Icy treats: Refreshing raspados, paletas and other cooling desserts

For 17 years, the Abundis family has kept Oakland supplied with sweet, frozen treats from its colorful storefront in the Fruitvale Public Market.

“My dad came from Mexico in the late ’80s, and he first started with a little push cart and then got a bigger ice-cream truck,” says Gris Abundis, manager of Nieves Cinco de Mayo. “He learned how to make raspados from old family recipes and ice cream from working with his uncles.”

Nieves Cinco de Mayo is what’s known as a neveria, one of...