three months operating a business by myself so I have a lot to learn,” Segovial said. “But I have to be able to find my mistakes and make things better.”

When Segovial was a child she remembers having raspados that her mother made regularly, who also made all the original recipes. She said she wanted to share that type of refreshment with the community. Si! Fresh Delights is open Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. During the summer, the hours are expanded to 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Segovial said she has yet to complete a large catering order but said she is open to any inquires people may have.

“There’s no stopping point for creativity in the kitchen,” Segovial said. “You just try out different things and if something tastes good then you make it even better.”

For now, Segovial and Aguilar will remain busy cutting fresh fruits and veggies daily, along with making tamales and tortas, establishing their name as a unique place to grab a refreshment.

“I don’t think there is a place like us,” Segovial said. “I try to keep it on the healthy side, but you can’t always do that and the cream is so good, you have to have it. And it always good to treat yourself.”

— Reporter, 541-548-2185, cbrown@redmondspokesman.com