Goodness Gracious Kitchen & Cupboard Offers Delicious Dining & More
Photographer / Stephanie Duncan
Since opening Goodness Gracious Kitchen & Cupboard in June 2024, the restaurant has been on a steady trajectory. Serving breakfast, lunch, brunch and a whole lot of memories, the establishment has become well loved by the community.
“It’s a unique experience,” says owner Tobi Mares. “I don’t quite know how to explain it, but people feel at home when they come in.”
Throughout the spring and summer months, Goodness Gracious also hosted a lot of private occasions such as baby showers, birthday parties and bridal events.
“We also do boutique wedding party catering by delivering food to bridal parties as they are getting ready for the big event,” Mares says. “This way no one arrives to the reception on an empty stomach.”
During the summer, Mares and her all-female staff were busy with their picnic services in which customers can place an online order and select a pickup or delivery time. Next spring they plan to level up the picnic experience with blankets and special touches like fresh flowers.
Now that fall has settled in, Mares looks forward to getting back into the groove of hosting nighttime events. For example, she plans to start a weekly Crafts & Cocktail series, in which knitters, crocheters, painters, anyone crafty can gather to share their projects.
“It’s just like a knitting circle but for all crafts. People really love it,” says Mares, noting that the age demographic of folks who came spanned decades. “When I talk about preserving and keeping traditions alive, part of it is making sure the next generation sees the benefit in doing these things and knows how to do it themselves.”
Last fall, they did bougie pumpkin painting. Since this year Halloween falls on a Friday, they are planning something special, check the website to learn more. In addition, Mares plans to start Supper Clubs with a casserole theme.
“I’m all about casseroles and comfort food,” Mares says. “We always make them a little healthier with good ingredients, though, and pair things up that are whole plant based. We are very aware of making sure we strike a good balance of healthy and clean ingredients.”
In November, they will host a Friendsgiving event. Mares will also do themed trivia nights, Singo (like musical Bingo), Ladies Comedy Nights, and a cookie class closer to the Christmas holidays. She expects to hold two Friday night events a month in addition to a group or series event once a week, whether that be a writer’s group, crafting circle, or a speaking event like She Speaks, which is like a Ted Talks for The Wonderful Women of Hamilton County that’s designed to combat loneliness in women. Mares’ friend Holly Kirsh started it, and Goodness Gracious hosted one that attracted 40 women. Mares plans to host more She Speaks at the restaurant because she recognizes how hard it can be to make friends at a certain age.
“I have to continually remind myself that my struggle is not just my struggle but the struggle of [other females, too]. Struggle is everywhere and with everyone,” says Mares, who admits that opening Goodness Gracious turned her life upside down.
“Now I’m in a new phase of a different kind of struggle,” she says. “That’s the honesty I want to share with people. I want to be inspired by someone else and have someone else be being inspired by me.”
This is why Mares is constantly finding creative ways to use the Goodness Gracious space.
“The fact that we are a restaurant feels secondary to me,” she says.
Although Mares places relationships above all else, customers certainly appreciate the delicious fare that’s served. For instance, customers love the chicken and waffles and the spiced peaches — a recipe that came from Mares’ childhood. The Big Bow Breakfast Sandwich, featuring crispy hashbrown, savory sausage patty, an over easy egg, and melted cheddar cheese atop a toasted brioche bun, is hugely popular.
“That sucker sells way more than I anticipated it would,” Mares says.
Then there’s a Food Legacy in the chicken salad, tuna salad, and egg salad as they are named after Mares’ mom and her two sisters. Mares created the Food Legacy, where she invites patrons to share their family stories, recipes and memories from the past.
“People come in, eat the food their loved one used to make, all while reminiscing,” Mares says.
By sharing these recipes, stories and traditions with the community, people are learning cool facts that they otherwise wouldn’t know.
On the restaurant’s website under the Food Legacy tab is a picture and a person’s name with stories behind their favorite recipe. The staff at Goodness Gracious uses the recipe or adaptations of it to serve patrons. Going forward, Mares hopes to garner more participation from the community and make the experience more interactive.
“Once we get a solid schedule and enough participants, it’ll be part of their tableside experience,” Mares says. “Like today our Food Legacy is based on Grandma June’s chicken salad.”
To share your Food Legacy, email ilovegoodnessgracious@gmail.com with your name, the Food Legacy, and the inspiration behind the it.
“We really do have a little gem to offer the community in Goodness Gracious,” says Mares, who is proud of the heart and honesty behind her mission. “I’m always a foodie at heart and want to level that up of course, but I think customers come for the feeling just as much as the food.”
Goodness Gracious Kitchen & Cupboard is located at 24 North Rangeline Road in Carmel. For more information, call 317-564-0454 or visit ilovegoodnessgracious.com.
