If you love supporting local grub, you don’t have to look any further than The Lunch Box Café in the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre.
It’s your one-stop shop for takeout, dine-in and meals to go.
Owner duo, Jason Roy and Lianne Roy, keep the 1,400-square-foot store stocked daily since its inception in December.
Jason created the market concept and café after leaving the car business and doing financing for 25 years.
“I spent two years selling organic body products at the Sudbury Market on the side and met so many wonderful food vendors that I wanted to bring to my area and my shelves,” Jason said.
The meals-to-go areas of the space feature frozen food from Tony V’s, pogos from the RIV Chipstand in Sturgeon Falls, fudge from the Northwest Fudge Factory in Levack and meat products from Vezina and Son in Field.
The Lunch Box Cafe was added three months ago and features turkey wraps and sandwiches with roasted sesame seed or cranberry mayo dressing. There is corn beef on toasted rye with sauerkraut, pickles and mustard. The newest creation is a grilled reuben wrap with swiss cheese, pastrami, sauerkraut and a homemade sauce.
There are also traditional favourites like the Market club, the chicken salad and the egg salad.
The grilled cheese is made with Nickel City Cheese in Chelmsford.
All the bread for the sandwiches is delivered twice a week by Chez Jean Marc in Sturgeon Falls, along with pinwheel cookies and other baked goods for the taking.
Appetizing and colourful salads to go are also available courtesy of Family Roots Farm in Chelmsford.
Jason said customers are offering tons of local support and intrigued by how much local is being brought in the store front and the café.
“Ninety per cent of the products are made in Sudbury with about 10 per cent coming from the rest of Ontario. We are focussed and committed to freshness on the daily,” he said.
Jason also enjoys baking when time in the store permits. He often serves up cream pies, chocolate cookies and brownies from the cafe counter.
He said the cafe and storefront has been a nice addition to the mall given there is no food court, and My Cousin Vinny’s offers a dine-in experience.
“The customers are happy and there are specials everyday to keep them coming back for more.”
The Valley Market can be found on Facebook. The market is open Tuesday to Friday 9:30 to 6 p.m.; until 7 p.m. Thursdays; on Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and; Sundays 12-4 p.m. It is closed Mondays.
Anastasia Rioux is a writer in Greater Sudbury. Let’s Eat! is made possible by our Community Leaders Program.
