Box Lunch, the Best Little Sandwich Shop on Cape Cod

Need a quick and delicious lunch in winter, affordable, too? Try Box Lunch on Briar Lane, where the service is fast and friendly. Box Lunch has been in operation for a whopping 35 years. In high season, before the recession, this popular eatery would whip up "rollwiches" for 1000 customers a day. That number drops to 100 during the winter. In 2011, the MacNutts renovated a side room to create a pleasant space where folks can pause during a hectic day and enjoy a cup of chowder with one of Owen’s famous wraps. There’s a great variety from which to choose. The new kids on the block are Chicken Parmesan and The Harley, which features meatballs. My absolute favorite is the Guacamole, a sandwich for anyone vegetarian at heart. That’s what I order, and it never fails to please. Sven likes “Porkey’s Nightmare,” above: ham, three melted cheeses, mayo, tomatoes, onions & Durkee’s Sauce (mustard vinaigrette.)

Kathy MacNutt always greets customers with a smile. She's happy to offer suggestions to newcomers. Her favorite? “The John Alden, I guess. Though I do love the Chicken Parmesan. It’s hot and gooey.”

Box Lunch is a great place to hang out if you want to absorb some true Wellfleet atmosphere, too. There are always shellfishermen and carpenters stopping by.

I often tell guests about Box Lunch. They can call ahead and pick up the makings of a super picnic fifteen minutes later. Every minute matters in the life of some tourists, especially in summer.

Over the years the MacNutts have employed guest workers from 7 or 8 different countries, with Lithuania, Russia and Moldavia as the most frequently represented. 12 to 14 young people help Kathy and Owen out in high season.

When Sven and I stopped by two days ago, Box Lunch smelled of bacon since a recent customer had ordered a BLT.

“Bye, bye. Take care,” Kathy said to a regular, who had just complimented her on the kale soup, Saturday's special. “We feed the working guys during the week," she told me. "We have the best clam chowder around, made by Owen when he doesn’t break his arm.

(Last week Kathy’s husband Owen had a freak accident, smashing his elbow, and won’t be making his famous chowder during the recovery period. We wish him a speedy recovery!)

I asked Kathy what she likes about the job: “The pace. It’s exciting here, especially in summer. I get to chat with people in winter. I also like getting to know the employees. They become family. I enjoy being creative and making up the different sandwiches. It beats sitting behind a desk. That’s for sure!”

Box Lunch is one of the only restaurants in town to stay open year long, from 9 to 2:30, which is quite an achievement. Who hasn’t called ahead, in summer, in order to avoid waiting in line? I even know fans who come to Wellfleet specifically for the Box Lunch rollwich and take several home with them.

Owen and Kathy MacNutt can be proud of what they have achieved. Box Lunch has been so successful that it became a franchise, with eight Cape stores and two off Cape. Ten restaurants represents a whole lot of sandwiches. And, don't forget, it all started in Wellfleet ...

Have you ever eaten at Box Lunch? What do you order? Anyone tried the "guac?"

Feeding Frenzy?

“Chemicals known to cause cancer or birth defects or other reproductive harm may be present in food sold here.” So begins the disclaimer on boxes of Happy Meals sold in California. McDonalds is hedging its bets lest someone decide to sue. “This puts a whole new spin on junk food,” commented a Facebook friend. Eating has become dangerous. These thoughts were on my mind as I watched a sunset feeding frenzy at the marina. The powerful chemical companies operate a revolving door for former employees who often obtain jobs in government. How can a former Monsanto employee defend the best interests of American citizens? He can’t. When genetically-modified alfalfa got fast-tracked, the risk rose of organic milk being compromised. Aberrations like genetically-modified salmon are being hoisted on us against our will. Did you know a USDA grant is allowing AquaBounty Technologies to stay afloat, while Congress tries to figure out whether to approve it or not? And, should it win approval, no labels are planned on packaging. Yesterday I sent you all to Lentil Breakdown and asked everyone to think about how GMOs affect Wellfleetians. We are all in this together, that's how. Not the case in Europe. Join the movement to get all adulterated food labeled. Tell your friends and family. Discuss GMOs at Thanksgiving. And, sign this easy petition to label food so I will not feel obliged to move back to France, a country with food safety rules that are much more rigorous. Thanks!

Do You Eat Foods Containing GMOs?

It’s Blog Action Day and the topic for 2011 is FOOD. Above, visitors arriving at Oysterfest yesterday morning. How appropriate for this post to have, as a backdrop, Wellfleet Marketplace where Wellfleetians buy food. At Oysterfest, we celebrate the oyster, a food consumed by Native Americans, then Cape Cod settlers, who threw the shells out their windows. Winslow’s Tavern gives a good description of why Wellfleet oysters are the best on Winslow’s Blog. Food is important. It nourishes us. Or, should. Many of us start the day with a bowl of cereal. (Check which brands provide true nourishment here.) Did you know that 80% of the food sold at stores, therefore technically at Wellfleet Marketplace, half of the food, available in the USA today, now contains GMOs?

Most Americans, when polled, say they do not want to consume GMOs. Do you?

GMO means genetically-modified organism. Anything not organically grown or certified non-GMO that has any corn, soy, canola oil or cottonseed oil, or products made from them, such as lecithin, and high fructose corn syrup, are very likely to be GMO.

I believe sufficient testing has not been done on GMOs and that they are not “good” for us to eat. “Good” is a euphemism, according to this short video:

DOUBLE DIPPING DANGER from NO GMO on Vimeo.

I do not want to serve GMOs at my bed & breakfast, so I have been writing manufacturers of certain products to inquire. For instance …

“I plan to blog about GMOs on Blog Action Day, when the subject will be food, Oct. 16. I would like to know whether Nonni’s biscotti contain GMOs. I no longer plan to serve products with GMO ingredients at my B&B. I looked on your site and could not find this information. Since your biscotti are a personal favorite of mine, I hope you will respond that they are all natural, no GMOs. I look forward to hearing from you. Thanks.”

And,

“Please stop using GMOs in your muffins. I love them. I just checked to see if you use GMOs and, with regret, have decided to stop buying. GMOs are not safe for health, no matter what the FDA claims. These ingredients should be avoided. I plan to mention Thomas English Muffins in the list of foods served at my B&B for Blog Action Day, but add that I am no longer buying until all ingredients containing GMOs are removed.”

I also wrote to my favorite pasta manufacturer. A Ronzoni rep actually wrote back:

“Dear Alexandra:

Thank you for your kind comments. They are greatly appreciated.

We are proud of our commitment to excellence in manufacturing quality products. We are always pleased to hear from consumers who appreciate our efforts. Our company has built its reputation on this tradition, and we will continue to manufacture the superior quality products you enjoy.

GMOs are not currently available in Durum Wheat, our major raw material. Nevertheless, we will continue to monitor developments in this area to ensure that the quality and safety of our products remains above reproach.

If we may be of further service to you, call us toll-free at 1-800-730-5957, weekdays 9-5 Eastern Standard Time …”

Note, the rep avoids saying whether Ronzoni will use GMOs in the future.

Anyone who cares about nutrition should be writing letters like these. The Internet makes it easy. Manufacturers do pay attention to public opinion. If they receive enough letters against GMOs, they will make an effort to buy non-GMO ingredients.

As of today, it is still hard to tell what is GMO and what is not. That is because BigAg has succeeded in lobbying against labels. This decision, at least, can still be reversed. Sign the petitions to demand the labeling of GMOs here and here and here.

Read a summary of the situation in yesterday's Daily Beast.

Do you worry about food containing GMOs or do you not care?

Why Chickens May Soon Roam our Garden...

No chickens pecking in the dirt of my veggie garden. Not yet anyway. Food safety is on my mind, with the Environmental Working Group coming out in favor of the proposed food safety bill. Finding nutritious food will become more and more of a challenge as AgBusiness flexes its muscle and Congress makes choices based on corporate greed, rather than consumer health. How I wish this were not the case, but it is, so Sven and I may consider adding a couple chickens to the landscape here at Chez Sven ...

The other day we had a guest exclaim, “Look at how yellow these scrambled eggs are! Where did you get the eggs?” She had a three-month old baby and was nursing, so this question was uttered with the vehemence of a young mother, determined to give her child only the best. “I want to take some back to the city with me,” the guest added. (In the photo above, my favorite egg on the left, and an organic egg on the right.)

I replied that what she was eating for breakfast were the most nutritious eggs I had been able to find in our area, that she was fortunate because I could not always find those superior eggs, raised on the Outer Cape, and that the shop where I made the purchase tended to run out in a couple hours. The yolks are bright yellow. (Note, I am not giving away the address. Sorry! Some things are sacred.)

I have already blogged about milk, soy, and fish. Today blogger Frugal Kiwi adds chicken and meat to our menu. Lots of good links here for your reading pleasure. I had been meaning to write about this fabulous blog from New Zealand for a couple weeks but for a totally different reason. The cool autumn wind will soon begin to blow. Frugal, also known as Felted Kiwi, makes the most amazing felted wool products and art. Check out the soap above and this scarf.

Now back to chickens and eggs: I also read a local blog called Starving Off the Land, which often features chickens and learning to care for them. Watch the brand new video below from Slow Food USA and sign the petition to demand better control and more accountability from our food industry.

We had a number of special guests this summer. Among them, my cousin Sally’s daughter, Sarah, who came to the Cape for a wedding with her boyfriend, the literary agent. Yesterday I learned they are getting married (!). Anyway, prior to his current job, the boyfriend was an innkeeper and raised … yes, chickens! He told me what fun the chickens had been and urged me to consider acquiring a couple. I haven’t yet looked into my crystal ball to see whether chickens are in our future, but who knows? If that’s what it takes to eat nutritious eggs, the next time Sarah returns with her husband, perhaps he will have the pleasure of seeing a chicken or two strut up the path here at Chez Sven?

Do you worry about nutrition? Where do you buy your eggs? Have you kept chickens? Do you know the best way to learn the basics of creating your own chicken coop and raising healthy chickens?