MEET 2024 NCHS HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE MARTHA SANDERS HOOVER
NCHS CLASS OF 1972
From the courtroom to the kitchen, Martha Sanders Hoover has made a tremendous impact in Indianapolis. We are honored to induct her into the NCHS Alumni Hall of Fame!
A RESTAURANTEUR FIGHTING AGAINST FOOD INSECURITY
When former public attorney turned restauranteur Martha Hoover opened Café Patachou in 1989, there were few who could have imagined what it would become. But Martha always knew she had something special.
“I had been taught that the best ingredients in the world were shipped to New York and Paris,” she said. “However, once I moved to Indiana, I noticed that the best ingredients – tomatoes, melons, wheat, beef, turkeys and pork – were being raised on the farms in Indiana.”
With this realization, Martha was convinced a local restaurant could “make the leap from best ingredients to the best food.” And she didn’t let a lack of experience stop her.
“I had not owned a restaurant, worked in a restaurant or taken any classes about the subject,” she said. “My naiveté in this industry was my special skill. It never occurred to me that my concept would not succeed.”
And succeed she did. Today, Martha is a six-time James Beard Foundation finalist, and her Won’t Stop Hospitality Inc. hospitality group boasts a growing collection of popular restaurants.
In true Panther spirit, Martha is also giving back to her community by leading the charge in the fight against youth food insecurity. In 2013, she launched The Patachou Foundation, an organization that aims to address the root causes of hunger amongst schoolchildren in Indianapolis. The Foundation and its innovative programs are partially funded by 100% of the profits of Public Greens, a restaurant and microfarm on the Monon Trail.
Martha Hoover and her collection of restaurants have helped turn Indianapolis into a culinary destination, and her work with the Patachou Foundation has ensured no child in our community goes hungry. For these reasons and more, we are proud to induct Martha Sanders Hoover, Class of 1972, into the North Central High School Alumni Hall of Fame.
Want to know more about Martha? You can learn more about the Patachou Foundation here.
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