by Grzegorz Caputa.
Kasia Ryniak ’98 is passionate about pasta. Known as the “Pasta Queen of Wroclaw,” this Polish culinary artist delights in creating cuisine as beautiful as it is delectable.
“I cook to please other people,” she says. Online reviews confirm patrons at Ragù Pracownia Makaronu, the Wroclaw restaurant at which she is pasta chef, are indeed pleased with her efforts.
One of her favorite types of pasta to make by hand is fusilli. “You curl it into a spiral and each one comes out a little different,” she says.
Ryniak came to Kansas to finish her high school education, and stayed for college, earning an MBA from WSU. “It’s a cozy university with a huge opportunity to develop any interest you have,” she says.
After returning to Poland, she helped run a small business that offered English classes, and later worked for Hewlett Packard.
But a love for Italian cooking lured her into the kitchen. “I discovered an artist inside myself accidentally,” she says. Those in Wroclaw with discerning palates are glad she did.
