Kim Oian has worked her way up the food chain. During a
celebration featuring lots of great eats and hearty laughs, the
25-year-old Rye native took over the reins of Betty's
Kitchen in North Hampton on Sunday and the locals couldn't be happier.
Some out-of-towners — notably Gov
Jeanne Shaheen -- were plenty happy for Oian, too. Decked out in a crisp
green business suit, Shaheen dropped in at the
diner after her appearance in Manchester's St. Patrick's Day Parade.
"I know that this is a political hot spot, so
it's nice to stop by and see people here," the governor said.
Diner regulars were delighted to meet Shaheen as she
chatted up the crowd and conferred with politico Mike Dagostino
of Exeter. Dagostino, a friend of the former owners of Betty's Kitchen,
Stan and Helen Shaw, had invited the governor to
the bash. Shaheen, who for 15 years ran a business of her own with
her husband, Bill, congratulated Oian on her new
enterprise.
The fete was a dream come true for Oian, who started
busing tables at the diner when she was 12. On Sunday, she was
busy busing well-wishers, who showered her with kisses and floral
bouquets.
"I knew when I was in high school — I knew then
that this is what I wanted to do when Stan got out." Oian said,
referring to her transition from restaurant hired hand to
sole proprietor.
The Shaws. both in their 50's, are now free to
focus on the Betty's Kitchen Catering business.
"The catering built up quite a bit in the last
few years. To do both we had to make a decision," said Helen of the
couples choice to turn the business over to Oian.
She's done every job in the place and now she owns
it," said Stan. "The last several years, she was here more
than we were."
At Betty's, blood is still thicker than Kim's best
hollandaise sauce. After Oian started managing the restaurant five
years ago, the Portsmouth High graduate hired her mother,
Janis. 48, as a prep cook. Shortly afterward, Oian hired her
father, Mike, 49, to help with building maintenance. Brothers Erik, 19,
and Kurt, 18, soon joined the fold as cooks at
Betty's.
In the dog-eat-dog world of the restaurant business,
Betty's regulars have no doubt Oian will succeed. The restaurant,
which is open for breakfast and lunch, maintains a six-page menu with a
rotating list of 20 to 30 specials each day, Oian
said. Newly renovated, the establishment seats 68 customers.
"This, by far, is the best bet for breakfast on
the Seacoast. It's a meal vs. a breakfast," said Gary Tassinary,
44. He and his wife, Darlene, 38, regularly eat
breakfast at the diner.
Portsmouth residents Joan and Jim Huizinga said they
come to Betty's for the "dippers", English muffins dipped in
French toast batter covered with a slice of ham. Another
of Joan's favorite menu selections is the pancake sandwich,
a pancake wrapped around scrambled eggs and ham or bacon. The
couple has been eating at Betty's for about seven years.
We drive here separately and then go on our separate
ways to work," Joan said. Both in their 50s. Joan and Jim usually
arrive at the diner by 5:30 a.m., when the eatery boasts its own crowd
of "the usuals."
One of those regulars is Eliot Hobbs of North Hampton.
At age 78, Hobbs has eaten at Betty's every day since 1987,
and is the diner's "No. 1 customer according to Stan Shaw. Peter
Tilton, 40, of Hampton, has also turned up at the
diner virtually every day for the past 12 or 13 years. In honor of that
distinction, Betty's management made sure the two
would always have a seat at the counter and presented both men with
their own breakfast-nook stools.
They can take a joke in here, and so can we,"
said Tilton.
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