Heather Terhune
Chicago, IL
AOS Culinary Arts 1995
I am the Executive Chef of Sable Kitchen & Bar, where I am able to push my ingredient-driven food philosophy in a new direction. After more than a decade perfecting American comfort food at Chicago's Atwood Café, adjacent to Kimpton's Hotel Burnham, I am now shifting focus at Sable to contemporary New American social plates.
I grew up in St. Albans, Vermont, and first discovered my passion for cooking while canning vegetables and making preserves with my mother and grandmother. My family knew something was up when I asked for artichokes and spare ribs for my fourth birthday present. The procurement and preparation of sustenance has been on my mind ever since. Enjoying the natural bounty of Vermont was a way of life for my family. We hunted, fished, gardened, tapped trees for maple syrup and even raised pigs. I think my dad always secretly wanted to be a farmer.
My family moved to Missouri, and I graduated from the University of Missouri (Columbia) with a Bachelor of Science in agriculture and hotel/restaurant management. From there I went to New England Culinary Institute, where I graduated in 1995.
I began working as a professional chef in The Willard Room at Washington, D.C.'s venerable Willard Hotel. Other jobs in D.C. included working at The Watergate Hotel's famed Jean Louis restaurant, with Michelin three-star recipient Jean Louis Palladin until his retirement. I then moved to Durham, North Carolina, to work at Pops Trattoria as Executive Sous Chef and Pastry Chef. I later helped open Mossant Bistro (now South Water Kitchen), and, at age 28, was promoted to Executive Chef at Atwood Café.
I've been a fan of the "eat local" movement all my life and am finding ways to incorporate Midwestern ingredients into Sable's menu. I am also a huge supporter of sustainable and organic agriculture, including Chicago's own Green City Market.
Remembering NECI: Going to NECI was one of the best decisions I have ever made. The education I received is something that cannot be expressed in words. It gave me the training I needed to be able to help me achieve my goals and to become an executive chef when I was 28.