It all began back in 1929 when our grandfather, Ralph W. Grasso Sr., decided to use the Italian ice recipe he was given by a friend while he was in New York City.

At first, it was to supplement his income as a mason after he moved to Saratoga in 1925. However, while earning a good wage of $13.00/week, an injury put him in a body cast and dropped his wages to $4.00/month.

Around 1936, with bills and other expenses mounting (although there was always someone who would give him some work...just not enough), he decided to go into the 'lemon ice' business full time.

In 1938, he bought his first truck to replace the pull wagon he was using. Remember, times were tough, and although machines do a lot of the work today, back then he had to squeeze the lemons and oranges by hand. The freezing buckets were cranked by hand, and to keep everything in a frozen state, they had to be packed by hand with salt and ice.

Even though the business was growing, it was not enough to support his family. He began peddling fish, but only on Fridays, which was a good thing in the off-season. There was not much demand for lemon ice in the Saratoga winters.

Through the years, the fish business was phased out, a candy store was introduced, and he began fine-tuning the family Italian ice recipe for a smoother texture and taste. It was at this time he started to add to the flavor variety.

These days, his ices are being sold to the great-great-grandchildren of his original customers (maybe even more than two greats, as his own great-granddaughter is now a co-owner of the family business). "Grasso's" has become known as a Saratoga tradition. Ask anyone who grew up in Saratoga if they are familiar with Grasso's Italian Ice and see what they say.

The 1954 International Harvester Step Van, which was purchased new by our grandfather, is still in use today. It is often heard from many of the 'older' Saratogians, "I used to sit right there," pointing to a flat area in the front of the truck, "and ring the bell for Mr. Grasso."

He passed away on Christmas Eve in 1985 at the age of 86 and was still making and vending the 'lemon ice' the previous summer.

What you see now is the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Ralph W. Grasso Sr. carrying on the family tradition of making memories. We hope we create one for you also!