Great Blue Heron Grill is a hole-in-one at Semiahmoo Resort

Great Blue Heron Grill is a cozy dining restaurant serving comfort meals next to the driving range at Semiahmoo Resort Golf and Spa.

Semiahmoo Resort executive sous chef Kelly Stanley spends most of her time at Great Blue Heron Grill, at 8720 Semiahmoo Parkway, creating a dynamic menu that is locally sourced and seasonal.

“We have to keep it fresh because a lot of our clientele live in the neighborhood, and they’re members of the golf course,” Stanley said. “They’re here, two, sometimes three nights a week, so they need variety.”

The menu features classic dishes like steak, various seafood, soup, salad, burgers and Sunday brunch. Ingredients are sourced from the Puget Sound Food Hub Cooperative, Spotted Owl Farm, Slack Tide Fisheries and Lummi Seafood Market.

“I try to purchase as much as I can as close as possible,” Stanley said. “If it’s in season and it’s from right here, then you know it’s fresh.”

Stanley is a veteran resort employee, joining as a line cook for Packers Kitchen + Bar when the resort reopened more than a decade ago.

“When the resort first reopened 12 years ago, we opened the kitchen with five cooks,” Stanley said. “There was a three-week period where I lived at the hotel because I was working so much.”

Stanley joined Semiahmoo Resort after receiving her associate degree in culinary arts from Bellingham Technical College. She moved to Whatcom County from the Bay Area 19 years ago.

The restaurant is open to the public in addition to golf club members.

Great Blue Heron Grill has collaborated with the community by partnering with Blaine High School to host an upcoming comedy night on Saturday, March 29. They host trivia twice a month and are having a chef’s table event on Thursday, March 27.

Stanley hopes that more Blaine and Birch Bay residents will venture to Great Blue Heron Grill to try their high-quality meals.

“I’m really proud of our food,” Stanley said. “The only reason that I do it is because I love to cook and I love to feed people.”

Restaurant recommendation: Stanley recommends readers try the chicken pot pie or the prime rib, which is served every Wednesday.

This article is part of a series in The Northern Light highlighting Blaine and Birch Bay restaurants.