We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kathleen. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kathleen below.

Kathleen, appreciate you joining us today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

PawPaw’s Snoballs has been an idea in my heart since I was a little girl growing up in New Orleans. Some of my favorite memories were walking up to the snoball stand and ordering a snoball (spearmint, of course). Life was good. I used to think about having my own stand, how I could have as many as I wanted!

As life went on that dream felt farther away, but it was always there. When I came to Minnesota, I learned that snoballs simply didn’t exist here. I did all the research, wrote up a business plan, tucked it into a binder, and kept it. I had no way at the time of making it happen, but I carried that binder with me for years.

After starting my first business, I started putting money aside little by little, and over the next 8 years I’d built up quite a savings. When I was ready, I traveled back to New Orleans to source what I would need and learned everything I could. After running into one roadblock after another with contractors who could build it out for me, Jimmy looked at me and basically said, “we’ll figure it out.” We spent about a year designing and building it while I continued running A Clean Sweep. The result was a perfectly constructed food trailer, which turned out even better than our initial plans for it.

PawPaw’s officially opened the window in July 2025.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

I was born and spent most of my younger years in New Orleans. Growing up in a place so rich with culture and community, my mission for PawPaw’s is to create that right here in Minnesota through our snoballs and southern hospitality.

Everything about PawPaw’s is intentional, from the snoballs to the Mardi Gras bead lagniappe (“lan-yap”, meaning a little something extra). If someone from New Orleans walks up to our trailer, I want that first bite and interaction with us to feel like home. And if someone has never had a real snoball before, I want them to understand why they’re such a big part of the culture I grew up in.

I hope people leave our trailer with more than a great snoball. I hope they leave with a smile, a fun memory, and maybe even a little curiosity about the city that inspired it all.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

I met Jimmy years ago while working part time at his restaurant. Since then, we’ve built a family, our life, and my second business together. As a 25 year seasoned Chef, I relied on his experience in kitchens- he knew exactly how the layout needed to be to create a seamless operative workflow. I couldn’t have picked a more perfect person for the job, honestly.

I didn’t even have to ask for his help post-build; Jimmy stepped to the plate and is truly my right hand at PawPaw’s. We own our own roles within the business and the result is a smooth, fine-tuned operation. While I run the administrative side, Jimmy helps me manage the day to day operations, like: crafting syrups, custom ice orders and deliveries, and maintaining the equipment. I keep the trailer clean and organized, he fixes plumbing when it needs tightening. Where one of my strengths is leading the charge with events/bookings, etc., his is back of the house. We work incredibly hard in the trailer as well as behind the scenes, and I am very grateful for his endless help and support!

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I think my reputation has been built by caring about the details. I’m a bit obsessive about authenticity and making things perfect, and I’m okay with that. If I’m going to bring a piece of New Orleans to Minnesota, I want to do it right. Our snoballs are consistent, refreshing and delicious, and anyone who’s had one knows they’re the real deal. I am as friendly and outgoing at PawPaw’s as I am “off the clock”, which I believe has contributed to our success so far. I think people appreciate having an inviting and welcoming experience at the window.

When I am at the window I try and genuinely connect with our customers, and I think that’s why so many come back, bring their friends, and tell others about PawPaw’s. We are building community through PawPaw’s, and that means everything to me.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pawpaws_snoballs
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pawpaws_snoballs