The Story Of Daisy's Lunchbox

By Jennifer Webb

“Her passion for serving people and cooking fabulous food makes Daisy’s Lunchbox an unforgettable dining experience.”

Daisy had known all along, Suzanne realized, with a sinking feeling in her stomach and an ache in her heart, like she had never felt before.

She looked at her two-year-old son, Alex, lying in the hospital bed. His leg was in a cast because he had broken it a few weeks before. Now, back in the hospital, the doctor told her that he had brain cancer, he was legally blind, and he probably only had six months to live.

Legally blind? She and her husband, Mark, had no idea. They thought he was a bit accident-prone, but part of that came from being a two-year-old boy. Brain cancer? Six months to live? It was a lot for a mom to take in, but she knew that God would see them through.

Thinking back to how, Daisy, her mother’s collie dog behaved, it all made sense now. Daisy was very protective of young Alex. If someone new came, Daisy would get between the new person and Alex. She even dragged him back by his diaper once when he almost wandered off the large porch.

Suzanne and Mark both had well-paying jobs, but Suzanne promptly quit when Alex got sick. She dedicated herself to taking him to the doctor and caring for him. She and Mark both prayed fervently for healing of their small son.

He went into remission but faced his first brain surgery at the age of four. “We can operate,” the surgeon told her, “but there’s a 50/50 chance that he might end up like a vegetable.” Their plan was to cut open a hole in his skull and cut out all the cancerous tumors that they could. To seal it up, they would use a titanium plate and screws. Suzanne and Mark took a step of faith and agreed to the surgery. It would give their son a fighting chance. They prayed over the surgeon before he took Alex back to begin the eight-hour surgery.

It was a fight, but after the surgery and rounds of chemo, Alex was pronounced in remission. They warned them that it could come back at any time.

Alex grew and attended preschool at the School for the Blind in Little Rock. Then the cancer came back with a vengeance when he was six.

It played out much the same as before. They prayed over the surgeon, he removed the metal plate in Alex’s skull and cut out all the cancer they could. Doctors told them that Alex would likely be in ICU for a week, but by the third day, he was in the playroom at Children’s Hospital.

Suzanne and Mark discussed options after Alex was declared in remission again at the age of seven. They decided to move to Searcy and enter him into Westside Elementary for first grade. Suzanne was a basket case, but the teacher told her that he would be fine and called her every day with a report. Alex learned to be quite independent and thrived in public school.

They had all sorts of goals for their little boy who they were originally told had only six months to live. First, it was to see him through elementary school. He passed with flying colors. But there was sadness along with celebration.

When Alex was seven and declared in remission for the last time, faithful Daisy died. The whole family was there. “Someday,” Suzanne thought, “when I get my restaurant, I’m going to call it Daisy’s Lunchbox.”

She didn’t know how she knew that she would eventually have a restaurant; it was just a dream that she and Mark shared. They didn’t know if it would be a cafe or bed and breakfast, but they both knew it was a dream that God laid on their hearts. Now she had a name.

Suzanne continued to stay home, first with Alex and then with his younger brother, Ben. She always loved to cook. Sometimes she would bake cinnamon rolls or bread and sell it on the side. Cooking filled her with memories of her own childhood, sitting on the counter or standing on a stool helping her grandmother cook. She loved coming up with her own kitchen creations and sharing them with people.

The boys grew, Alex graduated not only from high school but from Harding University. He developed a love of travel, cooking, and people, making friends easily wherever he went. Ben thrived as well.

While at church one day in 2014, the pastor played a movie clip from the movie “Frozen” as part of his message, and she and Mark looked at each other and said, “It’s time.”

She had helped a friend open and run a restaurant in Cabot and was confident that she had the knowledge and the skills to run a restaurant. Daisy’s Lunchbox first opened in a tiny corner of a warehouse by the Bee’s Knees. The inspector said it was the smallest commercial kitchen he had ever inspected. They poured their life savings into the restaurant, buying equipment and tools. They made it work for eleven months. But cramped quarters proved too much and after 11 months, Suzanne made the hard choice to shut down.

It may have felt like God was pulling the plug on their dream of a restaurant, but he was opening a bigger door. They started looking for a building . . . and found one in downtown Searcy just two weeks later. They leased it for two years before making the leap to purchase it. She took all her equipment with her and began Daisy’s Lunchbox at its present location.

Daisy’s Lunchbox features homemade food; many featured items are family favorites. The meatloaf is Mark’s recipe; the poppyseed chicken is like her grandmother used to make. The cornbread stuffing that everyone says tastes like their grandmother’s is Suzanne’s own recipe that she perfected herself.

She makes all the bread and her famous cinnamon rolls from scratch. If you order a sandwich, it’s served on Suzannes’ homemade bread. If you order a cake with buttercream icing, there’s not a drop of Crisco in the icing. All these “from scratch with no shortcuts” recipes have earned her five “Best of the Best” awards.

“The Lord keeps bringing new people in and continues to bless us.”

- Suzanne Raiford, Owner, Daisy’s Lunchbox

She and her 12 employees start every morning early with a huddle and a shared scripture. She tries to bring joy and encouragement to them, like our Lord does for us. She is quick to extort their talents. Among her employees, she has a cake decorator, a couple of bakers, and two trained chefs.

Though she has tried to update the restaurant, her customers are adamant that they want to keep their favorites on the menu. They don’t want “fancy,” but they love the welcoming environment and delicious food. Some regulars come in daily or weekly, and Suzanne loves getting to know them and their families.

Her passion for serving people and cooking fabulous food makes Daisy’s Lunchbox an unforgettable dining experience.

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