Dear Wungwattana Appointed General Manager

Dear Wungwattana has been appointed general manager for the beautiful Pan-Asian restaurant Karma in Mundelein, Illinois (510 East Route 83; 847-970-6900). Wungwattana comes from a family of restaurateurs, and grew up learning the business from her aunt's successful Thai and Japanese restaurants in St. Louis.

Wungwattana has 8 years of professional experience in the hospitality industry; most recently as manager of Fresh, a Mediterranean steak house at the Renaissance O'Hare Hotel. She not only ran the day-to-day operations at Fresh, she also oversaw the hotel's bar and room service operation.

A north shore native, Wungwattana grew up in Vernon Hills and formally entered the restaurant business immediately after high school when she became the hostess at the Lincolnshire Marriott Resort's restaurant The King's Wharf. She worked her way up the ladder holding various positions such as a server, bartender and assistant manager until she landed the coveted manager position at the young age of 26. It was here where she was mentored and developed the skills necessary to be an extraordinary manager.

All of the knowledge that Wungwattana has absorbed through the years will shine through as she embarks on her new position as general manager of Karma. She is determined to make Karma the most sought out restaurant in the suburbs.

"I really enjoy working with all of the staff at Karma," she says. "They are like my second family; we all help each other out and work together as a team in order to make the customer experience at Karma top-notch. The ultimate goal of the Karma team is to make every customer experience the sensational food and the pleasurable atmosphere, making them returning customers."

When she is away from Karma, she spends all the time she can with her husband, who is the executive chef at China Grill in Chicago's Hard Rock Hotel, and their seven year old son Marcus. "It really helps that we are both a part of hospitality industry. We understand the hard work and long hours that go into making a restaurant successful" claims Dear. "If anything, it makes our family appreciate the time that we can spend together."

Karma is open seven days a week. Breakfast is served from 6:00 a.m.-10:30 a.m.; lunch hours are 11:30 a.m.- 2 p.m.; dinner is served from 5 p.m.-10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 5 p.m.-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Lounge hours are 5 p.m.-11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 5 p.m.- midnight Friday and Saturday. Karma is located adjacent to the Crowne Plaza Chicago North Shore at 510 East Route 83, Mundelein, IL 60060. For reservations, call Karma at 847-970-6900.