Milton’s Abby O’Donnell, 44, grew up in suburban New Jersey, helping her mom assemble wildly popular Caesar salads at the family’s catering business. She headed north to Boston University on a swimming scholarship, balancing academics with a short-lived bouncing career at The Harp. (She later moved on to bartending and waitressing.)
In 2014, O’Donnell got into the restaurant business, opening Wheelhouse, which drew a following for its burgers. Now, she runs a trio of concepts inside the High Street Place food hall: Wheelhouse; fried chicken stall Haley Jane’s; and Stack & Schmear, serving bagels and deli sandwiches. O’Donnell reflects on her New Jersey roots, her bouncing days, and the one bagel topping she just can’t stand.
Tell me about your restaurants.
Wheelhouse is the original spot. Our first location opened in 2014 on Milk Street. From Wheelhouse came Haley Jane, which started because we did a special on Thursdays — Thick Thigh Thursdays, just one [fried chicken] sandwich, and we did 100 of them [every day]. It turned into a very popular thing where it was selling out [by] breakfast.
When we were originally approached by High Street to do Wheelhouse, we closed the original location, moved there, and asked if we could open two [restaurants], just to keep the two identities separate and give that fried chicken a shot, which worked very well. Stack & Schmear is my heart of concepts, my heart and blood. I grew up in New Jersey. Subs and bagels are a way of life. In high school, we used to always go to the sub shops and then go to the beach. And bagels: Growing up, they were a holiday thing. We had them for Mother’s Day and on Christmas morning.
What drew you to Boston?
I studied business management and economics at BU. I’ve always been a numbers nerd. I enjoy numbers, which probably sounds weird to most people, but I always enjoyed math. Reading was not my thing,
When I was a kid, I was like, “I want to be the CFO of Johnson & Johnson!” I don’t know why. It was a strange thing that I used to say. My dad also ran his own business. I saw the perks and highs and lows. There’s a little bit more flexibility. At BU, I was on a full swimming scholarship. I swam full time, and I was working at The Harp.
How did you break into the Boston food business?
I ended up working at The Harp for over a decade, and when they needed help in the kitchen, I’d help out. My main thing was bartending and waitressing. But I started off as a bouncer.
You were a bouncer! Were you throwing people out?
It was fun. It was short-lived, the bouncing, because then they found out that I had restaurant experience, so I started waiting tables. And shortly after, I started bartending.
I did get hit a couple times. But, when people are intoxicated, it doesn’t matter — you’ll win right away. I was always sober, so if I needed to get away, I knew I could grab one of the other guys. It was pretty funny.
Oh, my. What was the nightlife scene like back then?
This was in 2002, back when there was a line down the street. Smoking was not allowed, but that wasn’t strictly enforced yet. It was fun. It was different. I’ve probably lost a lot of hearing and brain cells, but in college, it was a way to work and still be social without having to spend money.
Has Boston nightlife changed?
I think that era kind of still exists with the younger crowd; I’m just not young anymore. I guess it’s a little less rough and tumble. I know even The Harp only opens [Wednesday through Sunday] and for events and games. I think everything dipped, and now it seems that, hopefully, things are coming back. Downtown, offices are starting to fill up.
How’s business downtown?
Especially at Wheelhouse, we get construction workers. It’s very diverse. At High Street, I feel like you have the steady clientele, the lunch crowd, who all work within the buildings [nearby]. High Street recently got voted best food hall in the country [by USA Today readers]. I think that’s going to definitely bring in more tourists, because that’s a huge honor. And the summer is going to be super busy with the World Cup coming, so it’s all pretty exciting.
It’s a really fun spot because there’s so much diversity that happens there. I mean, we’ve had bar mitzvahs there. It’s really cool: They’ll come in and totally redesign the space. It’s so fun, watching the kids. We do mini milkshakes.
I must ask: What’s the difference between a food court and a food hall? I guess the food court reminds me of hanging out at the mall in the 1990s.
That’s exactly right. I think a food hall is just an upscale version. It’s classier. You can sit down and have a cocktail. Food courts tend to be more generic fast-food.
When it comes to Boston’s food scene, what do you think we do well, and where can we grow?
I’m a big fan of the COJE Group [Mr. H, Yvonne’s]. I think there’s the blooming of places with atmosphere, which is nice — all of that goes into your dining experience. It’s not just the food.
What could we do better?
You know, I’m not sure. I think, in general, the industry is a little underpraised in Boston, I think it’s a really good food scene, and not everybody realizes that. People always think of New York.
Why? What’s the problem?
I don’t know. Even at the food hall itself, I’ve run into tourists who say, “The food around here is really good,” and they seem surprised. I’m not sure if it’s just because we’re smaller, but I do think that there’s a ton of good food around.
Where do you eat close to home?
I’m going to a deli, my favorite is Tutto Italiano in Hyde Park. In [Milton] itself, we have Steel & Rye. There’s always a good atmosphere. And Novara is good. Milton has their set standards, and those are the main two that people go to, where it’s good to grab a drink and the food is always on point.
Is there any food you cannot stand?
Spicy food. I don’t handle it well. It’s funny: At home, my husband does all the cooking, and he loves spicy. I’ll ask him: “Is this spicy?” When he says, “Well, I don’t think it is,” I know it is.
What foods do you love?
Bread! You can tell from my menus. I like to eat everything with my hands, if possible. At Stack & Schmear, we bake our bread every morning, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. It’s the same way with bagels.
New York versus Boston bagels: How are they different?
Oh, it’s tough. It is different. We use Wicked Bagel. They deliver fresh every morning. And when I was on my hunt to find the bagel that I wanted, I was on the phone with the owner and president, and they said: “We’re from New York.” It all makes sense. Since I’m from New Jersey, I’m very picky. They ended up starting this business because they couldn’t find a good bagel.
What’s your ideal bagel?
I like lox. Growing up, my mom used to make it. I’ll do an onion bagel, toasted, with onions and scallion cream cheese. It has to be scallion cream cheese; a lot of places around here just do chive. I’m not a capers fan, though. A lot of people love capers. That’s not my thing. If I go someplace, I don’t even tell them to take it off. I just sneak it off afterward.
As someone from New Jersey, you’d be horrified by my bagel order.
Now you need to tell me.
This is humiliating. I get a chocolate chip bagel, untoasted, with strawberry cream cheese and lox on the side. It’s a messed-up bagel order, but it works for me.
You’d definitely like salty, chocolate-covered pretzels.
Interview was edited and condensed for clarity.
Kara Baskin can be reached at kara.baskin@globe.com. Follow her @kcbaskin.