We had them going after the kitty food. I put the kibble dishes into larger shallow bowls with a bit of water. kitties throw some kibble on the floor though (got to chase those "mousies" LOL).
They were coming through at the edge of the hardwood/baseboard/carpet at the edge of the nook. I sprayed there - carefully into the crack - and wiped up so kitties wouldn't get into it. And put an ant bait there while I was around to watch kitties. One outside the nearby door too.
Another thing I read was dried mint so I just picked some fresh mint and laid it on the floor all around the kitty bowls. It was dry within a couple days with the A/C cranking. I did pick it up before it got crumbly dry.
After killing many several times (2x spray, baits, wiping/smooshing up in a damp papertowel that had to go IMMEDIATELY outside!) it seems they got the message and moved on.
We DO wash before putting into the dishwasher because in the summer the heat makes it smell too bad when I don't run it every day. With just 2 of us I probably don't run it 3x a week.