Abigail Hitchcock (Abby) grew up on Long Island’s rural East End. She learned to love simple fresh local foods from her mother, and from her father, an amateur chef who enjoys preparing family feasts, a love of reading menus and preparing exotic fare.
When Abby attended university in England and was put in a “self-catering” flat, she found that food was her passion: shopping for it, cooking it, eating it, researching it. She began poking about in the local greengrocer and butcher shops and preparing meals for her English flat mates. Having earned a degree in Botany, Abby then returned to the States and enrolled in Peter Kump’s New York Cooking School (now The Institute of Culinary Education).
With her Peter Kump diploma in hand, Abby went on to work at The Tea Box at Takashimaya in New York, Vong in London, and at the BBC’s Vegetarian Good Food Magazine. She has been a private chef, worked at Martha Stewart Living television, and run her own catering company. She went on to establish Abigail’s Kitchen (formerly Camaje) in Greenwich Village.
Cooking classes are a staple at Abigail’s Kitchen, and Abby hosts Dinners in the Dark—sensory feasts served to blindfolded diners—twice a week, the only such dinners in New York City. They’ve been featured in New York magazines and national media, Dinners in the Dark feature Abby’s secret menus and other sensory “happenings” and have lured countless diners in search of an eating adventure. A certified sommelier, Abby also conducts wine tastings, in which wines are paired with complementary foods.
In 2022, having enjoyed a thriving 25 years on MacDougal Street, Abby moved her business to the Lower East Side. At the same time, she collaborated with Shanny Wise to open Betty, a New American restaurant located in the same building on Henry Street.
Abby has been a contestant on “Chopped”, and a judge on “Beat Bobby Flay” numerous times. She is in league with the best chefs in the city and Betty has become the go to spot for great food on the Lower East Side.
Shanny Wise is a native New Yorker whose experience in the downtown scene has afforded her success in a myriad of creative pursuits. Her passions have amplified the energy in which she has delved into music, fashion, and food in the greatest city in the world. After graduating high school, Shanny and her band, ‘The Shacks’, were signed to a record deal. The momentum of their success paralleled that of the city's energy and their streams on Spotify rose to tens of millions. Their recording of “Strange Effect” and Shanny herself became the face and sound of the new iPhone commercials.
Between her stints on the road touring, modeling and appearing on TV, Shanny took shifts at the popular East Village restaurant, Café Mogador. Over time, she worked her way up to become one of the youngest managers there ever. After her tenure at Cafe Mogador, Shanny took the lead at Dr. Clark, another downtown fixture in the hip NYC dining scene. This combined experience led to a desire and vision for her own restaurant.
She was introduced to Abby, an experienced chef who was considering making a change in her location, and the two hit it off instantly. Their plans came to fruition and Betty was born, with Shanny as general manager and Abby as head chef.
Shanny's currently on hiatus because her new band, Fcukers, is blowing up and she's on a world tour. Check them out on instagram.
Betty is the namesake of Shanny’s dear grandmother, whose love of family, community, and food run through the overall ambience of the joint. It’s a family friendly restaurant that offers New American cuisine and has a reputation for uniquely delicious and fun vibes.
We’re open Sunday-Thursday 10-10, and Friday/Saturday 10am-midnight, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There’s also a full bar and daily happy hour from 4-7. Abby and Shanny can both be found on site most days. To be fair, we’re not sure if Abby ever leaves.
Come visit us. You are welcome anytime.
When Abby attended university in England and was put in a “self-catering” flat, she found that food was her passion: shopping for it, cooking it, eating it, researching it. She began poking about in the local greengrocer and butcher shops and preparing meals for her English flat mates. Having earned a degree in Botany, Abby then returned to the States and enrolled in Peter Kump’s New York Cooking School (now The Institute of Culinary Education).
With her Peter Kump diploma in hand, Abby went on to work at The Tea Box at Takashimaya in New York, Vong in London, and at the BBC’s Vegetarian Good Food Magazine. She has been a private chef, worked at Martha Stewart Living television, and run her own catering company. She went on to establish Abigail’s Kitchen (formerly Camaje) in Greenwich Village.
Cooking classes are a staple at Abigail’s Kitchen, and Abby hosts Dinners in the Dark—sensory feasts served to blindfolded diners—twice a week, the only such dinners in New York City. They’ve been featured in New York magazines and national media, Dinners in the Dark feature Abby’s secret menus and other sensory “happenings” and have lured countless diners in search of an eating adventure. A certified sommelier, Abby also conducts wine tastings, in which wines are paired with complementary foods.
In 2022, having enjoyed a thriving 25 years on MacDougal Street, Abby moved her business to the Lower East Side. At the same time, she collaborated with Shanny Wise to open Betty, a New American restaurant located in the same building on Henry Street.
Abby has been a contestant on “Chopped”, and a judge on “Beat Bobby Flay” numerous times. She is in league with the best chefs in the city and Betty has become the go to spot for great food on the Lower East Side.
Shanny Wise is a native New Yorker whose experience in the downtown scene has afforded her success in a myriad of creative pursuits. Her passions have amplified the energy in which she has delved into music, fashion, and food in the greatest city in the world. After graduating high school, Shanny and her band, ‘The Shacks’, were signed to a record deal. The momentum of their success paralleled that of the city's energy and their streams on Spotify rose to tens of millions. Their recording of “Strange Effect” and Shanny herself became the face and sound of the new iPhone commercials.
Between her stints on the road touring, modeling and appearing on TV, Shanny took shifts at the popular East Village restaurant, Café Mogador. Over time, she worked her way up to become one of the youngest managers there ever. After her tenure at Cafe Mogador, Shanny took the lead at Dr. Clark, another downtown fixture in the hip NYC dining scene. This combined experience led to a desire and vision for her own restaurant.
She was introduced to Abby, an experienced chef who was considering making a change in her location, and the two hit it off instantly. Their plans came to fruition and Betty was born, with Shanny as general manager and Abby as head chef.
Shanny's currently on hiatus because her new band, Fcukers, is blowing up and she's on a world tour. Check them out on instagram.
Betty is the namesake of Shanny’s dear grandmother, whose love of family, community, and food run through the overall ambience of the joint. It’s a family friendly restaurant that offers New American cuisine and has a reputation for uniquely delicious and fun vibes.
We’re open Sunday-Thursday 10-10, and Friday/Saturday 10am-midnight, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There’s also a full bar and daily happy hour from 4-7. Abby and Shanny can both be found on site most days. To be fair, we’re not sure if Abby ever leaves.
Come visit us. You are welcome anytime.