From Forest to Lunchbox

On the corner of Eckford Street and Norman Avenue, one of Greenpoint’s favorite lunch spots has given itself a new summer makeover—and a new name, new menu and brand new vibe. Formerly Forest Natural, the little café has turned itself into The Lunchbox, a neighborhood brunch-and-lunch hangout spot that doubles as a take-out and order-in outlet for all sorts of delicious and inexpensive dinner party staples.
Affectionately redecorated with vintage lunchboxes, oversized pieces of fruit and hand-sewn curtains, The restaurant’s reincarnation is more than just a fresh coat of paint and a new look—it marks the beginning of a new professional partnership, between owner Tommy Chabrowski, who also owns the Mark Bar on Manhattan Avenue, and his wife Antonia Kojuharova, who was working in the fashion industry before deciding to join forces with her husband. Longtime Greenpoint residents, the couple lives upstairs from The Lunchbox, and both work in the café on a regular basis. The two were married just one year ago, and after returning from their honeymoon Kojuharova decided it might be fun to go into the restaurant business.
“My other favorite thing besides fashion has always been food,” said Kojuharova with a big smile. “We decided to redo the interior, and make some changes. So, I started thinking about new colors and new names, really nice bread and coffee we could get. Kind of like when we got married, I brought the feminine, cozy touch to the place.”

Kojuharova certainly has. The Lunchbox now has an assortment of high-quality breads and coffees, a new selection of sandwiches, salads, smoothies and brunch options. In addition, she has ordered shelves for a lending library, where patrons can leave and take books at their leisure. Soon, there will be a variety of board games for brunch-goers to play while they sit, eat and relax in the Garden Spot. Kojuharova also said that, due to the lack of food stores that stay open late, she wanted to turn The Lunchbox into a place where Greenpointers can go and get whatever they might need for a last-minute party or gathering.
“I really wanted to sell all the types of potato chips you could ever imagine, really yummy cookies and crackers,” Kojuharova said. “I wanted to do something easy. A place where you can get your party essentials if you’re having people over; you can call us and get great beer and olives and crackers delivered.”
The Lunchbox will also start selling homemade lemonade and Arnold Palmers, as well as a variety of chicken, egg and tuna salads.
“Forest Natural was always a basic little get-and-go sandwich shop,” she continued. “We wanted The Lunchbox to be a more pleasant place to be than your average deli; a fun, cheap and easy way to go meet your friends for brunch and hang out for an afternoon.”
The couple also plans to have local artists display their work on The Lunchbox walls, on a roughly two-month rotation schedule.
“We want to support the community—Greenpoint is one of our favorite neighborhoods,” she said. “Franklin Street has such a great neighborhood feel, but around here there isn’t the same vibe. But we’ve got so many regulars and friends, we just want to make it a little bit more special for them—to make them a little happier when they come in to get their coffee and breakfast in the morning.”
The Lunchbox is located at 120 Norman Avenue, and is open Monday-Friday 7am-10pm and Saturday-Sunday 9am-10pm. They have free wireless internet.

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