Goodness to Go: The place for home-cooked flavor with to-go convenience

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Knoxville’s go-to for local baked goods, catering and fresh-prepped meals.

Nestled in the heart of West Knoxville neighborhood Rocky Hill is Goodness to Go, a warm and inviting one-stop shop for fresh-prepped meals and delectable desserts. Everything from the bread to the meatloaf is made in-house, using all-natural and locally sourced ingredients. Whether you’re in search of a sweet treat to satisfy your cravings or a hearty meal to share with the family, Goodness to Go has it all.

In September of 2014, owners Renee Nye and Lisa Nix opened their first storefront in Rocky Hill, followed by a second location near Farragut in November of 2019. While working together as lunch ladies at a local school, Nix and Nye began selling family meals out of the cafeteria to raise funds for their farm-to-table program.

“We had such a positive response from the families,” Nye said. “We thought there might be a need for this.”

Goodness to Go provides a variety of fully-cooked meals that only need to be reheated in the oven or microwave, saving customers valuable time and energy that would otherwise be spent on grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning afterward. They also offer catering for any and all events, ranging from birthday parties and bridal showers to football games and book clubs.

Looking for something savory? The store makes salads, soups, casseroles, protein bowls, dips, roasted vegetables and so much more. Have a sweet tooth? Choose from croissants, scones, muffins, brownies, cakes and a seemingly endless array of different cookies.

A common sentiment that customers share is that the food tastes just like their mom made it, or that the meals remind them of home which makes sense, considering that the meals are created from Nix and Nye’s own family recipes.

“They’re recipes that we’ve cooked in our own homes, and we got several from Lisa’s mom and Lisa’s grandmother,” Nye said. “It’s my grandmother’s chicken noodle soup recipe, so it’s a lot of family recipes.”

Aside from sharing delicious food, Goodness to Go always has one goal in mind: to support the local community. 

“My favorite thing about Goodness is the joy that food brings to people. And my very favorite thing is when we are able to provide food for someone in need,” Nye said. “Whether we’re providing for a school or a family who’s had a loss, we love to support other people in their time of need and bring them something that offers them comfort.” 

The store has multiple systems in place to ensure that they are giving back to the community in any way they can, including donating food to local homeless shelters and other nonprofit organizations. 

With a recent remodel of the Rocky Hill location and further improvements in development, Goodness to Go continues to grow in both flavor and service. The future is bright, not only for the store, but for the community which continues to support it as well.

Next time you’re looking for a tasty treat or a fulfilling meal, look no further than Goodness to Go. You’ll be glad that you supported a local business and satiated your hunger all at the same time.