Biz Buzz shares business tidbits from across the tri-states. This edition highlights developments in Platteville, Wis., and Dubuque.

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. — A new eatery coming to Platteville hopes to offer something new.

The Black Smock Parlor & Eatery will hold its soft opening Saturday, Oct. 19, in the former Barbershop Rock location at 130 Market St. The eatery will offer an all-day brunch menu, as well as beverages and sweets.

“I’m just excited for people to sit and enjoy themselves here,” said co-owner Lisa Haas. “That’s really the whole point of this — the community.”

The eatery will operate out of the lower level of Speakeasy Fifty50, a full-service cocktail bar Haas and her husband, Jeff, opened in early 2020. She said the goal is to cater to the “daylight crowd” to complement the lounge’s evening popularity.

Black Smock will offer some cocktails, Haas explained, but it also will serve coffee, tea and other beverages to complement its handmade pastry and sandwich menu.

The menu is inspired by Haas’ Serbian heritage and will include everything from focaccia sandwiches and pierogi to sweet kolaches and savory klobasniky. There also will be fresh bread and pastries available daily.

“We’re looking to offer something new,” Haas said. “It can be hard to get choices like that here, and I’m looking forward to bringing that to people … with these recipes.”

Work began to bring The Black Smock to life roughly one year ago, Haas explained, in the space where the couple previously ran Barbershop Rock, a full-service barbershop. The pair closed the barbershop this year as part of their plans to launch several businesses in Dubuque.

Haas said the lower level of the downtown Platteville building has since undergone a complete renovation and now flows seamlessly into the upper-level lounge.

Both levels are decked out in black and white with bright red accents, a theme that extends from the chairs and curtains to the sepia-toned movies that play on the large-screen TVs hung around the space.

“This building is vintage … and I try to wrap in as many vintage items as I can,” Haas said. “Pretty much everything in here has been restored or reused in some way.”

The Black Smock Parlor and Eatery hours will be finalized after the soft opening, although preliminary hours span 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Additional information is available online at tinyurl.com/BlackSmock.

Bubble tea station opens in Kennedy Mall

A new beverage bar has opened in Dubuque’s Kennedy Mall.

Bubbles Boba Tea will host its grand opening at 11:30 a.m. today at the mall, 555 John F. Kennedy Road. The business serves a variety of boba tea and other beverages, as well as flatbreads, salads and wraps.

“We have 15 to 20 different flavors and seven different drizzles, and you can really mix and match your combinations,” said owner Jen Hart. “We really love to be able to customize each individual beverage so everyone walks away with a drink they love.”

Hart said Dubuque seemed like a good fit for the boba business because of its relative proximity to her Quad Cities location and the excitement and support from Kennedy Mall personnel.

The Dubuque location has been open on a “soft opening” basis the past two weeks, and today marks the transition to regular hours. Even with being open part-time, Hart said the store already has served more than 200 drinks.

“To have those kinds of sales before really being fully open yet, it just shows us that people are excited for this,” she said. “We’re excited to really interact with the community of Dubuque.”

Bubbles Boba Tea will be open regular mall hours, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Additional information can be found online at bubblesbobatea.life.

Dubuque chef launches catering business

A well-known local chef has launched his own catering business after years spent behind the scenes of area restaurants.

Jason Culbertson recently launched Apple Blossom Catering, a Dubuque-based catering service aimed at offering custom menus for a variety of events and group sizes.

Culbertson, a Le Cordon Bleu graduate, has spent years in area kitchens, including Diamond Jo Casino’s Woodfire Grille; Off Shore Resort in Bellevue, Iowa; and Potosi (Wis.) Brewing Co.

“(Catering) is something that I’ve been wanting to do for a long time, and I got to the point where I’ve established myself with enough business connections to make it happen,” Culbertson said.

He described his usual cooking style as “elevated Midwest cuisine,” though exact Apple Blossom offerings are created after one-on-one meetings with clients to ensure the dishes complement the rest of the event.

He expressed excitement about getting to create a variety of dishes through the catering business where flexibility and experimentation are more plausible than a typical restaurant setting.

“I’m doing a lot of custom stuff right now, and that lets me be more creative than a place where you make the same things over and over again,” he said.

Apple Blossom Catering currently is approved for statewide service in Iowa, and Culbertson said he plans to acquire the necessary licenses to cater events in Illinois and Wisconsin to round out the tri-state area.

The business is equipped with a mobile catering unit, which he can use to help cater larger events where an on-site kitchen would be helpful or necessary, he said. Otherwise, he can prepare meals off site and transport them to an event.

Culbertson aims to cater a variety of events but said he is most excited to work with smaller groups looking for a more intimate, engaging culinary experience.

“In a traditional menu, you’re stuck in the back where you do the orders and the food goes out without you ever meeting the customer,” he said. “With catering and smaller events though, you get to be out and about more to talk with people about the food.”

For more information about Apple Blossom Catering or for booking details, email appleblossomcatering@gmail.com or visit the Apple Blossom Catering Facebook page.