Yumbox Bento Masters with Rossini Perez

We're celebrating the creative influencers who pack bento lunches every day. They share their best and sometimes worst attempts at packing lunch for themselves and their families. If you want to make your lunch more nutritious, pretty, varied or appealing to your little ones, you've seen their work. We're getting to know them behind the scenes. 

In today's Q&A we are highlighting Yumbox user and bento box legend Rossini Perez from New York City. You may know her as: @Tinatakeslunch on Instagram, TikTok: Ross_ ini or from her YouTube Channel @RossiniPerezz. 

Q:  What sparked your interest in making bento boxes for your kids?

A:  I started making bento boxes for my daughter because I wanted to find a more organized and less wasteful way to send her lunch, I was using ziplock baggies before.

 Q: Did you have any prior experience or knowledge about bento making before you started?

A: I did not have any experience, my first lunchbox ever was a purple Yumbox panino, and I just loved the way everything looked neat and organized. My daughter was super excited to not have to open a bunch of baggies at lunchtime.

Q: How do you come up with new bento box ideas?

A: I have always been creative, I used to be a party planner - so coming up with random ideas and experimenting with everyday things to create other beautiful things comes natural to me. I love the idea of being able to serve the same foods yet having them look different each time.

Q: Have you ever had a bento box fail? If so, what happened?

A:  I have had many failures. Most recently I tried to make a heart shaped pizza roll up. It fell apart before it even got to the oven.

Q: Do your kids ever make suggestions for what they want in their bento boxes?

A: I do ask my daughter for her input. I usually make a list of ideas/lunches I would like to create and she'll ask me to remove or change certain foods.

Q: How long does it typically take you to make a bento box?

A: Average time to make a bento for me is about 30 minutes.

Q: What's the most unusual ingredient you've used in a bento box?

A: I would say flowers. I made an Encanto movie lunchbox and added purple flowers.

Q: What are some of the benefits you've seen from making bento boxes for your kids?

A: She is so much more open to trying out different foods, not only for lunch but while we are out or at home. She's always open minded about food now.

Q: Do you have any tips for parents who want to start making bento boxes for their kids?

A: I think the most important tips for parents who want to start making bento boxes is to always back them what they like and you know they will eat but always include something you would like them to try and learn to like. Have fun and don't compare with other parents or children. Everyone is different and food is very personal to the person eating and making it.