A Hellertown eatery is reopening under a new name, but fans of the former ChefStreet Kitchen need not fret. Its signature menu item–empanadas–are still on the menu.
Owner Joe Stout said his restaurant now known simply as The Shop opens Thursday as a springtime pop-up establishment serving takeout Mexican and Spanish-style street food.
Along with 10 to 15 varieties of empanada such as Lime & Chorizo, Pizza Burger and Cheesy Bomb (a vegetarian empanada), The Shop will also sell burritos, tacos, quesadillas and fresh chips with queso. Stout said he plans to offer vegan and gluten-free empanadas in the future.
Above, a tray of pizza burger empanadas ready for the fryer is displayed at The Shop, which opened as a springtime pop-up eatery at 56 W. Water Street in Hellertown on Thursday, March 2.
For anyone with a sweet tooth, Bam’s carrot cakes will be available for purchase along with Stout’s own cupookies, which are a hybrid version of a cookie and cupcake.
Stout explained that his pared-down menu will also be available for delivery via popular third party food ordering apps like GrubHub, Doordash and Uber Eats, hopefully by this Friday. In the meantime, orders can be placed on CheJoeOnTheGo.com, where his other brands–including ChefStreet Kitchen and Chefmeals–are also represented.
With a career in the dining industry that involves managing culinary operations at summer camps in the Poconos and meal service management at local fraternities, Stout isn’t sure if The Shop will be open continuously from now on, but he plans to keep the pop-up eatery open at least until early May. If it closes for the summer, a fall reopening is likely, he said.
As a fan of technology, he said he’d like to incorporate high-tech conveniences such as self-order kiosks and hot food lockers–which are similar to Amazon lockers but for food–into his future business development plans.
“I’m looking to turn it into a restaurant of the future,” said Stout, who also operates a food truck serving the ChefStreet Kitchen menu previously available at the Water Street store.
Food pickup and ordering at The Shop is from a service window at the rear of the building, which faces a central parking lot surrounded by several other businesses.
The Shop is located at 56 W. Water Street, Hellertown, in between Saucon Valley Karate Academy and Kindred Spirits Books & Gifts.
The Shop’s hours to start are Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 5 p.m. to midnight, but Stout said he may extend them on Friday and Saturday nights if the demand is there.
He said he expects many hungry college students to make their way to The Shop for late night nourishment, along with other fans of his food and hopefully some new friends as well.
With tempting culinary delights like his Brownie Batter empanada–a popular dessert choice–on The Shop’s menu, his hope is that everyone will find something to love about it.
For future updates, follow The Shop and Chefmeals on Facebook and Instagram.
Above, a printed sign advertises The Shop’s hours. The rebranded Hellertown eatery will be one of the few local establishments serving freshly-prepared food late at night when it opens to the public March 2.