New soul food restaurant offers comfort food ‘cooked from scratch’

Credit: Submitted Photo

Credit: Submitted Photo

Ms. Betty’s Kitchen LLC, a new restaurant specializing in soul and comfort food, is now open in Moraine.

“This restaurant is going back to the day where food was cooked from scratch,” said Steven Champion, owner of Ms. Betty’s Kitchen LLC. “We cut and slice our sweet potatoes. We cut our cabbage. We do our greens. We do everything from scratch.”

Credit: Submitted Photo

Credit: Submitted Photo

Ms. Betty’s Kitchen LLC is located at 4200 S. Kettering Boulevard in Moraine. The space previously housed Granny’s 4200 Place, a family-owned restaurant that closed in 2014.

Champion has worked in the food service industry for 52 years in nursing homes, retirement centers and hospitals where he learned everything from budgeting to ordering. He said he decided to open his own restaurant after a friend from his church, Revival Center Ministries in Dayton, had passed away. He planned to move to Houston, Texas, but his friend told him he needed to stay here, and if he did, he would open a restaurant. Nearly a year after she passed away, Champion said he signed the lease for the new restaurant.

Ms. Betty’s Kitchen LLC features “old school cooking,” Champion said. The restaurant is open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday with a rotating menu. Entrees include BBQ ribs, baked chicken, meatloaf, chicken spaghetti, oxtail, fish and much more. Sides vary from cabbage, collard greens and macaroni and cheese to candid yams and pinto beans. Champion said he also has vegetarian options. Prices for meals range from $12.50 to $20.

Credit: Submitted Photo

Credit: Submitted Photo

The restaurant was developed in tribute to Champion’s mother, Betty, who was an avid cook and helped him get his first job in food service at a nursing home in Springfield. He said she passed away in 2015.

The atmosphere of the restaurant is expected to make customers feel like they are home, Champion said. The restaurant has couches and games, including Checkers, where customers can enjoy each other’s company while waiting for their food.

He explained his mother always cooked everything from scratch, which serves as his inspiration.

Champion said he looks forward to meeting the Moraine community and encourages customers to reach out if they have ideas for a new dish.

“I’m looking forward to pleasing everyone,” Champion said. “To give them old school food cooked from the heart and soul.”

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