WASHINGTON TWP., Pa. – An iconic, family-run bakery – known for its fresh breads, cakes, doughnuts and pastries – has expanded its footprint in the region.
Vallos Bakery, a nearly century-old business at 1800 Broadway in Salisbury Township, held a grand opening of its third Lehigh Valley location on Friday at the Slatington Farmers Market in Washington Township, Lehigh County.
The stand supplements the bakery’s primary location in Salisbury along with a second location that opened last year at the Allentown Fairgrounds Farmers Market.
At the Slatington Farmers Market, a two-year-old venue featuring more than 40 food, beverage and retail vendors at 8281 Route 873, Hanuschak and her husband, Scott Hanuschak, saw an opportunity to grow their family business further and bring their baked-from-scratch treats closer to more people in the Lehigh Valley.
“We’re very excited!” Tina said.
“The community’s excited as well. We’ve heard from some customers who are really happy that we’ll only be a short drive from them now instead of a 30-minute drive to Salisbury.”
Vallos Bakery operates on Broadway in Salisbury Township.
Tina Hanuschak is a third-generation operator of Vallos, which originated in 1926 on Third Street in south Bethlehem.
Her grandfather, Stephanos Skoutelas, worked at the bakery after moving to the United States from Greece.
When the bakery was put up for sale, Skoutelas and his wife, Kathleen, purchased it from Vallos Baking Company and later moved the business about two miles southwest to Broadway in Salisbury Township.
When Stephanos passed away, the bakery was then handed down to his three sons – Nicholas, George and Gus.
“When they retired in 2005, my husband and I bought it from them,” said Tina, Nicholas’ daughter.
Over the years, the Hanuschaks updated baking equipment, invested in new delivery trucks, hired additional bakers and launched a new line of freshly baked pastries and cakes.
During the pandemic, they also temporarily closed the bakery for several months for renovations.
Last year, a longstanding roadside sign was removed when the sidewalk and parking lot were redone, but new signage on the facade was installed.
Vallos, which has a tagline of “baking a difference in the Lehigh Valley,” is known for its fresh rolls including hot dog, hamburger, Kaiser and steak.
The business also makes a variety of breads, including French, Italian, Vienna and Greek, along with its dozens of doughnut varieties, including apple fritters, Bavarian custard, chocolate crullers and lemon crumb.
Other sweet treats include a variety of cakes, cupcakes, cookies, brownies, pies, turnovers, streudels, eclairs and cannolis.
“Everything is made from scratch,” Tina said. “Our cakes are homemade. Our doughnuts are homemade. Our pastries are homemade. Our icings are homemade. That’s why people like everything.”
Vallos is a true family affair, with the Hanuschaks’ sons, Trevor and Parker, assisting with operations.
Parker primarily helps in Salisbury, while Trevor runs the stand in Allentown. Trevor also will oversee operations at the Slatington Farmers Market.
The new stand operates in a similar fashion to the bakery’s location at the Allentown Fairgrounds Farmers Market, where it offers a condensed version of the bakery’s full menu due to space limitations, Tina said.
Vallos Bakery, a nearly century-old bakery at 800 Broadway in Salisbury Township, opened a second location in June 2023 at the Allentown Fairgrounds Farmers Market.
Customers can still find a wide selection of treats, including more than 20 varieties of doughnuts. Popular doughnut selections include strawberry, chocolate cinnamon, Oreo-stuffed, Bavarian cream and various crullers, including blueberry, chocolate and vanilla.
The bakery also offers seasonal selections, including pumpkin muffins, pumpkin crullers and pumpkin mousse-filled doughnuts around Thanksgiving and kiffles around Christmas.
Vallos’ new location in Washington Township is tentatively set to operate 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays.
Joining a growing roster
At the Slatington Farmers Market, Vallos Bakery joins more than 40 other tenants, including other food and beverage vendors such as Bulb Coffee, Illumination Brewing, Stone Lake Winery, Takkii Ramen, True Blue Mediterranean, Pizza & Burger Hub, Uncle Jay’s BBQ and Sweets & Greens (crepes, salads, smoothies and more).
Slatington Farmers Market, which opened in June in the former Keystone Lamp Factory at 8281 Route 873 in Washington Township, Lehigh County, over the past couple of months welcomed six new vendors.
Businesses opening over the past few months include Green Dice Games, carrying gaming supplies for Warhammer, Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering and other games; Tribal Gatherings, specializing in cultural art and decor for your home, spirit and body; Noah’s Ark Animal Workshop, a one-of-a-kind teddy bear workshop that kids love, and parents and educators trust; Mia Bella Candles, offering hand-poured candles that are made in the USA with environmentally safe waxes and high quality fragrances; The Cheesesteak Factory, serving cheesesteaks, subs, tacos and other Tex-Mex specialties; and Dandeez, specializing in Chinese food and street food specialties from all over the world.
Tribal Gatherings operates a booth at Slatington Farmers Market in Washington Township, Lehigh County.
Other popular tenants include Bleiler’s Produce Patch, AK Farms, Superior Deli, Kassidy’s Manga Lane, Serendipitous Boutique and Only Trees by Carol Mickey.
Sunny Moon Sconery, a small-batch sourdough baker specializing in artisan sweet and savory scones, opened its first brick-and-mortar location at the market on Aug. 30.
Scone offerings this weekend include chocolate walnut, triple berry, vanilla cream, pumpkin pecan, pear chai and honey cornmeal. Some selections are gluten-free.
Sourdough bagels will be available as a special on Saturday.
Sunny Moon is a dream fulfilled for owner and baker Celia Strouse, a Bethlehem resident who has worked as a graphic designer for more than 25 years but has had a passion for baking since childhood.
Celia Strouse, Sunny Moon Sconery’s owner and baker, stands behind the counter of her new location at the Slatington Farmers Market.
Strouse, 47, has fond memories of baking with her mother – who she labels “an amazing baker and cook” – while growing up in Portugal.
After moving to the United States at the age of 13, she fine-tuned her skills as a teenager and continued baking into adulthood. Her treats have become big hits at friends and family gatherings.
“Baking has been a lifelong passion of mine, and so many people have pushed me to open a bakery,” Strouse said.
“I didn’t think it would be a bakery that focuses on scones, but I really got into scones about a year ago. It came about because I’ve been baking with sourdough for a while, and I tried my first sourdough scones and just fell in love with them – their texture, taste, everything about them.”
At Sunny Moon Sconery, customers are able to choose from a rotating selection of 8-10 scones, including sweet selections such as blueberry, almond apricot, peach lemon, cinnamon roll, cookies and cream, strawberry and white chocolate, chocolate mocha and chocolate-dipped vanilla chocolate chip.
Sunny Moon Sconery offers a variety of artisan scones, including orange with orange glaze and chocolate dipped vanilla chocolate chip.
Rotating savory varieties include popular picks such as cheddar jalapeno cilantro, spinach and feta, ginger garlic and cream cheese (made with Jenny’s Kuali ginger garlic sauce) and pizza (made with basil, oregano, sun-dried tomatoes and shredded mozzarella, topped with pizza sauce, more mozzarella and basil).
In addition to selling specialty sourdough scones, Sunny Moon Sconery offers a variety of other freshly-baked items including sourdough focaccia, sourdough soft pretzels and sourdough bagels as specials.
Another new addition at the Slatington Farmers Market is One More Crystal Co., which will hold its grand opening this weekend, Saturday and Sunday.
“The Bead Bar is a great activity for you and your minis to create your very own bracelet!” reads a message on the Slatington Farmers Market’s Facebook page. “They also have great crystals, jewelry, and other metaphysical items!”
Also, Slatedale Homestyle Foods, offering homestyle comfort foods, held its grand opening last weekend at the market.
Customers can enjoy a variety of freshly prepared items, including salads such as chicken salad, tuna salad and pasta salad. There are also rotating platters along with specialty melts and other sandwiches.
Slatedale Homestyle Foods is an extension of Slatedale Discount Provisions, featuring low prices on high-quality foods, health and beauty items and home goods, which also operates at the market.
Slatington Farmers Market, totaling nearly 30,000 square feet and featuring a new outdoor patio, opened in June 2022 in the former Keystone Lamp Factory at 8281 Route 873.
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