ALLENTOWN, Pa. – Meeting the sweet demand, one bakery in Lehigh County has been rolling dough and frying up thousands of fastnachts for those looking to indulge this Fat Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Hands full of boxes piled high, customers filed into Mary Ann Donut Kitchen before the sun came up all for a very special treat Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The fastnacht is a Pennsylvania Dutch tradition, coming in plain, powdered, or sugared flavors at the local shop on Liberty Street.<\/p>\n
Thousands of people seek the fried treat on Fat Tuesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a great way to start Lent by enjoying your donut before you start fasting,\u201d said Kathy Shiffert of Allentown.<\/p>\n
Being a staple since 1959, the newest owners took over five years ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe idea that this was a family-run business for so long, looking back we wanted to continue it,\u201d said Mike O\u2019Boyle Sr., co-owner of Mary Ann Donut Kitchen.<\/p>\n
They say fastnacht preparations started in January.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s our Super Bowl. Between yesterday and today, we\u2019ll make about 30,000,\u201d said Alex Fortna, a co-owner of Mary Ann Donut Kitchen.<\/p>\n
We found one customer who dressed up for the occasion.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy favorite thing? Eating them. I just love the flavor of them and I love bringing them to everybody because some people are new and they never had them,\u201d said Antonio Santiago of Bethlehem.<\/p>\n
Two others who spoke to 69 News said they were picking up 800 of them to bring to work at Thermo Fisher Scientific in Allentown.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had to come back for more because we realized we didn\u2019t have enough,\u201d said Beverly Weinstein.<\/p>\n