Downtown State College will soon welcome Tasty K, a new restaurant founded by Penn State Alumni, Andy Lee. Tasty K will feature traditional Korean fried chicken dishes available for takeout only. Lee expressed, “my goal is to show there is only one race in the world, and it is the Human Race!”
Andy Lee came to the United States from Korea when he was 16 years old, unsure of any college plans or career paths. “However, I met Coach Joe Paterno and got to learn about his passion for football, academics and sustainability.” Lee was inspired by the loyalty Paterno showed to Penn State and his players, and this is ultimately what led Lee to make the decision to apply to Penn State, “and Penn State was the only school I applied to. There was nowhere else I wanted to be.”
Andy went on to play division 3 soccer at Penn State Berks for two years, where he made lifelong friends. “We used to have Korean dinner once a week at my place and this continued when we all came up to University Park”, where he graduated with a degree in business marketing. After coming to State College, Lee noticed how sports, music and food brought people from different nationalities together.
Prior to becoming owner and CEO of Tasty K, Andy Lee had been a project manager in San Francisco for four years. After leaving that job, he gained experience in the food industry by working at his friend’s restaurant, where he learned cooking, serving, human resources, and how to manage the business.
The Korean fried chicken dishes that will be featured on Tasty K’s menu include: Original, Yang Nyeom (sweet and spicy), and Galbi (soy sauce). Dishes will also be served with white rice and a fried rice cake. “It is part of Korean culture to have fried chicken and rice! We call it Chi-Bob. Similar to burgers and fries.”
What sets Tasty K apart from other downtown restaurants is that the chicken is fresh, never frozen, everyday from local poultry shop, Imler’s Poultry. All orders are also made fresh, to ensure customers will have crispy, fresh, and juicy chicken with every order. Lee states, “our mindset is, if we don’t enjoy our product, we don’t sell it. Tasty K will never chase money, but to make the community better and bring the human race together.”
“In five years, my goal is to have an International Street in State College, where people can come to the street not only for the food, but also for different cultural experiences.”
Tasty K is expected to open on August 21st, and will be located at 325 East Calder Way. Follow them on Instagram @tastyk_pennstate!
