51����Ƶ

Tiffany White moves along the stainless-steel worktop in the Wyndham kitchen as she tosses pasta salad, slices broccoli-cheddar quiche, and whisks a crab cake off the grill and onto a bun. 

“We are constantly working,” she says as she plates orders for the dining room and prepares catered lunches to go out across campus. It’s just an average day juggling the many dining demands of 51����Ƶ with the small kitchen staff she calls “the dream team.”

White joined Wyndham Alumnae House as the sous chef three years ago, and in August, she was promoted to become the first female head chef at the restaurant.

“From where I started, to be here now at the top, it felt really good,” she says of the promotion.

The job doesn’t open up that often, says Nancy Cassano-George, assistant director of Wyndham, adding that the past two chefs each spent more than a decade in the role. “We’re super lucky to get her when we did.”

White had previously cooked at an assisted living facility and for Penn Medicine, but likes the smaller size of 51����Ƶ. “It feels like family here,” she says. 

Food has always been a family affair for White. She started out at 19 as a waitress, but cooking was in her blood; her grandmothers both cooked, and her father was a chef.

“He was the challenger,” she says. He always pushed her, and it helped her to learn. “We were battling between who could cook the best, although he could cook better than me.”

Her father passed away in September 2025. It’s been hard, she says, but cooking keeps her going through her grief. 

“The connection with my dad through cooking means a lot to me,” she says. “We actually spoke right before he passed about me getting the position. He gave me that reflection of: ‘You made it. You’re there where you need to be.’”

In addition to feeding 51����Ƶ faculty, staff, alumnae/i, and guests, White also cooks for her family; she has five kids ranging from 4 to 24 years old (her teenage son sometimes helps her at Wyndham) and a granddaughter. She spent Thanksgiving cooking at the College, then on Friday whipped up a feast for her family that included turkey, ham, salads, mac and cheese, greens, deviled eggs — the works. 

“I cook because I’m a foodie,” she says. “I just love food.”

Working with White is fun, says sous chef Reuben Menard, who worked in busy restaurant kitchens for 15 years before starting at Wyndham in 2025. “Everything is effortless.”

The job varies from day to day, and can be hard; on days with special events, such as board meetings or commencement, the team may be in the kitchen from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. But, Cassano-George says of White, “She doesn’t get rattled.”

"I cook because I'm a foodie. I just love food."

– Tiffany White, Wyndham Head Chef

White was drawn to the College's friendly atmosphere. “Everyone I interviewed with was nice; they welcomed me before I even knew I had the job,” she says. 

Another big draw was the opportunity to be creative and bring new ideas to the table. The food has been a hit. White has introduced new dishes, including the crab cake sandwich, and kept favorites such as the pecan-crusted chicken. 

Going forward, White hopes to expand the menu even more and introduce more desserts, including two of her specialties: Biscoff cheesecake and banana pudding. 

“Everyone I talk to in my life told me how proud they are of me,” White says. “I came a long way to get here.”