Joe's Tasty Treats coming to Pontiac
Those looking for a sweet treat following their pizza will be in luck this spring.
Joe’s Tasty Treats is coming to the depot in Pontiac which currently houses Joe’s Stationhouse Pizzeria on west Washington Street.
The pizzeria owners, Steve and Keri Hoekstra, are excited about the opportunity to serve seasonal shaved ice, hand-scooped ice cream and boba lemonade.
“It’s actually going to be at the opposite end of the building from where the pizzeria is,” explains Keri. “You’ll order at the window, pick up at another window and we will have picnic tables.”
While no official date has been set, Joe’s Tasty Treats plans to open when warmer weather hits in the spring. The old depot waiting room, which currently serves as a storage area, will be used for the new venture. The Hoekstras saw the empty space and thought they could do something with it.
“We started talking, the idea came to us and then we reached out to the Tropical Sno people which is just a phenomenal company to deal with,” explained Steve.
Representatives from Tropical Sno actually suggested Joe’s Tasty Treats serve ice cream in addition to the shaved ice since the two compliment each other well. Keri’s Kakes will also have baked goods available and Capannari ice cream from the Chicago suburbs will be served.
“It is an excellent ice cream – one of the best hand-scooped ice creams I have ever had actually,” observed Keri.
The Joe’s Tasty Treats name actually goes all the way back to when the Hoekstra’s youngest child was a toddler (he’s almost 17 now). He popped-up wide awake from his car seat saying “tasty treat” when the parents mentioned to the older kids about stopping for ice cream on a road trip. The Hoekstra’s daughter brought up the memory when they were thinking of a name for the business.
Not only can Pontiac residents enjoy the shaved ice at the depot, but Joe’s hopes to take it around to different locations eventually.
“We are hoping this summer to do a few little pop-up events in Chenoa, especially Saturday and Sunday afternoons,” said Steve.
It may be ice and flavored syrup, but Keri admits this is not your typical “old school” snow cone as it is a fluffy ice product that is quite delicious.
“When the weather first starts to turn, we are probably just going to do weekends to begin with and as the season gets a little warmer, we’ll go probably five nights a week, Wednesday through Sunday,” adds Steve.
This is a great opportunity for Joe’s to keep its workers busy throughout the year. As the weather cools beyond summer, they may reduce opening hours to weekends only.
“We are excited about it and think it will be a great addition to this property,” states Keri.
Improvements are underway to the future serving area as windows were changed out last spring, a hand railing has been fixed and a section of the parking lot will be fenced off for picnic tables. A wall will also be installed in the room.
“We are looking forward to another new adventure,” said Steve.
In addition to Joe’s Stationhouse Pizzeria-Pontiac, Keri’s Kakes and now Joe’s Tasty Treats, the Hoekstras also operate Joe’s Stationhouse Pizzeria-Chenoa inside OB’s Cerverzaria in Route 24.
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