CHEF NATE HENSSLER’S CULINARY PHILOSOPHY IS CHARACTERIZED BY “RESTRAINT.”
“As chefs, we are trained to create. But it is the art of discretion that differentiates us. I’ve always carried the line with me, ‘The best ingredient is the one you leave out.’”
Henssler recalls discovering his love of the kitchen as a young child while watching Julia Child on PBS. He eventually got his start in hospitality at a bed & breakfast in southern New Hampshire before attending New England Culinary Institute in Montpelier, Vermont.
Upon graduation, Nate worked for James Beard winner Christopher Gross in Phoenix as well as with Michael Mina in Las Vegas and the San Francisco area.
After spending time traveling, eating, and cooking his way through India, Nate opened Sensi Restaurant (2004) with Chef Martin Heierling in Las Vegas, been the Executive Chef at Tao AsianBistro in Las Vegas, and Executive Chef for Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak, and Stone Crab and overseeing locations in Las Vegas, Chicago, and Washington DC.
Nate joined the Fifty/50 Restaurant Group in 2016 to become executive chef and partner, overseeing the kitchens at Utopian Tailgate, Roots Handmade Pizza, and 90th Meridian Kitchen & Bar. Most notably, Henssler was Executive Chef/ Partner of Chicago’s acclaimed Portsmith.
In 2022, Nate joined the Carlisle Restaurant Group to develop Amelia Gene’s as Managing Partner and Executive Chef.
Henssler’s vision for Amelia Gene’s is to allow the innate qualities of the ingredients to eloquently express themselves throughout every detail, from the menu to the style of service to the philosophy of unobtrusive hospitality. The menu emphasizes seasonality and dedication to ingredient-driven preparations. By design, no dish is overdone, yet their consistent intricacies influence a highly memorable meal.
