For Lehigh Valley residents looking to add more hole foods to their diet, a new mini doughnut food truck is bringing its sweet and innovative treats to a venue near you.

Donut Lab, a mobile dessert business specializing in doughnut boxes, doughnut parfaits and doughnut sandwiches, debuted a couple of months ago at local breweries.

Donut Lab, a mini doughnut food truck offering doughnut boxes, doughnut parfaits and doughnut sandwiches, debuted a couple of months ago at local breweries. The mobile dessert business also visits wineries and other business and is available for private events such as weddings, birthday parties and corporate functions. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO / DONUT LAB)

The truck, owned and operated by Jennifer Oliveira of Germansville, also visits wineries and other business and is available for private events such as weddings, birthday parties and corporate functions.

“We have about 20 different flavors that we play with and change up, with about six flavors available at any given time,” Oliveira said.

The doughnuts, which are made fresh using peanut-free oil, are served in boxes with customers being able to choose up to two different flavors per box.

Donut Lab, a mini doughnut food truck offering doughnut boxes, doughnut parfaits and doughnut sandwiches, debuted a couple of months ago at local breweries. The mobile dessert business also visits wineries and other business and is available for private events such as weddings, birthday parties and corporate functions. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO / DONUT LAB)

Popular selections include strawberry Pop-Tart, topped with strawberry and cream cheese drizzles, rainbow sprinkles and strawberry Pop-Tart crumbles; and blueberry maple bacon, topped with maple syrup, blueberry sauce and bacon crumbles. Many varieties are completely gluten-free.

“If it’s a kid event, we’ll do Oreo dirt, which is our biggest kid-friendly one,” Oliveira said. “It comes with gummy worms, white chocolate, marshmallow drizzle and then gluten-free Oreos on top.”

Boxes of 16-18 mini doughnuts start at $10, and customers can opt for add-ons such as sauce injections and ice cream.

Other menu highlights include doughnut parfaits, made with local berries, honey and more; and doughnut sandwiches, made with slices of larger doughnut cake for the buns.

Donut Lab, a mini doughnut food truck offering doughnut creations such as "Teddy Wants S’mores" box, debuted a couple of months ago at local breweries. The mobile dessert business also visits wineries and other business and is available for private events such as weddings, birthday parties and corporate functions. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO / DONUT LAB)

Sandwiches, including a doughnut burger and doughnut Monte Cristo panini (ham, turkey, havarti cheese and local jam), will debut alongside “chicken fried doughnuts” (mini doughnuts mixed with Southern-style fried chicken bites, topped with Mike’s Honey Hot, maple syrup and pickle chips), noon to 6 p.m. Sunday at Yergey’s Brewing in Emmaus.

For more information or to book Donut Lab for your next event, call 678-296-9529. Info: facebook.com/donutlabpa; instagram.com/donutlabpa.

From doughnuts to Dominican specialties, the owners of a popular Latin American restaurant in downtown Bethlehem are planning a new tasty venture two blocks away.

Husband and wife Michael and Mayra Collado, who operate Casa del Mofongo at 553 Main St., are planning to open a sandwich shop, Casa del San-Gwich, in late July or early August at 20 W. Broad St.

The new eatery, with seating for around 32 customers, will offer a completely different menu than the one offered at Casa del Mofongo. It will specialize in “freshly prepared Dominican sandwiches,” including grilled chicken and steak sandwiches, Michael said.

“For the steak, it’s going to be grilled top-round steak, chopped and sauteed with onions and peppers in a red wine sauce,” Michael said. “Then, we’d add cheese and toppings like lettuce and tomato.”

Husband and wife Michael and Mayra Collado, who operate Casa del Mofongo at 553 Main St. in downtown Bethlehem, are planning to open a sandwich shop, Casa del San-Gwich, in late July or early August a couple of blocks away at 20 W. Broad St. The new eatery, with seating for around 32 customers, will specialize in “freshly prepared Dominican sandwiches,” including grilled chicken and steak sandwiches, Michael said. (Ryan Kneller/The Morning Call)

Casa del San-Gwich will serve primarily hot sandwiches, including Cubans and roasted rib sandwiches, Michael said, but a handful of cold sandwiches such as tuna salad and an American hoagie are also likely to be offered.

Sandwiches will come with plantain chips, and customers will be able to upgrade to French fries if they prefer. Other menu highlights will include natural fruit juices, smoothies and empanadas such as beef, chicken, pork and vegetable.

Casa del San-Gwich will be situated near the former Boyd Theatre site, where a six-story, mixed-use complex — home to 204 apartment units, ground-floor retail space, an underground parking deck, pool and courtyard — is expected to be complete in 2023.

Staying on the topic of sandwiches, Farmhouse Deli at The Market at Johnsonville Farm & Garden is set to open July 5 at 147 Johnsonville Road in Upper Mount Bethel Township, according to a post on the market’s Facebook page.

The deli, operating 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, will serve up custom sandwiches, homemade soups and salads and weekly lunch specials. It also will offer sliced deli meats and cheeses. Info: 610-599-0163.

A final bit of foodie news: Tipsy’s Bar & Lounge, featuring food, cocktails and nightlife, is expected to open in the fall at 462 W. Union Blvd. on Allentown’s East Side, co-owner Christopher Tiscio said.

Tiscio and business partner Anthony DeLeon recently took over the former Bull & Bear Restaurant, which closed about two weeks ago after more than 35 years of business.

“We’re shooting to open by Oct. 1,” Tiscio said.

Tipsy's Bar & Lounge, featuring food, cocktails and nightlife, is expected to open in the fall at 462 W. Union Blvd. on Allentown's East Side. Business partners Christopher Tiscio and Anthony DeLeon recently took over the former Bull & Bear Restaurant, which closed about two weeks ago after more than 35 years of business. (Ryan Kneller/The Morning Call)

The partners, who also operate the year-old Gametime Sports Bar & Grille in Fountain Hill, are completely overhauling the former Bull & Bear with new flooring, lighting, kitchen equipment and more. They also plan to add an outdoor dining patio.

“We’re putting pretty good money into the building and redoing the entire inside,” Tiscio said. “It’s also going to be updated outside with some nice curb appeal.”

Tipsy’s concept will be similar to downtown Bethlehem’s Corked 2.0, a dining and nightlife venue that Tiscio also operates with partners.

Tipsy’s customers will enjoy classic and contemporary American cuisine for lunch and dinner, with DJ entertainment and a dance floor being featured on Friday and Saturday nights.

The menu will include popular dishes from Corked 2.0 and Gametime, including appetizers such as fried calamari and chicken wings, handhelds such as burgers and sandwiches and entrees such as premium steaks and grilled salmon.

Tipsy’s will feature more than a dozen 70-inch televisions and a newly constructed bar, serving beer, wine and specialty cocktails.

From food to furniture, Decor Home Furniture & Mattress, a retailer of high-quality furniture for every room of the house, on Thursday opened its newest Lehigh Valley store at the western end of the Palmer Park Mall.

The store fills a 122,000-square-foot anchor space that has been empty since The Bon-Ton closed in 2018.

Decor Home Furniture, which also has locations in Whitehall Township and Livingston, N.J., guarantees customers “the absolute lowest local price for furniture,” according to a message on the company’s website.

“We sell the latest contemporary, modern, casual, country, traditional and luxurious furniture,” the message continues. “... With having over 10 years of experience in the furniture industry, we are positive that our customers are sure to find exactly what they are looking for.”

Other new Palmer Park Mall tenants, which opened in April, include Aslan Jewelers, offering fine jewelry, watches, custom designs and repair; and Art Video Productions, a photography and video studio offering family portraits, corporate headshots, video production commercials and more.

About 10 miles west of Palmer, a popular retail chain is readying to open its newest Lehigh Valley location in a portion of the former Weis Markets space at the Westgate shopping center, formerly known as the Westgate Mall, in Bethlehem.

Harbor Freight Tools, a California-based chain carrying a wide array of tools, hardware and other items for the home, garden and car, will hold a soft opening of it new Bethlehem store on Wednesday at the Westgate shopping center on Schoenersville Road in Bethlehem. (Ryan Kneller/The Morning Call)

Harbor Freight Tools, a California-based chain carrying a wide array of tools, hardware and other items for the home, garden and car, will hold a soft opening of it new Bethlehem store on Wednesday, according to Craig Hoffman, Harbor Freight’s director of corporate communications and content. The store’s grand opening will be held 8 a.m. July 16.

Harbor Freight, founded by Eric Schmidt and his father in 1977, has more than 1,300 stores nationwide, including four regional locations in South Whitehall Township, Richland Township, Wilson and Stroudsburg.

Customers can shop a full selection of quality tools and accessories in categories such as automotive, air and power tools, storage, outdoor power equipment, generators, welding supplies, shop equipment and hand tools, Hoffman said.

Westgate’s revitalization is set to continue with owner Onyx Equities’ third phase of redevelopment plans, which were approved by the Bethlehem Planning Commission on March 10. Plans include the demolition of approximately 50,000 square feet of the current shopping center’s interior to allow for the construction of about 8,000 square feet of new building space.

Two new structures will include a freestanding bank with a drive-thru, next to the relocated Weis Markets grocery store, and an adjacent strip mall that will house Jersey Mike’s Subs, QDOBA Mexican Eats and Starbucks eateries, the latter of which will feature a drive-thru. The strip mall also will feature a yet-to-be-announced retailer.

Other upcoming changes at Westgate include 10,000 square feet of space at the south end of the shopping center — which previously housed Rite Aid — being leased to Oak Street Health primary care medical facility (no tentative opening date has been announced); an international quick-service hamburger chain, which has signed a lease to build a free-standing, 4,500-square-foot retail pad at the northern corner of the center, in front of Weis; and a financial institution, which has signed a lease to develop a free-standing, 3,500-square-foot building on the former Dempsey’s restaurant pad.

The latter two projects are pending site plan approval by the city, and Onyx hopes to commence development on them near the end of the year.

I’ll finish with couple of Hellertown tid-bits:

First, Good Guy Vapes, offering electronic cigarettes, e-liquids, vaping accessories and more, is listed as “coming soon” to 11 Main St. The business will occupy a former T-Mobile space in the Shoppes at Hellertown, which recently welcomed a Starbucks cafe and is set to usher in an Advanced Auto Parts store in August.

According to Ayon Codner, commercial and residential realtor with Keller Williams Real Estate, which handles leasing at the Shoppes at Hellertown, the new Good Guy Vapes store is expected to open within the next couple of months.

It will be operated by franchise owner Bess Woodcox, who opened a Good Guy Vapes store in 2020 at 1525 Easton Ave., Unit A., in Bethlehem.

The chain, which has a warehouse in Tannersville and another regional store in Phillipsburg, has more than 30 retail locations in six states, according to the business’ online store locator.

In Bethlehem, customers can shop more than 200 e-liquid flavors along with vape pods and starter kits, atomizers, coils, glass water pipes and bowls, rolling papers and accessories such as lighters, pipe cleaners and personal air filters. The Bethlehem shop also carries CBD products. Info: goodguyvapes.com.

Billiards Sales and Service, offering sales of new and certified used pool tables and accessories along with various pool table services, held a soft opening in early May at 1561 Main St. in Hellertown. (Ryan Kneller/The Morning Call)

Second, Billiards Sales and Service, offering sales of new and certified used pool tables and accessories along with various pool table services, opened in May at 1561 Main St. The business started as a mostly online venture about a year ago, owner Joe Gentile said.

“We offer sales and service of pool tables, shuffleboard tables and basically all game room furniture,” Gentile said. “We do re-felts, table relocations and more.” Info: 610-202-0649.

Retail Watch, appearing every weekend, keeps track of retail and restaurant news in the Lehigh Valley. Contact Ryan Kneller at 610-820-6597 or retailwatch@mcall.com.