BETHLEHEM, Pa. – After nearly two years of serving tasty treats from a pop-up tent, a Lehigh Valley entrepreneur is launching the business’s next chapter from a retired airplane converted into a fully functioning food trailer.
The new concept, called Sook Airways, combines Aroi Mango founder George Awad’s love of street food and travel with an ambitious cross-country build that took the aircraft from an Arkansas salvage yard to a fabrication shop in Florida and, finally, home to the Lehigh Valley, according to a news release.
According to Awad, Sook Airways will hold a soft launch during Matchplatz, running July 30 through Aug. 9, at The Wooden Match, 61 W. Lehigh St., Bethlehem.
A wild idea takes flight
Rather than purchasing a traditional food truck, Awad began searching for an aircraft that could become a permanent mobile home for the business.
He found a retired MD-90 fuselage section in Arkansas and traveled across the country to purchase it. Because of its size, the aircraft had to be cut into separate sections before it could be transported to Florida. There, the fuselage was reassembled, mounted onto a trailer frame, and rebuilt into a mobile kitchen.
After months of fabrication, construction, and problem-solving, the airplane was brought back to Pennsylvania for the final stages of the transformation.
“I wanted to create something that people would remember before they even tried the food,” said Awad. “The airplane felt like the perfect way to bring together travel, curiosity, and the idea of stepping outside your comfort zone.”
The business’s origins
The idea for the business began years earlier, during a four-month backpacking trip through Thailand and Laos. Awad fell in love with the energy of Southeast Asian street food culture and discovered mango sticky rice while traveling through the region.
After returning to the Lehigh Valley, he began developing his own version of the dessert despite having no professional culinary background.
Courtesy George Awad
Aroi Mango launched in 2024 from a small corner inside Jay’s Local in Allentown. What started as a simple pop-up soon grew into a traveling street food business serving festivals, farmers’ markets, and community events across the region.
Awad’s path into food entrepreneurship was not a traditional one. Before launching Aroi Mango, he graduated from Lehigh University with a degree in physics. During the company’s first year, he returned to Lehigh to complete a master’s degree in Technical Entrepreneurship while continuing to build the business.
His graduate cohort encouraged him to apply to Startup Lehigh Valley, where Aroi Mango went on to win the competition. The experience gave Awad additional support and momentum as he began thinking about how the business could grow beyond a pop-up tent.
A new brand with a bigger mission
The airplane trailer will launch under the name Sook Airways, marking the evolution of Aroi Mango into a broader street food and lifestyle brand.
George Awad is pictured in the kitchen at Jay’s Local in Allentown.
BARBARA_AWAD
The name draws inspiration from the Arabic word, “Souk”, which means street market or bazaar, and the Thai word, “Suk”, associated with happiness, connecting Awad’s Middle Eastern background with the country where he fell in love with Mango Sticky Rice.
Sook Airways will continue serving mango sticky rice alongside specialty sticky rice creations, milk teas, and rotating offerings. However, the larger mission extends beyond the menu.
Through its message, Live Sweeter, the brand hopes to encourage people to remain curious, follow unexpected ideas, and try something outside their normal routine.
“Some adventures begin with a plane ticket, and some begin with a bowl of mango sticky rice,” Awad said. “We want Sook Airways to remind people that trying something new does not have to be a huge leap. Sometimes it can begin with one small experience.”
Awad is now preparing to introduce the completed airplane trailer in the Lehigh Valley, the community where Aroi Mango first began.