Community Interview: The Goods Doughnuts

About The Goods…

The Goods opened in August 2017 and is the brainchild of the Barille Family, who also operates another popular Carlsbad eatery, Cafe Topes. Located in the heart of North County San Diego, The Goods features fresh artisan doughnuts made from scratch every hour. With gourmet flavors that include brown butter, chocolate ganache, Tahitian vanilla, stuffed Nutella, and s’mores, there’s something to please even the pickiest of palates.

What’s your role, how did you get started and how long have you been in business?

I am a co-owner with my family. We all have such a sweet tooth, I think it all started with our cinnamon rolls at Cafe Topes, which are really popular. We all thought that Carlsbad needed a sweet spot and although we have a couple locally, we wanted to do something different. My husband and I really love doughnuts so we kind of just thought about the area and what Carlsbad needed. There wasn’t anyone doing artisan doughnuts in North County so that’s where the idea began.

The Goods has been a dream baby for about four years and it wasn’t until two years ago when we thought, “Let’s do it!” At the time we didn’t know what doughnuts entailed, so we started learning the whole process, which took a while to actually nail it down. It’s definitely not as simple as people think.

We originally hired a pastry chef who came up with all our recipes and doughs. We started off with sourdough doughnut bases, and right before we opened the pastry chef was having some issues and left quite abruptly. So there we were, new business, new doughnut shop, with a product we didn’t really have because the chef didn’t write down any recipes! So we had to figure it out on our own and learn the whole process from the beginning. It was a lot of trial and error and it took us a few months to get to where we wanted to be. All of our nerves were so shot the first couple of months, but we loved learning!

My husband and I, my in-laws, my brother in law, and my sister in law are all part of the business. We all started Cafe Topes together and doing this just felt so natural as the next thing.

Tell us about The Goods and what it means to you.

We are an artisan doughnut shop and we’ve only been here for short time. We specialize in handcrafted doughnuts, and we make everything from scratch. We do small batches so they are fresh throughout the day, including vegan and gluten-free options. We put some love back into doughnuts!

What’s the best part about being in Carlsbad Village?

We love the vibes. We love the locals, everyone has such good energy, it’s very beachy and we just really enjoy it! When we were trying to find a spot here, we wanted it to be nearby Cafe Topes because we loved the energy of this area.

Do you have a background in culinary arts?

I don’t. My father-in-law does though. My husband and I, and our family, run this together, we all came up with the idea of The Goods together. We each have a part in the flavors and coming up with decorating ideas so we all love culinary arts. 

Where do you find inspiration?

A lot of Pinterest. And as a family just trying to figure out what is going to be the best and yummiest thing that people will enjoy. Family time and figuring out what’s fun together.

Did you always see yourself doing something like this?

No, it was something that didn’t start to develop in all of us until we started to open Cafe Topes. We loved working with food and desserts, so we got the ball rolling and wheels turning in our heads. So we were like, “Okay, let’s come up with some sort of sweet spot.” And here we are!

What was your very first or most memorable job?

Cafe Topes actually! Before that, my husband and his family were all in construction, and one day my father-in-law came home and said: “We are starting a restaurant!”

Do you have anything exciting coming up in the future or is there anything else we should know about your business?

We started this thinking it would be really amazing to keep branching out and someday making it a franchise. I know that’s way off right now, but something we look forward to. In the near future though, we are thinking about doing a doughnut trailer or a doughnut bus to cater to events. We want to reach all of our audience any way we can.

What advice would you give to an aspiring business owner?

Keep those ideas coming! It’s nice to bounce things off of people you trust and keep your head to the ground. Do everything you can to make your business successful, whether that’s doing a lot of research or talking to other people.

What do you do when you’re not working? How do you like to spend your free time?

When I have free time I love to surf and spend time with our dog. My husband and I will take our dog out to dog beach or on hikes. Just being outside is great.

The next few questions are a series of rapid fire, don’t-think-too-much, one-word responses to see how people think on their feet. They usually provide some pretty interesting insight!

How would you describe yourself in one word?

Idealistic.

What are you afraid of?

Drowning.

What’s your biggest pet peeve?

Backtracking.

Favorite food?

Sushi.

If you could have any job in the world, what would it be?

Professional surfer. 

Thanks so much to Ariel for her time and willingness to give us a behind the scenes look at The Goods! Keep your eyes peeled for their next venture and in the meantime, stop into The Goods and treat yourself to something sweet. And make sure to check out their sister restaurant, Cafe Topes, as well well!

The Goods
2965 State St.
Carlsbad, CA  92008

Phone: (760) 994-0458
Hours: Tues.–Sun. 7am–4pm (or until they sell out)

Do you work for, or own a business in Solana Beach, Leucadia, or Carlsbad? Contact us to set up your own interview and feature!