  
Executive Chef Heather Terhune
For Executive Chef Heather Terhune, Sable Kitchen & Bar presents a thrilling opportunity to push her ingredient-driven food philosophy in a new direction. After more than a decade perfecting American comfort food at Chicago's beloved Loop mainstay Atwood Café, located adjacent to Kimpton's Hotel Burnham, Terhune's focus at Sable shifts to contemporary New American social plates.
Terhune uses Sable's state-of-the-art open kitchen to interact with guests and serve food that is both innovative and appealing in its simplicity. "My focus is on the quality of the ingredients, not the quantity," she explains.
Chef Heather's History
Terhune grew up in picturesque St. Albans, Vermont, and first discovered her passion for cooking while canning vegetables and making preserves under the watchful eyes of her mother and grandmother.
Terhune's family knew something was up when she asked for artichokes and spare ribs as a fourth birthday present. The procurement and preparation of sustenance has been on her mind ever since. Enjoying the natural bounty of Vermont was a way of life for the Terhune family, who hunted, fished, gardened, tapped trees for maple syrup and even raised pigs. "I think my dad always secretly wanted to be a farmer," she says.
The Terhunes later moved to Missouri, and Heather graduated from the University of Missouri (Columbia) with a Bachelor of Science in agriculture and hotel/restaurant management. Next stop: the New England Culinary Institute, from which she graduated in 1995.
Her Culinary Calling
Terhune began honing her craft as a professional chef in The Willard Room at Washington, D.C.'s venerable Willard Hotel, often described as the "crown jewel of Pennsylvania Avenue." Other posts in D.C. included The Watergate Hotel's famed Jean Louis restaurant, where she worked under Michelin three-star recipient Jean Louis Palladin until his retirement.
Terhune then moved to Durham, North Carolina, to work at Pops Trattoria as Executive Sous Chef and Pastry Chef. She later helped open Mossant Bistro (now South Water Kitchen), and, at age 28, was promoted to Executive Chef at Atwood Café.
Executive Chef at Sable Kitchen & Bar
A fan of the "eat local" movement, Terhune has found a way to incorporate Midwestern ingredients into Sable's menu by having many of its supplies delivered by Rick DaVee of Green & Green, whose sources help Terhune to connect with roughly 20 area farmers. "Working with Rick allows us to have the benefits of farmer's market shopping," Terhune says. Terhune is a major supporter of sustainable and organic agriculture, including Chicago's own Green City Market.
Terhune lives in Chicago's Lincoln Square neighborhood and spends her time outside the kitchen exploring her vibrant city, its lakefront and culinary scene.
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Watch Sable Chef Heather Terhune compete on Top Chef Texas, previewing on November 2.
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