Kimberly Hinton and Ava Demps can’t have visitors in their home without feeding them a meal before they leave, and this southern hospitality is the same approach they bring to customers at their restaurant Mary & Martha’s Place, located at 6840 Logan Drive, Ste. A.
Hinton and Demps — nicknamed Martha and Mary, respectively, from the biblical story of Lazarus’ hospitable sisters — opened the Cajun, creole, Caribbean, and southern restaurant in September 2017 after working in catering for several years. The pair served more than 1,100 meals a day for Head Start’s Community Action Program, provided food to the AT&T call center on Green River Road, offered dishes in the Tea Room of the YWCA, and catered for the 2012 Super Bowl in Indianapolis. The restaurant was a natural next step.
“I know Ava knows she’s gifted, but I hear people say, ‘Those recipes and this food are exquisite,’” says Hinton. “And my gift is entertaining. I’ve been gifted with customer service, entertaining, and making people feel good.”
From the beginning, the friends of more than 40 years reached back to their past and used family recipes and techniques from their southern roots.
One of the most popular dishes is the Cajun boil, which comes with crab, shrimp, crawfish, or a combination of the three, along with Andouille sausage, corn on the cob, and baby potatoes. Everything is cooked in a special spice blend prepared in house each day.
“Everything is cooked to order,” says Demps. “We don’t drop that seafood until it’s actually ordered.”
Aside from the fresh, homemade flavors, the most important aspect of Mary & Martha’s Place for Hinton and Demps boils down to the warm hospitality offered to everyone who walks through their doors.
“We’ve been able to take recipes we’ve grown up on and incorporate them in our daily offerings,” says Demps. “These are the things you would have if you came to our house for Sunday dinner.”
For more information on Mary & Martha’s Place, call 812-401-2660 or visit marymarthacatering.com.
