New Mexican restaurant to host grand opening in Fort Gratiot

Mexican food fanatics in the Blue Water Area now have another restaurant to enjoy: Maggie’s Mexican Food.

Maggie’s Mexican Food is hosting a grand opening from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. The event will feature a mariachi band, free samples and discounted vouchers for future use. After a year and a half long licensing process, owner Maggie Goudie said she is excited to have people enjoy her food.

“I was so surprised by people’s support,” she said. “It was overwhelming and amazing.”

Maggie’s Mexican Food is located at 3742 North River Road in Fort Gratiot, inside of Mr. T’s Corner Store. The restaurant is take-out only because there is not enough room for seating. However, Goudie said she would like to have seating eventually.

The restaurant is the culmination of Goudie’s hard work and passion for food. She has been cooking since she was nine years old, and all of the recipes she uses have been passed down by the women of her family.

“I would say 90% of my food comes from my mother and grandmother, but some are of my own creation,” Goudie said. “Trying to reinvent Mexican food is hard because we are very picky people. We don’t let just anyone touch our recipes.”

None of the recipes Goudie uses are written down. She doesn’t measure anything, but instead adds ingredients until the food tastes right.

The menu only has three items on it, but the options change every week. Goudie said she has a small menu because it would be difficult to maintain a large one by herself. She posts menu updates on the restaurant’s Facebook page.

“This way, we can please everybody and not have a big menu,” Goudie said.

The only menu item that stays the same is the carne asada street tacos. Goudie said this is her best selling item, and customers always ask if she has it. Additionally, breakfast is served every Saturday, also with a rotating menu.

Maggie’s Mexican Food is open Wednesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon.

Maggie’s Mexican Food was created in partnership with Tom Schlitts, owner of Mr. T’s Corner Market. Goudie and Schlitts have been friends since she moved to Fort Gratiot four years ago. Schlitts takes orders at the check out counter and relays them back to Goudie.

“We’re good friends and at different outings, she would always be the one to cook,” Schlitts said. “She talked about maybe getting a food truck and I offered up the extra room I had.”

Schlitts said converting an old storage room in Mr. T’s Corner Store into a commercial kitchen was a long, but worthwhile process. He said he is glad to have Goudie as a business partner and friend.

Goudie said she wants to keep the food as authentic as possible. She said that because the recipes came from her family, she does not want to disrespect them by changing them. Goudie said she hopes to always have fun making food for other people.

Contact McKenna Golat at mgolat@gannett.com or (810) 292-0122.