Abigail Navis-Black

Abigail Navis-Black started on the floor at Suzette's Creperie in Wheaton, Illinois, as a counter worker, a role that keeps you close to speed, handoff, and guest rhythm. In 2016, Henley in Nashville, Tennessee, gave her a first pastry post as pastry assistant, the kind of position built on repetition, timing, and consistency. At Henrietta Red in Nashville, Tennessee, that progression continued from pastry assistant to pastry sous chef from 2018–2023, the sort of stretch that builds judgment as much as technique.

By 2023, that work had carried her into the executive pastry chef role, where the standard is not just execution but the ability to shape the whole dessert program.

At Henrietta Red in Nashville, Tennessee, Navis-Black oversees the dessert program, custom cakes, breads, pastries, and quiches for brunch. The range matters: it asks for the same discipline whether the work lands at the end of service or at the start of the day. Among her named signatures is an apple tarte tatin with cheddar cheese ice cream, a combination that puts a classic format in conversation with a sharper, more unexpected dairy element. The result is pastry that leans on balance rather than excess.

Abigail's signature dishes include apple tarte tatin with cheddar cheese ice cream and Earl Grey-Caramel Ice Cream Cake. Read together, they show a pastry register built on contrast: fruit against dairy, tea against caramel, heat against chill. That kind of pairing relies on restraint and placement, not volume. The work suggests desserts designed to finish cleanly and stay in the room after the plate is cleared.

Abigail's honors include StarChefs Nashville Rising Stars Award (2026).