Good Eat’n Soul Food Has Opened in Kingston

By Journalist Dr. Ms. Jones

KINGSTON – Have you ever said, “That’s some good eat’n” after eating some fried chicken, collard greens, mac ‘n cheese, candied yams, cheese grits, and cornbread? That’s what Joseph (Joe) McDole’s mother and grandmother used to say when they enjoyed their meal. He is the owner of Good Eat’n Soul Food Restaurant and that’s where he got the name. Joe followed in his parents’ footsteps. They owned McDole’s Takeout Soul Food Restaurant in Spring Valley in the 1970s.

“Mom was always saying, ‘Well, one day we’re gonna have to retire.’ And I was like, maybe four or five, when they stopped in the early ‘70s. Growing up, she kept saying, ‘I wish we still had a restaurant. It was too much and if you guys were older, we would still have it, and I know it would be successful.’ I said, ‘You know Mom, I promise you, I’ll get one. One of these days, I’ll get one,’” said Joe who knows his mom would be proud.

Joe bought the restaurant, formerly Eddy’s, on August 27th of last year and worked every day to rehab it. Good Eat’n officially opened on December 2nd last year after a ribbon-cutting with The Chamber of Commerce. They are open every Wednesday through Sunday.

The menu features fried chicken, fish, ribs, collard greens, mac ‘n cheese, candied yams, potato salad, coleslaw, cheese grits, shrimp & grits, fish & grits, cornbread, red velvet cake, carrot cake, sweet potato cheesecake, triple chocolate cake, and more. Breakfast is served on the weekends and you can enjoy items such as breakfast sandwiches, omelets, pancakes, waffles, and chicken & waffles. Joe learned to cook by going to family reunions.

“Growing up, we used to always go to family reunions in Alabama… and they would teach us… My grandmother had 13 kids and my great grandmother was living at the time also. She was 110… They had fig trees… They had the beans… We had different stations and they would teach us how to cook and live off the land. Then we would have to go fishing and come back. She would make gumbo soup and teach us how to do everything,” said Joe as he reminisced.

Joe, who is on the board of The Kingston Housing Authority, Kingston Parks and Recreation, and Ulster County Youth Development enjoys being a part of the community. He loves seeing people smile, forming relationships, and networking at Good Eat’n. He especially loves working with his daughter Mercedes McDole who manages the restaurant and is daily overcoming the challenges faced when opening a new restaurant, like inventory.

“One [week] we’ll have a lot of customers who come in and get chicken [and fish] and the next week we’ll say, ‘Let’s prepare more of the chicken and fish, because that’s what people are coming in to get.’ Then that following week, everybody’s coming in for ribs… It’s just a learning experience… It’s going to take a while… [I’m] just trying to maneuver through not wasting food, not putting too much food out,” said Mercedes who gives the unused food to local shelters.

Joe already has thoughts of expanding to more locations as well as having a huge Grand Opening Celebration. For more information and to visit, go to goodeatnsoulfood.com.

Journalist Ms. Jones