Chef Hannah Wong is making food that tells a different story.

By Laura Neilson
February 2022

In the last decade or so, New York’s Hudson Valley has witnessed an influx of impressive and noteworthy restaurant openings from former New York City chefs and restaurateurs migrating upstate, a trend that only intensified during the pandemic as a surge of urbanites decamped for greater open spaces and a closer proximity to Mother Nature. While there’s been no shortage of buzzy new places to dine, the lack of diversity amongst the crowd, however, is apparent. But at Morningbird, in the quiet, Columbia County village of Kinderhook, Chef Hannah Wong is making food that tells a different story, from fresh mochi donuts with a pronounced bounce, to an Instagram-worthy Vietnamese Caesar salad, colorfully composed of chicories, watermelon radish, and mint.

The Morningbird Café and The Aviary Spice up Kinderhook

MARCH 2023

A revered chef brings two concepts—a café and Dutch-Indonesian fare—to the Kinderhook Knitting Mill.

When artist Darren Waterston peeked inside an old, empty brick building on Hudson Street a few years ago, he saw beyond the decay. Waterson envisioned a creative community that would become a welcoming “village within a village.” And with hard work, he has reinvented the 19th-century Kinderhook Knitting Mill into a place that fuses the culinary and visual arts.

Chef Hannah Wong, who moved from Brooklyn to Kinderhook, is bringing her expertise in Southeast Asian cooking to Morningbird at the new Kinderhook Knitting Mill.

By Shana Libman
November 2021

It’s not easy to take the city girl out of the city — but NYC chef Hannah Wong is doing quite well in her new Hudson Valley home of Kinderhook in Columbia County.

Wong relocated in July to be the executive chef of a trio of food concepts in the Kinderhook Knitting Mill, a 19th century knitting factory turned culinary oasis. Under Wong’s direction is a daytime coffee, tea, and lunch spot, Morningbird, which began serving lunch last week; a cocktail lounge called The Nest slated to open in spring 2022; along with a new Indo-Dutch restaurant.

Other shops will join the multi-purpose space: OK Pantry, a general store and soda fountain with a curated selection of Scandinavian and Japanese brands; and the Kinderhook Bottle Shop offering natural wines from smaller producers, both opening in December.

Morning birds have a new perch in Kinderhook.

By Kathleen Willcox
January 2022

A black-painted wooden facade frames the entrance to a new Indo-Dutch cafe in a stately 19th-century factory building. Inside, the aptly named Morningbird awaits; visitors will find imaginative seasonal pastries (like a squash and gouda turnover with scallions and sambal, notes of cumin, coriander, and mustard); coffee from Gotham Roasters and Coffee Project NY; lunch items and a selection of handcrafted items from BIPOC and women-identifying makers like Allison Samuels and Alice W. Chai.

This cafe is just a taste of what’s to come—a gustatory and aesthetic amuse bouche—from artist Darren Waterston and chef Yen Ngo, who set out to bring a new world of flavor, design, and art to Kinderhook. At first glance, it seems like a strange place to pick for such an ambitious project. But scratch below the town’s surface, and you’ll find a much more complex world of flavors already simmering.

Best Dishes Eater Editors Ate This Week

August 2024

I’m not accustomed to seeing tartare of any variety served intact like this. Then again, so much of my experience at this gem of a restaurant tucked into a bucolic stretch of the Hudson Valley was, delightfully, unexpected. The bluefin preceded golden potato korokke with togarashi, plump Maine mussels simmered in red curry and coconut milk, and the most flavorful heritage pork katsu I’ve ever tasted.

36 Hours: Hudson Valley, NY

By Ingrid Williams
April 2025

The sleepy village of Kinderhook, a 20-minute drive northeast of Hudson, is home to the Kinderhook Knitting Mill, an 1870s textile factory that was recently repurposed as a hub for creative businesses. One tenant that warrants an early-morning detour is Morningbird, a serene cafe with beautiful ceramics on display from a local Korean American artist and a menu of Southeast Asian-inspired specialties.

Second Course: New chef keeps Aviary aloft with excellence

By Susie Davidson Powell
November 2024

Now 2 years old, Kinderhook restaurant in Knitting Mill complex shows maturity and sustained creativity.

Pit Stop: Kinderhooked

By Alan Katz
May 2023

Today, comfort comes in a very different package. At Morningbird, located at the reimagined Knitting Mill, you might order vegetable green curry with sweet potatoes, or Tivoli trumpet mushrooms over jasmine rice. Something warm, nourishing and oh so au courant—that’s Morningbird for you.