By Andrea Izzo
I recently had the opportunity to talk with Erin Lovell about her journey to opening up The Lunch Box and The Cake box in downtown White Sulphur Springs. She previously owned B Sweet for but decided it was time for a change. Therefore, she completely changed courses in 2019 and started a soap and skin care business, Sweet Cedars, with her daughter Sophie Bowes. They remodeled, opened, and then had to close after just two days due to COVID lockdown. During this time, the company went viral, and they started shipping merchandise all over the country. It became a massive success. Then, around this time last year, the shop was getting inundated with people looking for a bite to eat. The brewery had closed, and it was hard for people to find a place to just grab a quick sandwich. When it was open, B Sweet had a small lunch menu that consisted of soups and sandwiches. Erin said “I started thinking that I’d like to open something like that back up, but I thought my daughter would think I was crazy. I couldn’t stop thinking about it. After a few weeks or so I mentioned it to her, and she said that she wanted to do it!” Erin already owned the building that housed the lab for Sweet Cedars. They had a space, and they had a plan. They officially opened their doors about one month later. Because of the following they had built up over the years between B Sweet and Sweet Cedars, The Lunch Box was slammed from the start. Sweet Cedars was also going strong, but their hearts were no longer in it, at least not in the way that their hearts were in food and beverage. For those of you who don’t know that food and beverage feeling…it’s a certain kind of passion inside you.
They found a buyer for the soap and skin care company and focused on The Lunch Box, then people started asking about cakes. It was the impetus they needed to turn the place into what it is today: sister companies The Cake Box and The Lunch Box, with a full commercial kitchen in between. The Cake Box is in front, and The Lunch Box is in the back. They brilliantly put a big metal handle on the roof of the back building, so it even looks like a lunch box! The Lunch Box menu features a wonderful selection of soups, sandwiches, salads, and ice-cold drinks. Only take-out is available but there are tables outside if anyone would like to eat there. The Cake Box is filled with gorgeous and delicious confections.
The plan is for Sophie and her boyfriend Nolin Cox to eventually take over The Lunch Box. Erin admits that she has been hard on them since the beginning. It takes a lot of hard work, determination, and creativity to run a successful food and beverage business. While Erin has been 100% in charge from the start, they are now taking on more and more responsibilities. When Sophie and Nolin do assume control of The Lunch Box, The Cake Box will turn into Erin’s cake playground, filled with pretty and sparkly cakes.
Special cake orders are available for pickup all week. The Cake Box is open Thursday – Saturday from 12-8 p.m. Special cake orders are available for pickup all week. The Lunch Box is open Monday – Friday from 10:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
