MidChix: Kelly Lester: Creating Lunch Box Solutions

Kelly Lester: Creating Lunch Box Solutions

July 20, 2010 | Gretchen Seefried

The best thing about creativity in people is the many shapes it often takes over a lifetime. Kelly Lester has the kind of creative bent that began on the stage, took new form in handcrafted gifts, progressed to new venues for performance, and is now the juice behind her successful business, EasyLunchBoxes.com.

Lester credits her life as an actress and singer for helping her develop the skill of "reinvention." "Every time you work you create a new role. It's just part of the job," she says about her years in the theater. A graduate of UCLA's theatre department, she has appeared in dozens of plays and musicals in the Los Angeles area and on the East Coast. Some of her early work includes "The Fantasticks" opposite Tony Award-winner Brian Stokes Mitchell and "Grease" directed by Tony Award-nominee Scott Ellis and choreographed by Tony Award-winner Susan Stroman.

When her first daughter was born, it didn't take Kelly long to find a way to complement her new role as a stay-at-home mom with her creative side. Her first venture resulted in a successful stint as a mompreneur producing handcrafted switch plates and soaps for Art Plates. While Lester started out renting booth space at weekend street fairs, after only a year she'd captured the wholesale market, selling to museum stores across the country and eventually to consumers directly from the Art Plates website.

In 2006, Lester sold that business and lived from the proceeds so that she could again pursue her first passion, the theater. Since returning to the acting world, Lester has appeared in a number of films and TV shows (including "Criminal Minds" and "Notes from the Underbelly," directed by Barry Sonnenfeld).

In addition to straight acting, Kelly appears with symphony orchestras as a guest soloist and has played lead roles in world premieres of a number of new musicals, including a new piece by Jeff Marx ("Avenue Q") and most recently, the musical adaptation of Jan Karon's best selling novel "At Home in Mitford."

When her new roles as mother of three, in-demand performer, and committed purveyor of healthy living presented the daily challenge of packing wholesome lunches without unnecessary ingredients or waste, Kelly combined her business savvy with her innate understanding of what moms need, and designed a simple, affordable, functional lunchbox system that became EasyLunchBoxes.com.

"I was like other frustrated moms," Kelly explains. "I didn't like throwing together lunches during the morning rush. So much time was wasted sorting through a cabinet of mismatched food containers while trying to pack 15-25 well-balanced lunches per week. I struggled to find something that would help me pack lunches fast, without resorting to the ‘convenience' of pre-packaged ‘fast-food.' Most importantly, I wanted something eco-friendly and made of food-safe materials that I didn't have to wash by hand.

"Parents need a simple and affordable way to be sure their children will eat a healthy lunch, but we can't wait around for the school districts to get the funding and resources needed to change their programs. Our kids need good nutrition today! Packing a lunch box is the only sure solution available right now," she adds.

After searching in stores and on the Internet, Kelly found that other options were either impractical or expensive. So with the mission of helping everyone pack great meals on the go easily, quickly and affordably, she came up with the EasyLunchBox system: a three-compartment, easy-to-clean container with one lid, that fits perfectly into one roomy carrying case, and that fits with a sustainable lifestyle as well - the products are all FDA-approved and food safe with no bisphenol A (BPA), Phthalates, PVC, Vinyl or Lead.

In her spare time, Kelly enjoys listening to obscure musicals and has an obsession with graphic design (especially fonts). When not in front of the computer, she can be found in the kitchen preparing healthy lunches and dinners for her family (though she hates to cook). Kelly is married to actor Loren Lester, who is currently recurring in the HBO series "Hung." They live in Woodland, Calif., with their three daughters, Jenny, Lily, and Julia, as well as a dog named Albany.

Become a member to comment on this article