This classroom is dedicated to Anna and Tyler Burnley who have shown unending generosity and love for UP from its inception. The fundraisers they hosted at Thames Street Kitchen, a Newport restaurant phenomenon they built from scratch, resulted in thousands of dollars in donations, all supporting the Universal Promise mission of education as a means to achieve and sustain equity.
Anna and Tyler Burnley met in high school, after Tyler’s Navy family moved to Anna’s hometown of Newport, Rhode Island. Anna received her Associates Degree in Applied Science in 2004 from Università Polimoda in Florence, Italy. After graduating, she worked for design houses in Rome and Pisa before she accepted a position as head designer for Global Wise, a knitwear company based in NYC. Tyler received his Associates Degree in Business Management in 2002 from American University in Rome, Italy. After graduation, he stepped into the kitchen and hasn’t left.
After spending many years traveling and eating their way around the world, Anna and Tyler decided to settle down and open up Thames Street Kitchen, a farm-to-table restaurant that features locally sourced cuisine. TSK ultimately paved the way for other restaurants, including anything from yummy, fast-casual cuisine to exceptional upper-end dining.
Along the way, Anna and Tyler added three feisty, independent, creative, and beautiful daughters to the mix, all of which resulted in what anyone would call a pretty, beautiful, crazy life!
Honoured by Universal Promise