Showing lunchtime who’s boss: An interview with Jacqueline Linder

Jacqueline Linder and I became friends over lipstick and lunch. She was a recent transplant to NYC, and I was a frequent tourist from Philadelphia, so we explored the city together. We started by creating custom lipstick at SheSpoke (which now allows you to create your very own bespoke shade of lipstick online — amazing) and had lunch at several great little cafes.

Lunch, you see, is Jackie’s specialty.

When her 2 boys were little, they kept coming home from school with uneaten lunches. Not only was Jackie tired of their hangry, she was tired of wasting food and disposable lunch containers. Because she is absolutely brilliant, she designed, manufactured, and patented the first stainless steel bento box to use for lunches. As the founder and CEO of LunchBots, Jackie has spent the last 12 years creating virtually indestructible containers for healthy lunches. In addition to the bento boxes, the company now offers thermoses, containers, and lunch bags. We have several of them in our house, and they are better than any other lunch container we’ve used.

Jackie didn’t stop with making containers for healthy lunches; she wrote a book about what to put in the containers. Her book, “The Simple Lunchbox: School Lunch Ideas for Busy Moms and Dads,” provides over 100 ideas for lunch that kids will love to eat. That’s lovely, you’re thinking, but my kids are stuck in front of a computer and not even going to school. That makes this book even more perfect. According to Jackie, “The ideas in the book are designed to help busy parents. There are no recipes to follow and little to no cooking required. All of the lunches are designed to be quick to assemble using foods your kids love.” No cooking required?! Sign me up.

When we did our socially distant interview, Jackie shared 3 tips for making simple lunches that you can enjoy right at home. Your kids might like them too!

Jackie then asked me how to find time for lunch, which has often become even more problematic with increased remote work. Who knew that going from a home office to the kitchen for lunch would prove to be so challenging on some days? Check out my tips in the video.

Huge thanks to Jackie for sharing her nuggets of wisdom!