The Gourmand Fellowship is an 8-10 week fellowship for Philadelphia college students to gain industry experience in hospitality, while connecting restaurants with college communities.

We are excited to announce this year's fellows:

Kyla Uy ‘22 (Fork & Vernick)

"Hi my name is Kyla and I’m a senior at Penn from the Philippines. From discovering local comfort foods across quaint hole in the walls to experiencing the creativity of fine dining and renowned chefs, my love for food started from a very young age. To me, food was always a commonality that brought my friends, family, and new communities together. When I started cooking, I saw a whole different viewpoint to food and my passion for it accentuated further. . To me, the process is somewhat systemic and scientific, which is a natural tendency in which I see view and process the world. I always want to incorporate food into my life, eating and cooking across my journey"

Pinn Chirathivat ‘23 (Zahav)

"I am Pinn Chirathivat, and I’m from Bangkok, Thailand. I am currently a Junior at Wharton studying Finance and Operations and minoring in consumer psychology. I love cooking and bonding with friends over food"

Gabrielle Cabeza ‘22 (High St)

Gabrielle Cabeza is a Senior at the University of Pennsylvania studying International Studies and Business with a concentration in Finance and Marketing. Growing up, Gabrielle's parents owned a restaurant and this has gotten her interested in the restaurant industry. While she will be working full time in Private Equity after graduation, she is hoping to one day own a restaurant of her own.

Sienna Chen ‘25 (Vernick)

Hello everyone! My name is Sienna and I’m a freshman at Penn, studying nursing and nutrition. Some of my fondest memories surround food, from folding dumplings with my mom to sipping coffee over deep conversations with friends. It became even more meaningful when I learned how to make each of my favorite dishes and was able to share it with people I love. Food has grown to be an integral part of my life as well as an outlet to express my love and care for others, which I aim to keep doing by continuing to cook with passion and love.

Randy Bach ‘24 (Pizzeria Beddia)

Hey everyone! My name is Randy and I’m a sophomore at Penn, studying neuroscience and nutrition. I’m fascinated by all aspects of food behavior and hope to incorporate it with my pre-med background. Pursuing these interests, I lead the Penn Appetit organization and its new course of social impact, perform research on food insecurity, and teach schools about body positivity- among others things. Food is something that we all treasure, and I’m set on being involved in all aspects of the industry!

Melody Cheng ‘25 (A.Kitchen)

Hi! I’m Melody Cheng, and I’m from North Potomac, Maryland, studying Business Analytics and Real Estate at Penn. I enjoy exploring new cuisines with friends and family and learning about the underlying history of cultural dishes. On any given day, you can probably find me browsing through Yelp, adding to my restaurant hit list, or sketching new recipe ideas to try. To me, cooking is a creative outlet that attunes ourselves to the world around us, which makes sharing our food and experiences with those we love all the more humbling!