Before a single dish is plated, there’s a strong foundation that guides the Herons kitchen that is built on trust, experience, and years of collaboration.
Chef Steven Devereaux Greene and Chef Spencer Thomson have worked side by side for over two decades. Their shared language in the kitchen is one honed by time: a glance, a gesture, a gut instinct on what comes next. It’s a relationship rooted in mutual respect, forged through countless services, seasons, and stories.
Their bond shows up in the little things, in how a plate is garnished, how ingredients are layered with intention, how each dish feels cohesive and speaks to the seasons.
Together, they lead the Herons team with quiet precision and a commitment to excellence that speaks for itself.
📸 @annarouth
.
.
#heronsnc #carync #theumstead #chefs #restaurants #northcarolina
One Oak Farm has always been at the heart of what we do, a short drive from the kitchen, and central to how we cook, think, and serve.
Since joining the team earlier this year, Farmer Adam Smith has brought fresh energy and intention to the land. With a sharp eye and deep experience, he’s helped evolve how we use every square foot of our farm. From maximizing bed space and varietals to refining crop rotation and planning for the seasons ahead.
The results? A growing ecosystem of vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers that arrive at the kitchen in peak condition, often within minutes of harvest. These ingredients are the starting point for creativity at Herons, grounding each dish in a real sense of place.
As summer has waned and fall settles firmly in, the farm continues to shift and respond as does our menu. And Adam, along with our kitchen team, is right there with it.
📸 @annarouth
.
.
#heronsnc #oneoakfarm #seasonalcooking #farmtoplate #northcarolina #fall
Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall.
At Herons, the menu shifts with the seasons. But more than that, it’s shaped by our One Oak Farm.
Every dish begins with what’s growing. Crisp greens in early spring. Tomatoes and corn at the height of summer. Fall squash in warm shades of gold and orange. The quiet depth of winter roots. Chef Steven and the team work closely with Farmer Adam to bring the best of each season to the plate.
The result is a menu that reflects not just time of year, but a deeper connection to place and process. Always evolving. Always grounded in the bounty of a recent harvest.
📸 @annarouth
.
.
#heronsnc #seasons #ourfarm #oneoakfarm #theumstead #northcarolina
Welcoming guest chefs into our kitchen offers a moment of exchange.
An opportunity to learn from new perspectives while sharing the ethos that guides our work at Herons.
Through collaboration, connections form and expands the way we think about the craft, together.
Scenes captured by @annarouth from our recent @thesaltymag_ collaboration dinner with chefs @jennertomaska and @paologriffa
.
.
#heronsnc #theumstead #collaborationdinner #restaurants #chefs
Crab paired with white asparagus, green strawberry, and brown butter dashi.
Delicate and layered, with brightness and richness held in quiet balance.
On the spring dinner menu through the season.
📸 @annarouth
.
.
#heronsnc #theumstead #crab #springmenu #northcarolina
Farm Friday Week Six: A look at our One Oak Farm Tour Menu
This micro-seasonal menu reflects the rhythm of the farm, evolving frequently to highlight ingredients at their peak.
In steady collaboration, Chefs @devereauxgreene and Spencer Thomson are in constant communication with the farm team, shaping together what is grown and how it’s used. This creates a menu that responds directly to what the land gives us.
Enjoy this tasting experience during dinner at Herons.
📸 @annarouth
.
.
#heronsnc #theumstead #oneoakfarm #farmfriday #tastingmenu
Spring is bursting in the kitchen, and with new images we can share a bit of what is being crafted with you.
Here, beets are complemented with rhubarb, toasted rice, and clarified whey, then finished with lemon sorrel oil. It’s a study in contrast—earth, acidity, and texture brought into balance. Our One Oak Farm-grown salanova lettuce rounds out the dish, bringing dramatic height and a crisp freshness to each bite.
Swipe through for how we harvest these delicate leaves.
📸 @annarouth
.
.
#heronsnc #springmenu #theumstead #northcarolina #ourfarm
Farm Friday Week Five: a look at the pollinators supporting the season ahead at One Oak and Appletree.
This year, we’ve introduced two hives at Appletree and two at One Oak, supporting both pollination and future honey production across the farms.
Bees play an essential role in the health and productivity of our crops, and their presence allows us to continue building a more balanced and resilient growing environment.
As Adam shares, “The goal is to create a system where everything is working together. The bees are just one part of that bigger picture.”
Alongside the hives, we are interplanting a mix of annual and perennial flowers throughout our production spaces.
This approach is designed to attract and support native pollinators, creating a landscape where honeybees and local species can thrive together.
As the season continues, we look forward to seeing increased activity across the fields, with pollinators contributing to the growth and quality of what we bring from the farm to the kitchen.
A look back at the seasons that brought us here.
From last spring through this winter, each menu was shaped by its moment, all guided by the land and what each season offered.
Our spring menu is here. Photos coming soon.
📸 @annarouth
.
.
#heronsnc #theumstead #seasons #springmenu #northcarolina
In service.
Small moments that often go unseen: finishing a plate, checking a detail, moving between the kitchen and dining room.
Part of the routine that shapes each evening at Herons.
📸 @annarouth
.
.
#heronsnc #chefs #theumstead #ncrestaurants #northcarolina
This week, we visit the greenhouses. For many of our plants, they get their start here.
Chef Greene explains “the farmers take the best tasting fruits and vegetables from the season, and collect the seeds to produce next year’s crop, which results in a more delicious and more nutritious yield.”
The Culinary team works in harmony with the farm team to create dishes that are delicious, artful and perfectly-timed for the season. Taste the magic on this season’s menu.
On Earth Day, we’re reminded that every small detail makes a big impact.
For Herons, that often starts less than a mile away at our own One Oak Farm, a three-acre garden where much of what arrives on the plate first sprouts.
Using regenerative and organic practices, the farm provides up to 70% of the produce used during the height of the season, shaping the menu in real time.
That same intention extends beyond the farm. A small garden on property supplies fresh herbs, while partnerships with producers like Larry’s Beans, Oyster Carolina, Dawnbreaker Farm, Chapel Hill Creamery, Bradford Farm, and Anson Mills help define the rhythm of the menu.
What remains returns to the cycle through composting initiatives taken right from our Hotel and regenerated into organic nutrients for the soil for our farm.
Alongside this mission, thoughtful systems are in place throughout the hotel from energy management to in-room recycling and refillable water stations.
Not a single moment, but a continuous practice: one that connects the land, the kitchen, and the experience, every day of the year.
