About Us

scratchboard kitchen

Located in downtown Arlington Heights, Scratchboard Kitchen offers scratch-made food and drinks using the highest-quality locally sourced ingredients. Executive Chef Grace Goudie provides a chef-driven take on Midwestern seasonality by tapping into the bounty of the surrounding farmland. Local ingredients are showcased in seasonally-inspired dishes paired with a selection of beverages including local craft beer, carefully curated wines, and specialty cocktails. You’ll also find a daily selection of house-made pastries, locally roasted coffee, specialty lattes and cold brew.

Our Team

Danielle kuhn

owner

Danielle has always had a passion for restaurants, shaped by early industry experience that sparked a love for hospitality and a deep curiosity for the business, marketing, and operations behind it. Even at a young age, she had a clear vision for her ideal restaurant: one where everything was made from scratch and ingredients came from local farms and suppliers. She knew bringing that vision to life would take years of work, planning, and persistence.

After graduating from the University of Dayton, where she studied Marketing, Entrepreneurship, and Communication, Danielle moved to Chicago to work in advertising. While she developed her skills in strategy and marketing, her dream of opening a restaurant like Scratchboard Kitchen was always calling her.

Everything clicked when she moved to Arlington Heights. She fell in love with the community and felt inspired to pour her passion into something of her own that would contribute to and grow with the neighborhood she now called home. She set out to create a space that reflected everything she believed a restaurant should be: welcoming, deeply connected to local producers, and centered around food made from scratch.

The journey to opening was anything but quick. It took nearly four years to find the right location. But when 5 W. Campbell Street became available, Danielle knew she had found the place where her vision could finally come to life.

Just as she was getting ready to open the doors, the pandemic brought the restaurant industry to a halt. Despite the challenges, Scratchboard Kitchen opened in April 2020 with a focus on breakfast and lunch. Since then, it has grown and evolved into the restaurant it is today, offering all-day dining, from brunch and lunch to happy hour, dinner, and a seasonal tasting menu.

Today, Scratchboard Kitchen is a reflection of that original vision: a gathering place rooted in community, seasonality, and genuine hospitality, built with intention from the ground up, where every detail is designed to make people feel cared for, connected, and excited to come back.

grace goudie

Founding Chef

Grace’s culinary journey began in Hinsdale, IL with a high school restaurant job. At an early age, she was drawn to the culinary world and quickly became enamored with the ability that food has to ignite memories from childhood, travels, and past experiences.

Her passion for cooking led her to the Culinary Institute of America in Napa, CA where she attended the Accelerated Culinary Arts Program. Upon graduation, she accepted a position at Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc and was quickly promoted to Sous Chef. She then worked at The French Laundry, one of the top -rated restaurants in the world, before making her way back to the Chicago area.

When Danielle connected with Grace, she knew immediately that Grace was the perfect Chef to bring the Scratchboard Kitchen vision to life. Grace’s experience includes working with local farms to source the highest-quality ingredients, leading a high-functioning kitchen, and demanding excellence and creativity for every single dish that leaves her kitchen.

Amie Autenrieth

General Manager

After studying both Culinary Arts at Kendall College in Evanston, IL, and Hospitality Management at William Rainey Harper College in Palatine, IL, Amie’s career took her to several top restaurants in Chicago including Bavette’s Bar & Boeuf, Gilt Bar, Moto Restaurant and Monteverde, providing Amie the chance to work with a James Beard awarded Chef.

Amie comes to Scratchboard Kitchen with an impressive range of industry experience. From being a Server to Beverage Manager to Assistant General Manager, she has thrived in the fast-paced restaurant industry for over a decade. Amie’s passion for wine and beverage led her to complete Sommelier courses, which focus on proper beverage service etiquette and knowledge on food and beverage pairings, making her the perfect fit to amplify Scratchboard Kitchen’s specialty cocktails, local craft beer, and curated wines program.

Amie, who currently lives in Arlington Heights, joined the Scratchboard Kitchen team as a Front-of-House manager but was quickly promoted to General Manager after just a few months. She rounds out the team by leading the daily operations of the restaurant, helping to maintain Scratchboard Kitchen’s high standard of food and service excellence. She also manages the staff to ensure smooth coordination between the front and back of house, and is passionate about ensuring guests are satisfied with their dining experience.

Marcos Perez

Sous Chef

Marcos’ love for culinary arts just runs in his blood. In fact, Marcos fell in love with the culinary world at a young age, getting his start in the industry working at his family’s restaurant, Hacienda De Los Perez. But his family weren’t the only ones to see Marcos’ talent; he then proved his culinary skills to the world by taking home 1st place in ‘Culinary Arts’ at The Skills USA Illinois Championship in 2019. This competition recognizes career and technical education students who excel in their occupational areas with a hands-on competition that demonstrates their skills.

His desire to learn led him to the Institute of Culinary Education in California where he received his degree in Culinary Arts and Restaurant & Culinary Management. While in California, he also worked at Angler, a luxury seafood restaurant in Beverly Hills.

Marcos joined the Scratchboard Kitchen team in June 2020, and his hard work ethic quickly paid off; he was promoted to Sous Chef after just one year on the team. You’ll always see Marcos with a smile on his face. His positive attitude and passion for the craft make him the perfect addition to our team.

patrick cloud

culinary consultant

Patrick grew up around Arlington Heights and first discovered an interest in hospitality management while studying at Harper College and working as a server at Boston Blackie’s. Wanting to expand his culinary education,he attended Le Cordon Bleu in Chicago, after which he studied in Italy and worked at a restaurant in Alpharetta, Georgia before returning to his roots in Chicago.

Over the last several years, Patrick has worked in some of Chicago’s best restaurants including GT Fish and Oyster, Bavette’s Bar and Boeuf, and BANG BANG pie shop. He then accepted the role of Sous Chef for BOKA catering group and later went on to accept the position of Sous Chef at Cira where he played an integral part in the restaurant opening. After less than a year at Cira, he was promoted to chef de cuisine and continues to prove himself to be a chef to watch in the Chicago restaurant world.

Patrick has been a sounding board and valuable resource for Danielle during the restaurant opening process and continues to work closely with the Scratchboard Kitchen team to lend his expertise and share his wealth of talent and experience.