Julia Sullivan is the chef and co-owner of Henrietta Red in Nashville. Her passion for seasonal cooking is evident in her ingredient-driven menus and straightforward style, stemming from her early cooking in Nashville and in the Hudson Valley. Julia strives to create memorable dining experiences by balancing interesting flavors and elegant presentation with convivial spirit.

Born in Nashville, Julia was raised on home cooking but didn’t find her calling in food until high school, when she had the opportunity to spend a summer in Burgundy. Her path led her to Tulane University where her interest in food and entrepreneurship was fueled by the colorful restaurant culture of New Orleans. She enrolled in finance and management classes and took her first job in a restaurant kitchen. After graduation, she moved to New York and spent the following eight years developing a sensibility for food and dining, first as a student of the Culinary Institute of America and then as a cook. Julia worked at acclaimed restaurants including Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Per Se, and Franny’s, learning to balance an emphasis on simplicity and ingredients with technique and discipline.
Julia takes inspiration from former chefs and mentors, memorable dining experiences, and the many cookbooks in her collection. Henrietta Red is the product of years of hard work and meaningful influences. Named for Julia’s grandparents, the restaurant offers a warm and feminine space to showcase her contemporary seasonal cooking.

Since opening in 2017, Henrietta Red was named one of America’s 50 Best New Restaurants by Bon Appetit in 2017, one of GQ’s Best New Restaurants in America 2018, as well as being recognized as a 2018 James Beard Foundation Award semifinalist in the Best New Restaurant category. Additionally, Julia was named one of the Best Young Chefs in America by Robb Report, one of the Best New Chefs in 2018 by Food & Wine, and recognized as a 2019 semifinalist and a 2020 finalist in the James Beard Foundation Awards Best Chef: Southeast category.