Beers and bites
Up-and-coming caterer sets up shop at popular Easton brewery
Summer soirees are set to sizzle in a few weeks, friends.
So, whether you’re toasting dad, celebrating a grad or just looking for great food and drinks to be had, keep in mind a partnership between a new catering company and a beloved craft brewery.
The Marquee Kitchen, a Lehigh Valley caterer that launched in spring 2021, recently joined forces with Easton’s Weyerbacher Brewing Company to offer madefrom-scratch burgers, tacos and other dishes from the 905 Line St. brewery’s on-site food trailer, 4-8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays and noon to 8 p.m. Saturdays starting in June.
The Marquee Kitchen, which also offers on-site catering for private events as well as pop-up food sales at local festivals and businesses, is run by husband and wife Mark and Ashley Yundt.
The Bethlehem Township couple has more than 35 years of experience in the food, beverage and hospitality industry, meeting about a decade ago at their one-time employer, the former St. James Gate Irish Pub and Carvery at Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem, now known as Wind Creek Bethlehem.
“I was in the kitchen, and she was bartending,” Mark said. “The rest is history.”
Ashley has managed restaurants, bars and brewery tap rooms for more than a decade, while Mark has had chef stints at more than a dozen local dining establishments, including other casino spots such as Emeril’s Chop House, Burgers & More by Emeril and the former Carnegie Deli, over the past 22 years.
Now 39 years old, Mark got his start as a dishwasher at age 16 before honing his culinary craft at other prominent restaurants such as Blue Grillhouse in Bethlehem Township, The Bookstore Speakeasy in Bethlehem, the former Manor House Inn in Upper Saucon Township and the former Ricardo’s Original Tavern House in Hellertown. He earned his associate’s degree in culinary arts from Northampton Community College in 2004.
“We’re both super psyched,” Mark said. “We love what we do, and it’s rewarding doing it for ourselves. Being my own boss, being able to work with the farms that I want to work with and letting this operation grow naturally at its own, organic pace with the help of friends and family is extremely gratifying.”
The Marquee Kitchen, a play on Mark’s nickname, Marky, offers custom food menus for events along with a rotating seasonal menu at Weyerbacher.
The Yundts incorporate local meats, produce and other ingredients as much as possible when preparing dishes such as “smash” burgers, nachos, rotating salads and kielbasi and pierogies with caramelized onions. They also incorporate Weyerbacher beers into items such as pickle brine and marinade for shrimp tacos.
For more information on The Marquee Kitchen, which also sells its bottled and jarred condiments such as hot sauce and whole grain mustard, visit themarqueekitchen.com or call 484-903-9083.
More foodie finds
More delicious Easton news: An eatery offering “quick, healthful, locally sourced meals” has expanded its footprint with a second location at the Simon Silk Mill.
Zekraft, which opened its first cafe in September at 306 S. New St. on Bethlehem’s South Side, added an outpost Thursday at 1247 Simon Blvd., N107, according to the business’ Facebook page.
The venture is a homecoming of sorts for owners Zeke Zelker, a local filmmaker, and his wife, Elaine Zelker, a photographer and brand strategist. The couple was among the first business owners to set up shop at the Easton venue in 2016, and the duo still retains studios at the site.
Customers can enjoy specialty beverages like organic fair-trade coffee, espresso, teas and frappes, along with inventive cuisine that includes soups, salads, tartines (openfaced sandwiches) and baked goods.
The Zelkers launched Zekraft in summer 2020, using a commercial kitchen to offer weekly delivery of “consciously prepared restaurant quality meals” to customers throughout the Lehigh Valley.
The business continues to
offer home meal delivery, with a menu that changes weekly. Popular items include beef short rib, Thai peanut chicken and pan-roasted salmon with an orange fennel sauce and couscous. Info: zekraft. com.
As my colleague Jennifer Sheehan reported, Ciao Sandwich Shoppe, an Italian deli known for super tasty, hand-crafted sandwiches, is planning to open a second location this summer at 325 Cattell St. in Easton’s College Hill neighborhood. The business’ original spot opened in late 2020 at 12 N. Third St. in downtown Easton.
Ciao customers can create their own sandwich or choose from more than a dozen specialty varieties, featuring Boar’s Head premium meats and cheeses. Highlights include “The Italiano” (deluxe ham, Genoa salami, capocollo, pepperoni, aged provolone, lettuce, tomato, onion, red pepper relish and oil and vinegar) and “Easton Assassin,” named after legendary Easton boxer Larry Holmes (Ovengold turkey, aged provolone, lettuce, tomato, black olives, sweet peppers, Italian dressing and oregano). Info: eatatciao.com.
A final bit of foodie news: Honeygrow, a fast-casual chain specializing in wholesome and customizable salads, stir-fry dishes and “honeybar” desserts, is planning to open its first Lehigh Valley area eatery Friday at 69 N. West End Blvd. in Quakertown, according to the business’ Instagram page.
The restaurant will operate next to a new Chipotle Mexican Grill eatery in a newly constructed building in the Quakertown Plaza.
Honeygrow, founded by Justin Rosenberg in Philadelphia in 2012, has grown to more than two dozen locations in seven states. The chain is known for its “honeybar” dessert cups such as “The Cobbler” (maple yogurt, roasted apples, streusel crumble and whipped cream).Info: honeygrow.com.
Lehigh County news
From food to furniture, a technology driven company that designs, manufactures and sells high quality furniture “built to last a lifetime” has opened its first Lehigh Valley location.
The Lovesac Company, based in Stamford, Connecticut, on May 6 opened a showroom at 1936 MacArthur Road, Suite 2, in Whitehall Township. The building, constructed in 2019, also houses a Sleep Number showroom.
Lovesac, whose name comes from the brand’s Durafoam-filled furniture called Sacs, is a direct-toconsumer specialty furniture brand with 116 showrooms supporting its e-commerce delivery model. The shredded Durafoam is a Lovesac trademarked proprietary blend of high, medium, and low-density open-cell polyurethane foam.
Founder and CEO Shawn Nelson’s “Designed for Life” philosophy emphasizes sustainable products that are designed to evolve with customers’ needs, providing long-term utility and ultimately reducing the amount of furniture in landfills.
The company, founded in 1998, derives a majority of its sales from its proprietary platform called Sactionals, a washable, changeable, and reconfigurable solution for large upholstered seating. The modular Sactionals feature seats and sides that can be rearranged to fit a customer’s changing needs. Info: lovesac.com.
About 12 miles southwest of Lovesac, McCall Collective Brewing Company on Saturday debuted a second taproom at 7743 Hamilton Blvd. in the Breinigsville section of Upper Macungie Township. The brewery’s original location opened in August 2020 at 102 E. Susquehanna St. in south Allentown.
The 1,500-square-foot taproom, dubbed the “Taphouse,” features seating for around 30 customers at low-top tables and bar stools along with standing room for around 25 additional customers.
It features 10 draft beers, 4-packs to go, local wine and cocktails and new food selections, largely produced out of a commercial smoker. Customers can enjoy items like brisket nachos, pulled pork platters, smoked wings and barbecue ribs.
McCall, which hosts live music, trivia and other entertainment in Allentown, is a family affair, led by founder and CEO Kaitlin McCall; her husband, Chris McCall, CFO; and Chris’ brother, Matt McCall, head brewer. Info: mccallcollectivebrewing.com.
Shopping center updates
The Shops at Bethlehem, formerly known as Easton Commons, was recently acquired with plans for a rebrand and refreshed look, according to NAI Summit, which handles leasing at the 166,000-square-foot, Giant-anchored shopping center.
Building renovations, which will be completed this summer, include façade updates, new lighting fixtures, new column structures and enhanced signage.
Additionally, local developer Posh Properties recently secured the retail pad site along Easton Avenue where a “nationally recognized coffee franchise” with a drive-thru is expected to be constructed at the center’s northeast entrance, the news release states.
That franchise is Starbucks as the township’s planning commission on Monday heard preliminary plans for a new Starbucks cafe at the center.
Other positive news for the center includes new leases being signed with Pennsylvania-based Active Learning Centers, which plans to open an 11,250-square-foot childcare center in September; and local furniture and home decor company Dave’s Department Store, which plans to open open an 18,000-square-foot retail location at a yet-to-be announced date.
Dave’s has another location at 282 Line St. in Easton, and Active Learning Centers has four other facilities in Emmaus, Fogelsville, Palmer Township and Trexlertown.
In Allentown, Grocery Outlet, an “extreme value retailer” of quality, name-brand consumables and fresh products sold through a network of independently owned and operated stores, is expected to open in early September in the Allen Street Shopping Center, owner Fayez Abboud said.
The “bargain market” chain’s new location, at 1401 Allen St., will fill a renovated space previously occupied by Ahart’s Market, which closed in late 2021.
It will be Abboud’s second Grocery Outlet, supplementing his Shillington, Berks County, store that he’s operated for the past five years.
Based in Emeryville, California, Grocery Outlet has more than 410 stores in California, Washington, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Idaho, Nevada and New Jersey.
The Allentown store, totaling more than 30,000 square feet, will supplement more than 20 locations in Pennsylvania, including other local outposts in South Whitehall Township, Palmer Township and Quakertown. It will feature “new everything,” Abboud said, including flooring, ceilings, lighting and refrigerators.
Grocery Outlet stores offer a “fun, treasure hunt shopping experience in an easy-to-navigate, small-box format,” according to the chain’s website.
The company’s flexible buying model allows it to offer quality, name-brand products at prices significantly below those of conventional retailers. Info: facebook.com/AllenStreetGroceryOutlet.
Lastly, Retro Fitness Bethlehem, offering strength and cardio equipment along with other amenities such as group fitness classes, personal training and a cardio movie theater, permanently closed Friday after eight years of business at 1856 Stefko Blvd., according to a message e-mailed to members.
The Stefko Boulevard Shopping Center gym was the chain’s last Lehigh Valley location, with other Retro Fitness gyms previously operating from 2008 to 2011 in Allentown’s Mountainville Shopping Center and from 2008 to 2020 in Palmer Township’s 25th Street Shopping Center.
“We appreciate the business you have given us over the years and thank you for being a loyal member,” the message read.