Derrick Green, executive chef at The Ritz. Photo courtesy.

The Ritz-Carlton Charlotte has named two new chefs to their culinary team: Executive Chef Derrick Green and Pastry Chef Hannah Neikirk. The two will work closely together to introduce a new cohesive culinary experience for guests at the Uptown hotel.

Green will design a new banquet menu that is driven by locally sourced produce and utilize the hotel’s rooftop garden. Green spent his first few months honing the menus for The Punch Room and K Lounge.  An update to in-room amenities and selections is also planned.

Neikirk plans to update Bar Cocoa and will introduce more vibrant crafted cakettes. Neikirk wants to showcase the pastry team’s talents and plans to start offering new cakes to the Cake Room for special events and weddings. The duo will also introduce new Cocoa Lab classes that will be released soon.

Hannah Neikirk, the hotel’s newly named pastry chef. Photo courtesy.

Green’s resume includes a long history working as a banquet chef for hotel properties including Ritz-Carltons in Orlando, Palm Beach, and Buckhead. Green was the former opening banquet chef for The Ritz-Carlton Charlotte. Neikirk comes from Big View Bakery in Ballantyne, where she served as head pastry chef for the past three years.

“I am thrilled to rejoin the hotel’s culinary team alongside Chef Hannah,” Derrick says. “We plan on refining processes and menus to cater to the changing wishes of the modern luxury guest.” —Justin Burke-Samson