• The History

  Milton Hershey was a man of reinvention and ingenuity, whose vision for the future serves as his greatest success and his lasting legacy. In this spirit, The Circular at The Hotel Hershey features the fresh, new flavors of an iconic American dining experience, reimagined.

• The Room

  The atmosphere, menu, and service of The Circular provide a versatility of dining experiences from small plates and drinks at the bar with friends, to an intimate meal for two overlooking our magnificent gardens.

• The Food

  Here, you’ll enjoy history with a twist of innovation. Try our signature cocktails, taste the new flavors of our menu, and enjoy the bustle of activity in our interactive pastry kitchen, where decadent desserts are created to order while you dine.

Ken Gladysz

Executive Chef

Chef Ken Gladysz entered the culinary field in 1981. After a five-year period as a sauté chef at Aldo’s Black Pearl, a fine-dining restaurant in Sarasota, FL, Gladysz obtained his certification from the Culinary Institute of America. Upon graduation, Gladysz was hired at Actuelle, a trendsetting restaurant in Dallas.

Gladysz joined the Four Seasons Hotel and Resort Company in 1992 as sous chef. The decade that followed was a whirlwind of international activity, with placements including Tokyo, Japan; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; and Bali, Indonesia. Gladysz’s domestic experience includes assignments at the AAA Five-Diamond Four Seasons Houston Hotel and Four Seasons properties in Irving, TX and Jackson Hole, WY.

A milestone in Gladysz’s career is The Hotel Hershey being awarded Restaurants & Institutions coveted Ivy Award in 2010, and the following year, Gladysz was named “Chef of the Year” by the Central PA Chapter of the American Culinary Federation. Gladysz believes that chocolate is a great ingredient. Because almost everyone associates it with sweets, he enjoys the creativity of incorporating chocolate products into savory dishes.

Aaron Fowler

Chef de Cuisine

Aaron Fowler’s culinary career began in 1990 in Chapel Hill, NC as a dishwasher and busboy while he was a high school student. After high school, he attended the Culinary Institute of America. Following graduation in 1997, Fowler worked at The Little Nell in Aspen, CO, a Five-Star, Five-Diamond hotel and restaurant. After that experience, he worked for Four Seasons properties in Austin, TX and Jackson Hole, WY before coming to The Hotel Hershey in 2006.

At The Hotel Hershey, Fowler has held the positions of sous chef of The Fountain Cafe and banquets before taking on the role of chef de cuisine for The Circular. At the restaurant, Fowler is responsible for menu development of seasonal and holiday menus, managing a staff of up to six cooks, researching and developing new menu items that are current to today’s trends. Fowler enjoys creating modern dishes using inventive and experimental techniques – many of which are showcased on the menu at The Circular.

Cher D. Harris, CEPC

Executive Pastry Chef

Chef Cher Harris returned to Hershey from Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course in Grantville, PA. Prior to her time at the Casino, Harris was the Assistant Pastry Chef at The Hotel Hershey. Earlier in her career, she was the Pastry Chef and Education Specialist at Harrisburg Area Community College in Harrisburg, PA, and the Pastry Cook at Bent Creek Country Club in Lititz, PA.

Harris looks to enhance the flavors and textures of each dessert the pastry shop produces under her direction. She believes that guests are no longer wowed by items that are structural and impressive-looking, and feels that instead they’re looking for clean yet complex combinations that make sense. Overall, Harris’s goal is to deliver high-quality sweets to guests while challenging new trends in pastry.

Harris loves that working with chocolate is like pairing fine wines with food, in that the different cocoa contents create many flavor depths and compositions with chosen paired ingredients.