Monday, June 10, 7:00 P.M.
Members $95, guests $120

Flashback to 1902. Teddy Roosevelt was president, the Twentieth Century Limited set off on its inaugural run to Chicago, and the best food to be had in New York was in the city's hotels. Gracious dining rooms were backdrops to some of the era's most inventive dishes. Thanks in no small part to Rick Laakkonen, chef and owner of Ilo at the Bryant Park Hotel, the golden age of hotel dining has returned.

Laakkonen's innovative American cuisine, accented by his Finnish heritage, has earned him critical respect in a town that's not easy to impress. New York magazine's Hal Rubenstein, who has been tracking Laakkonen's career for years, wrote, "Ilo means 'a joyous state of being'—and giving birth to it has clearly put Laakkonen in that state, for there are a buoyancy and breadth to his cooking." William Grimes of The New York Times proclaimed Laakkonen a three-star chef "who seem[s] to be effortlessly inventive but solidly grounded in the fundamentals of flavor, texture and harmony."

As with the great chefs of a century ago, Laakkonen's training began early. At the age of 15, he took his first job in a restaurant—as a dishwasher. After graduating from the CIA in 1986, he made a beeline for The River Café to work for Charlie Palmer and David Burke. Three years later, Laakkonen's interest in pastry and breadmaking led him to France, where he trained at the renowned Ecole Lenôtre. Not long after, he secured a job at the three-star Michelin restaurant Les Prés d'Eugénie. Next, it was on to Monte Carlo and the kitchen of Le Louis XV, headed by Alain Ducasse. On his return home, Laakkonen became the chef at Petrossian and then at Luxe, where he earned three stars from The New York Times. Last year, he opened Ilo, and in a matter of months John Mariani of Esquire dubbed it "the city's single best new eatery."

For this summer celebration, Laakkonen will be joined by pastry chef Patrick Coston, a veteran of Fog City restaurants Ernie's, Aqua, and Cypress Club. His other posts have included the sweet stoves of Picasso in Las Vegas and Manhattan's Mercer Kitchen.