Kasey Passen
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Kasey Passen's passion for food and creating community informs her personal, professional and philanthropic life. A trained chef, she brings diverse people together for Shabbat and holiday dinners, reaching Jews and people of all backgrounds to strengthen relationships and consequently the community.
As the Associate Director of Hubs for OneTable, Kasey not only ensures that Chicago is a thriving place for meaningful Shabbat dinners, but that every city where OneTable operates is being shaped by a new vision for what Friday night meals can be.
Additionally, Kasey puts her culinary skills and passions to use at the JUF Uptown Cafe and Mishkan Chicago potlucks. Beyond the Jewish community, she is co-chair and founder of the
Sublyme Soiree fundraiser for Global Lyme Alliance,
a leading non-profit focused on education, awareness and research for Lyme disease. She is also helping GLA pilot a support network program in Chicago.
AGE:
36
PRIMARY GIG:
Associate Director of Hubs for OneTable
ON THE SIDE:
Cooking, exploring art, getting outside in nature and doing yoga
RELATIONSHIP STATUS:
Single
CELEBRITY DOPPELGANGER:
Punky Brewster. (She’s not super famous anymore, but as a kid EVERYONE called me Punky and it made me so mad. Now I check out her photos and totally get it. She seems like a cool lady!)
SOMETHING MOST PEOPLE DON’T KNOW ABOUT ME:
I backpacked around South America when I was 25 and had the opportunity to make wine in one of the most prominent vineyards in Mendoza, Argentina.
HOW YOU JEW IN CHICAGO:
Mishkan is definitely a place that I feel a huge sense of community, warmth and connection. When I’m not there on Friday, I love to host or go to Shabbat dinners around the city. Before working for OneTable, I didn’t have a regular Shabbat practice and really didn’t realize that Shabbat could be relevant to my life. Building a personal Shabbat practice keeps me grounded, connects me to my roots and has introduced me to an incredible network of new people in the city.
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