Fine-dining restaurant reopens at Kennedy-King College in Englewood

Jasmine Minor Image
Thursday, January 30, 2025
Fine-dining restaurant reopens at college on South Side
A fine-dining restaurant, Sikia, has been reopened at Kennedy-King College in Englewood, run by their Culinary Arts school students.

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Fine dining is back at Kennedy-King College.

The Sikia restaurant reopened Thursday in Englewood after being closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The restaurant is run by students and serves as a educational tool for those studying the culinary arts.

"I worked in healthcare for about 10 years, so finally, getting the chance to live my dream for culinary," Kennedy-King College senior culinary arts student Christopher Randle said.

Randle said Sikia is not only a dream come true, but it a stepping stone towards bigger goals.

"I would like to be a professional chef as well, private chef as well," Randle said.

He said he spent years perfecting his recipes, from vegan mac and cheese to crème brlée, and now he gets to show off his skills at the Sikia restaurant.

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"When Sikia closed in response to the COVID pandemic, our students still needed a space to learn," Kennedy-King College President Katonja Webb Walker said.

The restaurant, which originally opened 2008, is an onsite learning lab for students. It was closed the past five years as a result of the pandemic. It's the only fine-dining restaurant in Englewood.

"The well being of kenned-King campus is the well being of the Englewood community," said Juan Salgado, Chancellor of City Colleges of Chicago.

The fine dining comes as the school says student enrollment is up 58% since 2022.

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"What you might call a spiritual refresh," Salgado said.

It's a refresh and reminder for those like soon-to-be college graduate Adrienne Gordan that the sky is the limit.

"A full-time job and holding a full-time position here in school didn't seem possible, but here I am, four years later," Gordan said.

Whether students are hosting or cooking, the living classroom is a place of academic excellence and the training of future chefs.

"Here's to a new beginning, and delicious dishes that I have to come," Gordan said.

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