HS Helsinki The women could not get to the restaurant in the 1950s without a man, so they built their own place – This is an unknown classic where Kekkonen slipped from the back door

Somewhere A woman lives in northern Finland and invites her friends to eat at a restaurant she loves every year.

The restaurant is a White Lady, where her own menu is designed for her every time.

“The customer comes to Helsinki to taste the dishes on the list, and a couple of weeks later he flies here to meet his friends again,” says the restaurant’s lady at White Lady. Camilla Bonden.

Bonden doesn’t tell who that woman is or where she’s coming from. The customer relationship is always confidential.

In Helsinki there aren’t many restaurants left that can be called a classic, but the White Lady, who turns 70 in March, meets the criteria.

The restaurant has a lot of loyal customers like a northern Finnish woman. There are even those who visited the White Lady as early as the restaurant’s first years of operation in the 1950s.

“They’ve also brought their own children and grandchildren here,” Bonden says.

The restaurant has its history, but it is not always understood today. Camilla Bonden says the restaurant’s name has even been resented, as the “white lady” is reportedly no longer an appropriate restaurant name in the 2020s.

“I have explained to critics that the name is original, historical and decided by the lottery. We want to respect that. In the name, White refers to the traditions of Lotta Svärd and its world of colors. ”

When the Lotta Svärd organization was ordered to be dissolved under the Moscow Armistice in November 1944, it was replaced by the Finnish Women’s Welfare Foundation. The mission of the foundation will continue the maintenance and assistance work of the lottery organization and support the lotteries returning from the war.

The foundation built a residential building at Mannerheimintie 93 for the lottery. A laundry, sauna and restaurant called White Lady, among others, were set up in connection with it.

White Lady held its inauguration on March 1, 1952. The restaurant was exceptional from the start, as it was the first restaurant in Helsinki to let women in without a men’s club.

“Restaurants were considered sins of sin, and according to 1950s sexual morality, women were under suspicion. They couldn’t even get to the restaurant with other women, ”the chairman of the board of the White Lady Aimo Bonden says.

The White Lady was built and inhabited by women, so it was natural to let women in.

White Lady was a quality restaurant serving fine cuisine and wines. At the door stood a janitor, the tables covered with white tablecloths, and the butler led the waiters.

The clients were public figures of their time.

Deputy Mayor of Helsinki Erik von Frenckell spent time at the White Lady with his secret car Tabe Slioorin with. Prime Minister and future president Urho Kekkonen visited often, but he did not come from the front door. Kekkonen was always guided to the office from behind.

The 60-year history of Mannerheimintie 93 tells the story of the Mannerheim race of artists and writers in the 1960s and 1970s, which culminated in the White Lady. The race started with five drinks at Klaus Kurje, the Separator, after which the participants went through all the taverns on Mannerheimintie, where one grog enjoyed each.

It can’t be said that the winner “survived” at the White Lady – the better term is probably “declared” – as there were restaurants on Route 21.

Finland The Women’s Welfare Foundation eventually sold the White Lady an opera singer To Timo Mustakallio. When Mustakallio became the artistic director of the Savonlinna Opera Festival in 1980, the restaurant passed to his son. Timo-Pekka to Mustakallio mixed To Matti Pulk and Aimo Bonden

Aimo Bonden had developed the concept of Rosso restaurants together with his wife Marian with the late 1970s. At the time, restaurants were usually either watering shops or fine dining restaurants with white tablecloths and butlers.

Bonden’s insight was to lower the threshold for visiting a restaurant. Rosso was made a relaxed place, where in addition to eating, the key was to relax together and provide a restaurant experience for families with children.

Read more: Where did Rossot disappear? Aimo Bonden, 76, now reveals how meticulous the operation of one of the all-time Finnish restaurants was

Bonden brought the ideas developed to Rosso to the White Lady. The caretakers and butlers and the white tablecloth were allowed to go.

The renovation also changed the name of the White Lady, with the opening of three new restaurants: the Italian-inspired Ristorante Maria, The Hunter’s Irish Pub and the Russian restaurant Pectopah Katinka.

A music bar Campano was opened in the basement, which was also frequently visited Remu Aaltonen.

Although there were enough customers, the changes did not go exactly as planned.

“Campano caused noise and traffic that disturbed the residents of the Service Foundation’s residential building. You know, Remu’s going was pretty lively, ”Bonden recalls.

So Campano was closed, and the same fate awaited Pectopah Katinka as well.

“We quickly realized from the little tips that Russianness did not fit in well with the values ​​of the Trust Foundation, which cherishes Lotta Svärd’s legacy.”

When the restaurant reaches a certain age and reputation, it is difficult to change its name. Despite the new restaurants, the townspeople still knew the Mannerheimintie 93 restaurant property as White Lady.

In 1995 Bonden became the sole owner of the restaurant. So she said it was not worth fighting against: the restaurant became White Lady again in 2001.

However, this millennium has been challenging for a traditional food restaurant and Bonden’s service philosophy, where meeting customers was the most important element.

“Social media changed the way I visited the restaurant. I no longer came to the restaurant when I met a friend on the street. Now, encounters happen digitally, and it doesn’t create real encounters. People’s emotional skills are disappearing, ”Aimo Bonden ponders.

“Some and the digital world will be the biggest challenge for restaurants in the future.”

At White Lady, the change has been reflected in the fact that people will be eating, especially in groups. It is often a matter of association meetings, commemorations or family and family celebrations.

Good Bonden handed over the reins of the White Lady to her daughter in 2017, even though Camilla had planned a completely different career. He had studied international business and dreamed of working in that field.

“However, I’ve grown up in this restaurant since I was a child and learned to love it,” explains Camilla Bonde’s decision to take over the White Lady’s business.

With ease, the restaurateur hasn’t gotten in: the corona pandemic has brought uncertainty about the future, and White Lady’s revenue has fallen below half normal. In addition, the restaurant bills imposed by the government have seemed strange to the entrepreneur and poorly justified.

According to Camilla Bonden, the White Lady has remained upright, above all, with the support of regular customers and staff. However, challenging times have not made him regret becoming a restaurateur.

“I like the rest of the word restaurateur, that sorcerer. It describes well this job, where you can sometimes do small miracles. ”

Kati Heinämies’ book Welcome to the box has also been used as a source in the story! – Asunto Oy Mannerheimintie 93 60 years