Chicago-the kind of place that won't let you down-it's my kind of town. That's Sinatra's take on the Windy City, and foodies would have to agree. This month, chef/owner Suzy Crofton, of Crofton on Wells, is throwing a Friends of James Beard Benefit, and some of the city's best chefs are lending a hand. Crofton has called on some of her out-of-town friends to join in the festivities as well, and the results are sure to be extraordinary. This Friends of Beard Benefit will also be a reunion of sorts-all the participants are alumni of Chicago's celebrated Gordon restaurant, owned by legendary restaurateur Gordon Sinclair, who will serve as Master of Ceremonies.

While the dining room will be in the capable hands of Sinclair, rest assured that Crofton's kitchen will run like a well-oiled machine. Although Crofton, a gifted chef with years of experience in the kitchen, describes herself as a "rookie restaurateur," she is already managing her place like a seasoned pro. Zagat respondents called her "world class" restaurant a "jewel," and Phil Vettel of The Chicago Tribune gave it three stars.

Crofton will be flanked by James Beard Award Winner Charlie Trotter and Don Yamauchi, the current chef at Gordon. Yamauchi, who has been with Gordon since 1996, earned four stars when he was just 27 years old as executive chef of Carlos, also in Chicago. Stints at Le Cirque, The Bistro, and Top Hat followed, but when Gordon Sinclair came calling, Yamauchi took the bait. And what's left to say about Trotter's eponymous restaurant? In 1998 Wine Spectator readers voted Charlie Trotter's "The Best Restaurant in the World for Wine and Food," and this year Trotter won The James Beard/All-Clad Metalcrafters Outstanding Chef Award. Enough said.

Norman Van Aken plans to escape the oppressive Floridian summer for a few days and join his fellow Gordon alums in Crofton's kitchen. Van Aken, the 1997 James Beard/American Express Best Chef: Southeast, will bring the sunny tastes of his New World cuisine to the shores of Lake Michigan.

Carrie Nahabedian will step out from her plush post at The Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills to reunite with Gordon comrades. Nahabedian was Sinclair's opening sous-chef under Van Aken, and was appointed executive chef of the Four Seasons in 1995. There, Gourmet gave her cooking top billing in its 1998 hotel issue.

Sweet tooths, rest easy: Celeste Zeccola will be bringing dessert from her place in South Carolina, Pawleys Island Pastry Shop. Zeccola's first job in the restaurant world was at Sinclairs Restaurant in Lake Forest, Minnesota. Stints at the Hotel Sofitel in Minneapolis and Carlos' in Chicago followed. A call from Mary Beth Liccioni lured Zeccola to Le Français in Wheeling, where she stayed until her own pastry shop came to fruition. Her story comes full circle: Zeccola has just sold the shop and will be calling the Windy City her home again-she is the new executive pastry chef at Gordon. Seems as if Ol' Blue Eyes was right on the money when he sang "each time you roam, Chicago keeps calling you home..."