Thomas Henkelmann is a long way from his homeland of Germany, but he has settled nicely into America's culinary landscape. Henkelmann is the chef/owner of the Homestead Inn in Greenwich, Connecticut, an elegant inn and restaurant with warm service, a comfortable atmosphere, and word-class food.

Born and raised in the Black Forest, near the Alsatian border, Henkelmann first learned about cooking and hospitality from his uncle, who was a chef in the area. His mother, who knew where her son's talents and passions lay, insisted he cross the border into Alsace to work at the legendary Michelin three-star restaurant Auberge de l'Ill. He continued his training with Eckart Witzigmann at another Michelin three-star restaurant, , in Munich. In 1989 Henkelmann set out for America and the chef position at Manhattan's Maurice in Le Parker Meridien, which received four stars from Forbes Magazine under his direction. He moved from there to La Panetière in Rye, New York, a favorite spot for affluent Westchesterites. During his five-year tenure there, he earned the highest scores for French cuisine from Zagat and five stars from John Mariani.

But Henkelmann and his fiancée, Theresa Carroll, wanted a place they could call their own. Almost two years ago, they purchased an inn in a renovated 1799 farmhouse and have begun transforming it into a travel destination. Patricia Brooks of The New York Times was emphatic. "Dish after dish," she wrote, "produced sighs of deep satisfaction." Mariani included the Homestead Inn on his list of best new restaurants for 1998.