At Hummingbird…
We aim to provide a friendly, chic space that is accessible to everybody for any occasion. The portraits hung in our inside dining room were thoughtfully curated to represent all types of worldly people with the intent of conveying a space where everyone can feel welcome. We keep a small but robust menu with options for every palette and every craving. With much of our menu rotating seasonally, there will always be a few classics we keep as a nod to Coleen’s New Orleans culinary roots. From small plates for sharing to sandwiches and larger entrees we have you and your family in mind. We source ingredients as locally as possible and partner with some other great Raleigh businesses like Locals Seafood and Boulted Bread for some of our staples. Our intimate space is ready to keep you cozy and help you forget the world beyond our patio, even if just for a moment.
At the helm of our kitchen and the business mastermind behind it all is Chef Coleen Speaks. Originally from St. Louis, Coleen started cooking from a young age with her family and quickly moved on to working in restaurants. After graduating with an accounting degree from Loyola University in New Orleans, it was clear her heart belonged with food and she worked her way through some incredible restaurant staples learning from the likes of Emeril Lagasse and putting in time at places like Willow Catering, Bluebird Cafe, and Jacques-Imo’s, an institutional New Orleans restaurant!
Coleen moved to Raleigh feeling like this was an area just begging for more fun and cool dining experiences and quickly made a name for herself with PoshNosh Catering over 20 years ago. Growing that business throughout the years, in 2017 she was able to move into the newly renovated Dock 1053 warehouse community just 5 minutes from downtown Raleigh. It is here she built an expansive commissary kitchen for PoshNosh Catering, an event space, Whitaker & Atlantic as well as a brick and mortar restaurant, Hummingbird, that she runs alongside her sister Erin Barrett.
A multi-business owner, wife and mother, Coleen is a powerhouse on the Raleigh food & beverage scene with a huge passion for hospitality, fun, food and community. She makes it a priority to contribute to many non-profit organizations like Now Serving and Raleigh Pride NC. While also continuing collaborations with other local industry greats.
Dock 1053 History…
Once the biggest warehouse in Wake County, our Dock 1053 housed the Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company (A&P grocery) as a regional distribution facility where train cars would pull right up inside the length of the building for loading and unloading. Now known as Dock 1053, within the warehouse you’ll find a plethora of unique businesses including our own Hummingbird, PoshNosh and Whitaker & Atlantic. Whitaker & Atlantic is located in what used to be the refrigeration section of the facility and has amazing acoustics for events with live music or DJs. Hummingbird is located in what used to be the warehouse bathrooms! When you walk in, you can still see the original 1950s green bathroom tile. Scrubbed over and over again for good measure, but very cool to have preserved a little history of the space in its new form of our charming little Hummingbird.
For those history buffs interested in the details, click here.
