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Sikia, a Culinary Student-Run Restaurant, Opens for Dinner in Englewood

 Washburne Culinary & Hospitality students operate Sikia Restaurant. For the first time they will add dinner to their schedule.
Washburne Culinary & Hospitality students operate Sikia Restaurant. For the first time they will add dinner to their schedule.
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DNAinfo/Andrea V. Watson

ENGLEWOOD — For the first time, culinary students from Kennedy-King College served dinner to a select group of Englewood community members at Sikia Thursday night. Soon, anyone can snag a dinner reservation at the Englewood restaurant.

Community leaders, local business owners and residents were invited for the first taste at Sikia, 740 W. 63rd St., one of two restaurants run by students at Washburne Culinary and Hospitality Institute and which now offers lunch and dinner service.

Dinner on Thursday included crispy spring rolls for the first course, then moved to the slow-cooked brisket, green curry chicken and eggplant and chickpea griddle cakes for the second course. A dark chocolate creme brulee dessert completed the meal.

 Daija McCoy, 20, is in her last phase of culinary school at Washburne.
Daija McCoy, 20, is in her last phase of culinary school at Washburne.
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DNAinfo/Andrea V. Watson

“I think the menu is fantastic,” Teamwork Englewood’s executive director Perry Gunn said. “The chicken was very moist, very tasteful.”

Dream Cafe owner Howard Bailey agreed. 

“I was kind of surprised because people have a tendency of overcooking breast, but it was nice and juicy,” he said.

The added dinner service shows how popular the program has become.

“We have enough students who are interested in the program to now offer them an experience both at lunch and in the evening,” said Kennedy-King’s president, Arshele Stevens. “More students are learning that the jobs out there are real."

Daija McCoy, 20, has enjoyed her student experience and said her specialty is food presentation. She plans on attending the University of Illinois at Chicago next semester for its dietary and nutrition program.

“I absolutely love the program and I’ve learned so much about different cuisines,” said the Hyde Park resident. “I’m going to use food to make Illinois a healthier place."

Mary Lee James, 29, graduated from program in 2014 with an associate's degree in Applied Science in Culinary Arts. She now oversees the Parrot Cage, a restaurant fully staffed by Washburne graduates.

“I’ve wanted to be a chef since I was 5,” the Woodlawn resident said.

Her grandmother and mother are originally from New Orleans, so cooking together was a family tradition.

“She would show me how to do things .. how things were supposed to look, feel.”

The best part of being a Washburne student was the networking opportunities and exposure to top leaders and chefs in the industry, James said.

“Our goal is to make sure we produce well rounded students so they’re able to open their own restaurants,” said their instructor Marshall Carter.

The students learn how to work every position in a restaurant.

One of the most popular dishes is the octopus carpaccio, Carter said.

“It rivals any dish you’d get at a restaurant downtown,” he said. “That’s the goal here, to produce top-notch food that you would see in any other nice restaurant.”

Kennedy-King officials want to encourage the Englewood community to come out for lunch and dinner.

 Culinary students from Washburne cooked dinner for a private community event Feb. 4 at Kennedy King. It's their first time offering dinner.
Culinary students from Washburne cooked dinner for a private community event Feb. 4 at Kennedy King. It's their first time offering dinner.
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DNAinfo/Andrea V. Watson

“We want them to come here,” Washburne Culinary Institute Executive Director Marshall Shafkowitz said. “We want them to feel we’re an extension of their homes and that they can come and have a great meal here. It’s an affordable meal, but more importantly, they’re giving right back into their own community.”

He also wants to help improve the community.

“What we’re trying to do here is really become a staple within the community,” he said. “Help initiate that change in Englewood.”  

Community members said the restaurant is good for the community.

“I think it helps shine a light on the goodness that’s in Englewood,” said Bailey.

Gunn said Sikia can be an “attractor.”

“If Sikia could be a catalyst because of the food and dining experience you have here, as it continues to grow, I would love for it to be a driver, a rebirth in Englewood ... we hope that we can change the community with the programs we offer,” Stevens said.

Lunch and dinner is offered 11 a.m.- 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.- 7 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Reservations are recommended. Call 773-602-5200.

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