Nathan Heil
Nathan Heil was born and raised in the Sonoma Valley. At a young age he was interested in cooking. He spent many a summer assisting his mother in the kitchen baking Grandma’s Banana Nut bread and canning various fruits from their trees and other local products purchased from the farmer’s market. He gained his first appreciation for the art of winemaking working at local wineries during the summer months and through the crush.

The two passions came together when he got a job in the kitchen at the prestigious Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa. There he learned the fundamentals of cooking and the importance of pairing food with wine. Upon graduation from high school, he set off to the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York where he received not only an Associates degree, but a bachelor’s in restaurant management.

From there he went back home to work at Brannan’s Grill in Calistoga as a Sous Chef where he started to develop his palette and the importance of textures. After a year of living at home it was time to take the step out into the world as he landed in Santa Barbara at the SanYsidro Ranch. Heil enjoyed the onsite garden creating daily specials with it’s bounty.

With an itch still to live on the east coast Nathan then moved to Boston where he got a job as a Sous Chef at the fresh seafood house McCormick & Schmick’s. It was there that he gained extensive knowledge of all types of seafood in a high volume environment that prided itself on at least 32 different species on the menu daily.

The allure of Santa Barbara found its way back into Nathan’s mind and three years later he was back assisting a friend in the opening of Sevilla. It was there that he drew from all his prior experiences and really made the transition from Sous Chef to Chef. Now at the Bistro, he is excited about the possibilities that are in front of him and the local bounty that is available for him to create with.