Gracie’s Lunchbox is filled with Tasty Cuisine
By Tony Reverditto
A newer staple for an awesome deli sandwich or catering needs in Sun City is Gracie’s Lunchbox. Ally Cazarin and her team donated their time and product serving chicken meatballs and brat sandwiches at Discovery Day 2019. They will also be the caterer of choice for the St. Patrick’s Celebration Luncheon next year with the working title, Chasing Rainbows on Sunday, March 15th at 2 pm in North Webb Hall. Corned Beef, Cabbage, and Potatoes will be served with a surprise dessert. More ticket info to come in the near future.
Ally is the Executive Chef and Co-owner of Gracie’s Lunchbox which she opened in January of 2017. She has over 20 years of chef experience at some of the finest restaurants. Her love for cooking started when she was 8 years old and from that point on it was next to impossible to get her out of the kitchen. Chef Ally took her culinary journey to the next level when she studied and graduated from Le Cordon Bleu in Pasadena. Her first chef job was at the Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks. Her next job was as a Sous Chef at the Sheraton Universal City and it wasn’t long that she moved up the ranks and became Executive Sous Chef for the Sheraton Downtown Los Angeles.
Chef Ally’s next experience was as a chef at the Daily Grille DTLA. Her talent did not go unnoticed as she was transferred to the Daily Grille in Seattle in which she worked for 3 years. Looking for a new adventure, she became a chef over at Rock Bottom Brewery. She grew homesick for California and when she returned landed the job of Executive Sous Chef at South Coast Winery in Temecula. She took maternity leave for obvious reasons and right before she was about to return, she was offered a partnership in Gracie’s Lunchbox with a silent partner, Jeremiah Raxter. And the rest as they say is history.
At the beginning with the mission of service to the community, her main emphasis was on the catering side of things with a sideline of serving classic deli sandwiches for lunch. Because of the quality of the food, both businesses have blown through the roof. She has a strong team in place with Christiana and Reegan that helps bring her vision and catering orders to light. A huge reason for the overwhelming success is that their food is seasonal and locally sourced. They refuse to compromise on the quality in their restaurant and source their fresh ingredients from local farmers' markets.
I was looking forward to photographing and tasting Chef Ally’s popular food. In regards to their sandwiches, the meats include Ham, Turkey, Pastrami, Roast Beef, Pepperoni, or Tuna. The bread options are wheat, white, rye, sourdough, Hoagie Roll, or gluten-free bread. Each sandwich comes with up to 3 meats and is topped with your call of the following; lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese, mustard and/or mayo with a pickle on the side. If you are feeling adventurous you may want to try having your sandwich slathered with herb oil, herb aioli, lemon aioli, oil & vinegar, or salt & pepper.
**(insert photo of sandwiches)
Hot Sandwiches include French Dip, Pastrami, Pepper Steak, Ham, Tuna, or Turkey Melt. Specialty Sandwiches offered are Roasted Vegetable Panini, Greek Turkey or Chicken Caesar Wraps, Meatloaf, Turkey/Ham, or Roasted Chicken. The sandwiches are available in half or full and have a generous amount of quality meat. The Pastrami was so lean and tasty, I can’t wait to go back and order it again. The Turkey and Pepper Steak was also delightful. They love to make them the way you love them and it is $6.75 for a half and $8.50 for a full sandwich.
The deli fridge had many wonderful selections and the beauty of this eatery is that they are constantly creating new and innovative weekly seasonal specials. Chef Ally brought out some gorgeous fall dishes that basically cost $8 to $10 dollars. I marveled at the creative flavor combinations, the first being a Pork Sirloin with Fig Sauce and Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes drizzled with Herb Garlic Oil. Next was the most Fall-like dish of all, Tri-tip topped with a delectable Cherry Walnut Sauce accompanied with a Roasted Root Vegetable Medley comprised of Sweet Potato, Yam, Rutabaga, Turnip, and Pumpkin. (Photo below). Chef Ally mentioned that she has one customer that is obsessed with Smoked Beef Link Sausage. So she is so thoughtful that a weekly special has been added to the menu and the week that I was there it was served with roasted Mushrooms, Asparagus, and Tomatoes. There are so many other options available, you simply need to go in or call to find out what is on for that week.
**(Insert tri-tip & root vegetable photo)
Special Events and Catering
Gracie’s caters private events, weddings, business lunches or dinners, cocktail receptions, and any other special event. I asked Chef Ally if I wanted something unusual or specific would they be able to prepare it. Her response was, “No order is too big or too small, we have and will prepare anything that a client would like for their event. All we ask is that you give us two and a half days’ notice for high volume sandwich orders and 10 days for high volume regular food orders needed for an event.” Your catering order can be picked up, delivered or staff can be hired to serve at your event.
Sun City is very lucky to have such an accomplished chef in the area and if you have not been in for a sandwich, I highly recommend that you go in soon. With the holiday season upon us, you cannot go wrong ordering from Gracie’s Lunchbox to save yourself the hassle and it is so important to give back to a business that has given so much to our community.
Gracie's Lunchbox 28089 Bradley Rd Menifee
Information, Take-out, and Catering Quotes at 951.309.7513 or gracieslunchboxmenifee.com