Inspired By Issue No. 21 - Alex LaRosa, Founder of 'The Lunch Mason'

The Lunch Mason jars are the prettiest lunches in NYC

Having studied Fashion Design at FIT alongside Alexis Mera, Alex LaRosa soon realised her calling in life was not just to design lingerie, but to design and create beautiful rainbow lunch jars, filled with organic ingredients, and distribute them all over NYC!

Having always been interested in cooking and sourcing seasonal, local ingredients, Alex launched The Lunch Mason in February this year and is now studying to become a health coach. We wanted to find out what inspires her, where she gets her recipe ideas from and most importantly... how we can get our hands on a Lunch Mason jar!

AM: What inspired you to go into the food industry?

AL: I've worked in the intimate apparel industry for 8 years now & love attention to detail. While working for a large company I soon realized I didn't always have as much creativity as I would have liked. I wondered how else can I use my creativity to serve a purpose & found that building my lunches are a lot like building a bra; every ingredient & proportion is very important.

AM: Where is your favorite Farmer’s Market in NYC?

AL: I LOVE the Union Square Farmers Market, especially on Saturdays since there are so many more amazing stands! They key is to get there early before it gets super crowded & the good eggs sell out!

Goodies from Union Square Farmer's Market

AM: I love your lunch jars! Where did you get the idea from?

AL: Thank you so much for loving the lunch jars!! It all started when I was making these lunch jars for myself & posted a photo on instagram, some friends texted me and said I should sell them. I decided that you should love your lunch & be excited for it, so the prettier I made my lunch the more excited I was to enjoy it!

Caprese salad with Alex's favorite Balsamic Vinegar

AM: Tell us how The Lunch Mason works

AL: Here's how the Lunch Mason works:

1. Check the website (thelunchmason.com) for upcoming menu

2. Email us your order on the contact page

3. We deliver your lunch! (limited delivery area, currently SOHO & midtown east, for a large enough order we will go farther!)

4. We come back to pick up your jar (no need to clean it, we sterilize them)

All prepped and ready to go!

AM: Where do you source your ingredients from?

AL: I source my ingredients mostly from the farmers market. I love supporting local farmers & the food tastes much better!

Alex says local food tastes much better

AM: Where do you get recipe inspiration from?

AL: I find recipe inspiration everywhere...it could be a take on a dish from a favorite restaurant or an inspiring pic on Instagram. I also like to cook what is in season so sometimes I'll see what is in season that month and go from there.

Coconut curry from The Lunch Mason

AM: You are also a certified yoga teacher, how often do you practice?

AL: I practice yoga 3 times a week in class but I try to do a few sun salutations before work each morning.

AA: Favorite yoga pose

AL: Trikonasana (triangle pose) because I love how much length I get on my side body.

AM: If you could practice yoga anywhere in the world where would it be?

AL: Bali! My parents just got back & their yoga pictures looked amazing. I think yoga anywhere outdoors is so wonderful.

AM: Favorite chef?

AL: Ina Garten because her recipes are classic & always come out amazing!

Who better to get lunch inspiration from than The Barefoot Contessa?

AM: Favorite restaurant in NYC?

AL: At the moment I'm really loving L'Artusi in the west village. They make all their pasta in house & every dish is outstanding!

AM: Last cookbook you bought

AL: Smitten Kitchen by Deb Perelman & love this book! I have a few favorites that I constantly make including her mini meatloafs which I made for The Lunch Mason!

Mini meatloafs inspired by Deb Perelman

AM: What one food could you not live without?

AL: Eggs! They are used in so many recipes & can be used in so many ways. Plus who doesn't love breakfast for dinner.

AM: What’s next for The Lunch Mason?

AL: I hope to scale it larger & rent a commercial kitchen space. I need to finish school where I'm currently studying to become a holistic health coach at Institute for Integrative Nutrition. I just launched my health coaching biz thehealthmason.com & it will be closely linked to The Lunch Mason.