So Perfect Eats makes a splash in Cherry Creek

Lori Midson

When Lynda Campbell received her one million mile frequent flyer gift from Delta Airlines, she decided to land. The former senior VP director of Pacific Sunwear, a national clothing chain that hustles popular teen labels, gave up her life in Manhattan and sojourns around the world to move to Denver where she recently opened So Perfect Eats in the former Pasta, Pasta, Pasta space at 278 Filmore Street, in Cherry Creek. "I traveled all over the world for my job, but after I'd reached the million-mile mark, I thought that maybe it was time to hang up my wings and do something on my own -- something that I'd wanted to do for a long, long time," says Campbell.

Specifically, a "lifestyle cafe," where food and entertaining co-mingle. Campbell's cafe, tricked out in lime green, turquoise and white, turns out sandwiches baked on housemade breads, scratch-made soups, fresh-baked quiches, salads and desserts, including cupcakes, cookies and brownies, all of which are served in baskets lined with whimsy tissue paper. "We roast our own meats, make our own chutneys and jams, bake our own ciabatta and baguettes, and we cook and bake in small batches so that there's no waste," says Campbell.

The space is strewn with cooking magazines, the TV is tuned to the Food Network and the shelves are stocked with everything from novelty kitchen gadgets to up-to-the-moment hostess gifts. "I've always been in fashion retail, but I've also always loved to cook, bake and entertain, and the cafe is really about how to entertain at home," explains Campbell, who comes from a family of nine brothers and sisters. "My mom was a really good cook, and it wasn't unusual for us to have thirty people over for dinner, and I've been cooking ever since I could reach the stove," she adds.

So far, says Campbell, trade has been good. "I have a small group of regulars that keep coming back and spreading the word, and while I'm not exactly where I want to be, I'm close, and it keeps getting better every day." Her menu, which she plans to keep seasonal, offers daily specials, and she's currently accepting holiday orders for pies, all of which are baked in-house. "We have everything here to make a holiday party perfect, and the pies are amazing."

So Perfect Eats is open Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Saturday, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.; for more info, call 303-862-9074.