MEET: HAEMA HOSPITALITY
Hannah Wong of Haema Hospitality for a pop up dinner at the Old Chatham Country Store. Photo credit: Konrad Odhiambo/The Dishing.
SJ + Hannah of Haema Hospitality at Delaware Supply in Albany, N.Y. Photo: Susie Davidson Powell/The Dishing.
The Dishing talks with tastemakers in the hospitality industry + trailblazers at the intersection of food, culture + art. We’re talking with pop up restaurant Haema Hospitality owned by chef Hannah Wong, (The Aviary, Kinderhook, Van Da, Brooklyn, Gramercy Tavern, Manhattan) and her partner Sarah Jane McLaughlin, a hospitality veteran of Justin’s and New World Bistro, Albany. Let’s get into it.
Hi! Thanks for talking with The Dishing today. You both have extensive culinary and hospitality backgrounds and worked together on the opening of Morningbird + The Aviary in Kinderhook during the pandemic. Can you talk us through a potted history of how you came full circle to launch Haema? And where can people find you this summer?
Hannah: I originally conceived of Haema in 2020, when I was planning to open a restaurant in Brooklyn just as the COVID pandemic started. When I moved upstate, I never thought I’d get a second chance to open Haema — but the more time and energy I spent here, the more expansive the possibility became. Of course, finding an extraordinary partner in SJ is really what inspired the dream to become a full-fledged reality, along with the support of our community of farmers, friends and guests.
This summer we’re popping up regularly at Return Brewing in Hudson on Thursdays; at farmers markets in Hillsdale and Hudson; and local spots such as MX Morningstar Farm, Old Chatham Country Store, and Kinderhook Books. Check out our website for our monthly calendar! As we move into the fall months, we’re looking forward to announcing some new restaurant pop ups that are in the works.
You’ve popped up locally at Delaware Supply + Return Brewing with street food menus, and in restaurants like the Old Chatham Country Store with ticketed dinners. What do you love about working in the Hudson Valley?
SJ: We love the generosity and collaborative spirit of the hospitality industry, and the genuine intimacy we’ve developed with growers in the region. Our menus may range in flavors and styles of service can vary from pop up to pop up, but the food and hospitality experience we offer feels authentically grounded in these relationships.
Chef, you’re a graduate of Johnson + Wales, but in your travels around South East Asia you were really drawn to the flavors and style of South East Asian street food. What was your vision for Haema and how would you describe your pop up cuisine?
Hannah: My culinary vision for Haema is to unite my love for and desire to learn more about Asian street food — flavor profiles, specific dishes, methods of cooking, sensory memories — with peak Hudson Valley product. I guess the elevator pitch is something like “Asian street food-inspired, Hudson Valley-driven.” Of course that vision is layered with my other personal/life experiences, childhood memories and professional education. More specifically than that, I think our cuisine is a little hard to pin down at the moment because we do so many different kinds of popups and events that require some nimble menu developing. Plus we do a lot of experimenting because I can get antsy. Honestly, my hope is for people to equate Haema with food that is very personal, adventurous, and yet incredibly precise, familiar and comforting. Haema is a homonym for the Icelandic term meaning “at home” — that is exactly what we want people to feel when they experience our food.
Haema x Old Chatham Country Store. Photo credit: Konrad Odhiambo/The Dishing.
What are your childhood memories around food whether you grew up dining out or in a house where cooking was prominent? Does it thread any connection into how you cook or approach service today?
SJ: Growing up my parents were big on entertaining. Nearly every weekend they’d have friends or family over for dinner parties, which always included a fun creative cocktail, hors d'oeuvres and a full spread for dinner. Often these meals were passed down recipes or something new they found in a magazine. The house was always full of friends, food and laughter. When me or any of my siblings would come home from college, there would be a group of buddies in tow. Coming to the McLaughlin house to stay was always a treat and everyone loved my mom’s cooking and my family’s open door policy. I think this is why I love hospitality so much, it feels so natural to host people around a table of exciting food.
Hannah: I was similarly fortunate to have many lovingly home-cooked meals growing up. I learned as a kid that cooking is an act of care, and I do feel that remains true for me now.
What would be your must-have spices, condiments or ingredients for cooking if you were limited to traveling with just three?
SJ: Burlap and barrel cumin, fresh lemons, Hannah’s homemade kimchi.
Hannah: Three crabs fish sauce, white pepper, toasted sesame oil. Also I think SJ should also add black pepper to her list!
Chef, you’ve talked about your interest in food security, social justice, and your work with local farmers. Can you talk about your involvement with Heart of Dinner, a city non-profit providing hot meals and groceries to the elderly, the Silvia Center Culinary Council, and what food justice means to you?
Hannah: During the pandemic, I - like many of my peers in the industry - had the opportunity to re-evaluate and reset my priorities. Basically I realized that I didn’t really know why I was cooking, even though that was what I spent the vast majority of my time doing. I think I recognized that I was missing the human connection in all of it. And precisely because it’s what I spend the majority of my time doing, I believe it’s how I can best contribute positive change to this world. So I try to balance the creative excitement of cooking and the professional realities with the desire to utilize my skills in ways that meaningfully nourish others by partnering with organizations like Heart of Dinner (previously), Queer Soup Night, and the Sylvia Center.
I think I’m correct that Queer Soup Night started at The Aviary and now moves around to different restaurants with a mix of chefs. How did that get off the ground?
Hannah: Queer Soup Night was actually started by Liz Alpern in Brooklyn in 2016 after Trump got elected. When I moved upstate to open The Aviary, it was important to me to find ways to utilize the restaurant for community building, so I reached out to QSN organizers about hosting an inaugural event in Kinderhook. I’m really happy QSN has gone on to partner with more food businesses in this area — I’m a huge fan of the mission and, of course, soup!
I know you guys have a commissary kitchen somewhere. Is there anything you miss about a permanent brick-and-mortar restaurant? Is there one in your future plans?
SJ/Hannah: There are days we miss the physical stability of a brick-and-mortar. It’s something you take for granted until you don’t have it. Our business being so mobile is beneficial in many ways, but it’s also a bit of a psychological struggle sometimes feeling like you don’t have a real home. So we are definitely looking forward to that someday, hopefully in the near future.
When out of town friends come to visit, where are your 3 favorite places in the Capital Region or Hudson Valley that you like to go? (And what you like there, if relevant.)
SJ/Hannah: Ala Shanghai for the aster salad and Szechuan fish fillet soup; The Corner in Tivoli on Monday nights for the fried chicken with creamed spinach, oysters, and Janett the GM; Hemlock in Catskill for the friendly bartenders and whiskey sours.
What’s your favorite cocktail or coffee order? Do you have a favorite place to order it?
SJ: Negroni with a big rock from Via Cassia and an iced oat milk matcha from OK Pantry.
Hannah: Gin martini, a little dirty, olives and a twist. I stole that olives & twist garnish from SJ cuz that’s what she likes too.
Let’s talk about your style: Any favorite clothing brands or workwear?
SJ: For work, my Gardenheir clogs are a must. For life, I’m pretty utilitarian, I like Engineered Garments and Xírena.
Hannah: For work I like Tilits French worksheets because they’re pretty unisex in fit and style. One of my favorite things I own is a pair of Air Jordans that SJ bought me one year. The first time I wore them I stepped into a pile of dog shit, which sucked. But I don’t get to wear them enough.
How about music: What are you listening to currently (in the kitchen or at home)?
SJ: I’m an old school gal, love some classic country and always happy to hear some 90’s hip hop.
Hannah: I often enjoy silence, but if I’m the DJ at work my go-tos are Tracy Chapman, Lizzo, Christine and the Queens, Janis.
Haema. Photo: Konrad Odhiambo/The Dishing
Imagine it’s a day off, reservations aren’t an issue, you can get in anywhere. How would your day or night unfold… Where would you go for dinner? How about after?
SJ: Ideal day off would be kayaking all day and going to Kru Brooklyn to enjoy some Thai food.
HW: Rock climbing or kayaking for sure, maybe with a muffaletta from Talbott & Arding or some pastries from Mel the Bakery and some Hi Lifes stashed. Then oysters and bubbles somewhere with good vibes, followed by negronis or spritzes and dinner at Via Carota or the whole fried fish special at Eliza Bistro in Kingston. The wine list at Eliza pairs phenomenally with the food.
Given the post-pandemic shift in dining trends, what do you see as the future for the restaurant industry?
SJ: Post pandemic, I think people are looking for dining experiences that are fun, more affordable and less stuffy.
What would be your last supper order?
SJ: Raw oysters and a painkiller from little creek oyster bar (in Greenport, Long Island), but only if Hannah is shucking then grilled artichokes and pasta limon from I Sodi.
Hannah: My answer to this question depends on the day. Today I’ll say hand-pulled noodles with biang biang sauce, cumin lamb, and stir-fried water spinach. That would make me a very happy camper.
Thanks so much for talking to The Dishing. We’re looking forward to seeing you pop up all over the Hudson Valley.