HOLT, Fla., Oct. 28, 2021—Sherry Cregger, of Sherry’s Diner, has returned to Holt, this time with her red “lunch box” food truck.

Looking for a way to return to Holt, Cregger invested in a food truck a couple of months or so ago. For her, it means less stress than trying to keep wait staff and cooks in a restaurant environment.

While her official opening day is Nov. 2, Cregger tested her new mobile kitchen Oct. 23 and 24 by selling mullet plates. She’s running a “soft” opening this week serving lunch only.

Beginning Tuesday, dinners will be available as well.

Parked at the Holt Community Center/old fire station/Holt Water Works office lot, Sherry’s Lunch Box will be open Tuesday through Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for lunch and from 4 to 7 p.m. for dinner.

All now-three eating choices here each offer different fare for Holt diners, with some overlap, such as hamburgers and fries. Brown’s Grocery offers the only breakfast in town and has a deli sandwich bar. Susan’s Restaurant’s unique menu items include daily Blue Plate specials, gizzards, pizza, ice cream and milk shakes.

Besides her hamburgers and hand-cut fried, Sherry’s Lunch Box will also feature smoked chicken and pork, as well as barbecue, for starters.

She’s added a few new items to her menu, such as her “Kickin’ Chicken,” a spicy chicken sandwich.

“People need to try the Kickin’ Chicken,” Cregger said. “It won’t take your breath away, but it’ll make your lips tingle a bit.”

Cregger stocks her Lunch Box with fresh farm produce when it’s available—collards, tomatoes, cucumbers, corn on the cob—from a local farmer.

It takes a few minutes for the food to be prepared because everything is made to order, not sitting around in warmers, she said.

“It’s not fast food because we make it to order, but it’s good food fast,” she said.

Lunch specials will include sandwich wraps, stuffed baked potatoes and a variety of salads.

Dinners to go will include smoked loin, pulled pork, sliced pork, pork chops, pot roast, meatloaf and country fried steak.

Customers can call in an order at 850-598-0935 to have it ready by the time they arrive.

For a number of years, Cregger was the food vender at the Emerald Coast Dragway; however, she recently amicably ended that relationship as track ownership changed hands.

Since closing the diner in August 2019, she’s been looking for a way to come back to Holt. A food truck seemed just the ticket.

In the short time she’s been open, a number of former customers have stopped by, some to just say hi, others to grab lunch.

“We just wanted to come back home,” she said. “People stopped by to welcome me back. That just makes all my feathers stand up.”