ENGLEWOOD — More than three years after closing its doors, one of Englewood’s only sit-down restaurants reopened briefly Wednesday, giving neighbors, staff and students a glimpse of what’s in store for the culinary destination.
Dozens of supporters gathered at Sikia Restaurant, 740 W. 63rd St., for a “Farewell & Hello” luncheon hosted by Kennedy-King College leaders. Sikia is the student-run restaurant at the city college’s Washburne Culinary and Hospitality Institute.
Servers dressed in all black topped off drinks of fresh cranberry lemonade, while in the kitchen, student chefs prepared dry-aged duck, salmon coated in a jerk agave glaze and for dessert, sweet potato crème brulée.
For many guests, it was the first time they’d eaten in the restaurant since before the pandemic. For most students, it was the first time they’d served guests at the Englewood college.
“This is like the old days of Sikia when you would come in and see folks enjoying their meal and enjoying our students and the wonderful hospitality that they have to offer in the delicious food that they serve,” said Kennedy-King College President Dr. Katonja Webb-Walker.
Sikia closed its doors in 2020 at the start of the pandemic.
With no other white-tablecloth restaurants in Englewood, neighbors journeyed to nearby communities for a place to sit down and eat. Washburne students who once trained at the restaurant, learning to cook highbrow meals and serve guests, moved classes to the Downtown Hyatt on Wacker Drive to refine their skills.
Three years later, Sikia is preparing for a refresh, with the help of about $500,000 from a historic $5 million grant given to Kennedy-King College by philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. The restaurant aims to reopen by fall 2024, according to Jewel Mideau, executive dean at Washburne Culinary and Hospitality Institute.
Wednesday’s luncheon was a “farewell” to the old Sikia and a “hello” to a new restaurant that will have hardwood floors, freshly painted walls and colorful seating and art, said Mideau, who’s leading the charge to renovate the 4,000-square-foot space.
Guests were asked to scan a QR code and vote for design schemes they’d like to see in the renovated restaurant.
School leaders said the new Sikia will once again be a community destination as it resumes its mission of training the next generation of culinary and hospitality leaders.
“My heart is so full right now,” Mideau said. “I don’t know that you all understand the magnitude of what is truly happening right now here in Englewood for us.”
Elisa Louden graduated from Washburne three years ago and is now a cook at The Clare, a luxury retirement home Downtown, but she comes back to volunteer because she “loves this place so much,” she said.
Louden said lead chef and instructor Gabriel Alvarez, “one of my favorites,” helped pave the way for her.
Plating food, like Wednesday’s entree of dry-aged duck breast with black cherry gastrique and green pea puree, is the “best part for me,” Louden said. “People eat with their eyes first,” she said.
“Every person is different, so displaying their artwork in different ways and for people to be able to see that when it comes to them, that’s my favorite part when it comes to plating and cooking in general,” Louden said.
For student Ismael Diaz, becoming a chef is “just in my blood,” he said.
Diaz grew up watching his dad, a chef, and his mom, a lifelong cook, prepare traditional Mexican dishes, he said. Every Saturday night, he and his parents would sit on the couch and watch the Food Network, he said.
Wednesday’s luncheon was Diaz’s first — and last — time working at Sikia, he said. On Friday, Diaz will receive his associate’s degree and begin his training as a sous chef at a restaurant, he said.
“I never got to experience how Sikia works, and today was a great example of getting to serve and back of the house, getting to cook,” Diaz said. “Being here, I got to learn different types of cooking and styles of working the front of the house as well. I didn’t have to limit myself to just one experience.
“I’m thankful for my teachers, who taught me everything along the way. I appreciate everything they’ve done for me.”
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