THE TEAM AT HAZEL
robert curtis
executive chef
Robert Curtis brings over 10 years of experience to his post as Hazel’s Executive Chef, including his most recent apprenticeship at the world-renowned Noma in Copenhagen. After graduating from Johnson & Wales in Charlotte, NC, Curtis cut his teeth at Brabo and Restaurant Eve in Alexandria, followed by a three-year tenure as sous chef at Michael Mina’s Bourbon Steak in Georgetown. While at Bourbon Steak, the Mina Group tapped Curtis to join the team at the now-closed RN74 in San Francisco. Before returning to the East Coast, Curtis spent time traveling through Turkey, which ultimately inspired much of the menu development and culinary direction for Hazel when he took the helm in 2018.
GREG ENGERT
BEER DIRECTOR
As the beer director for the Neighborhood Restaurant Group, Greg Engert draws on his extensive beer knowledge to source beers for the company’s 19 concepts including Birch & Barley, Churchkey, Red Apron & The Partisan, Iron Gate, Columbia Firehouse, Evening Star and Rustico as well as Planet Wine and more. To create unparalleled selections, Engert sources from both widely and little known breweries around the globe to find the best beers available. He also draws on his own formula of beer “flavor profiles” – crisp, hop, malt, roast, smoke, and fruit & spice – to influence all aspects of his work from menus and food pairings to beer classes and brewery dinners.
NICK FARRELL
SPIRITS DIRECTOR
Iron Gate’s Spirits Manager, Nick Farrell, lent his talents to create a batch of complementary cocktails to Chef Robert Curtis's menu at Hazel. The bar playfully borrows from the direction of the kitchen, using Mediterranean and Middle Eastern ingredients. Farrell taps Chef Curtis’s network of local farmers to add fresh flavors to Hazel's libations, and scratch-makes additions like Sahlab and limoncello. The list also features a rotating selection of non-alcoholic cocktails, as is prevalent in Mediterranean cuisine.
