A subscription to Bon Appetit from a family friend in the eighth grade sparked Elizabeth Dahl's inspiration for cooking. Growing up in Peoria, Illinois, Elizabeth's natural culinary talents quickly developed into a passion for hospitality - a passion that shines through the seasonal, sophisticated desserts that debut frequently at BOKA. "I have always loved hosting and serving people," says Elizabeth. "The cooking part to me was a given."

Elizabeth began honing her skills in high school working under Cyd Henrickson, owner of Cyd's Sendsational, a gourmet catering and food shop in Peoria. "Cyd was my first mentor and I watched her start her business ground up through a ton of time, hard work and talent," she says.

Following completion of the culinary program at Kendall College School of Culinary Arts in 2003, Elizabeth remained in Evanston, Illinois to work as a pastry chef at Campagnola and then assisted in pastries under the renowned Della Gosset at Charlie Trotter's. From there, she joined her then-fiancée, Timothy Dahl (pastry chef of Blackbird), at Naha in early 2005. In August 2006, she was appointed Naha's pastry chef.

In her new position as pastry chef at BOKA, Elizabeth complements executive chef Giuseppe Tentori's contemporary American menu by drawing on inspiration from nostalgic childhood dishes and seasonal fruits and vegetables. Two desserts already the talk of the town are Elizabeth's Semolina Pudding Cake with plums, golden tomatoes and mascarpone ice cream and Jivara Milk Chocolate Napoleon with roasted nectarine and lavender almond ice cream.

"With this new menu at BOKA, I'm trying to achieve more balance in my desserts, in terms of flavor, temperatures and textures," she explains. "The desserts are visually appealing and have a clean, simple look, bringing the total experience together for our guests."