Penn Dining’s Quaker Kitchen has gained tremendous popularity recently due in large part to the hiring of Clara Park as its chef manager earlier this year, writes Maia Saks for The Daily Pennsylvanian.

Park has an extensive background in fine dining and recipe development, having worked at restaurants globally, and locally, such as at Osteria in Philadelphia.

She has won an episode of Food Network’s “Chopped,” and also competed in Netflix’s “Snack vs. Chef.”

In her role as chef manager, Park works with Quaker Kitchen’s culinary team and develops weekly dinner menus inspired by seasonal ingredients and diverse cuisines.

“I’ve really kind of pushed for more ethnic menus. … we try to be as authentic as possible,” Park said. 

Park also spearheads Quaker Kitchen’s weekly Wednesday Culinary Sessions, in which local chefs host cooking classes open to the Penn community.

Overall attendance at Quaker Kitchen has increased 15-20% since last year, and Park credits that to its local outreach efforts, an effort she hopes to see continue.

“I want to serve more people at mealtime. I want more people to come to events. I want as many countries and cuisines represented in these demos as possible,” said Park. 

Read more about Clara Park and Quaker Kitchen in The Daily Pennsylvanian.

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