A West Virginia native, Derek has over 18 years of beverage hospitality experience. After college at Temple University in Philadelphia, he moved to NYC for a career in finance (Credit Suisse, JP Morgan, Lehman Brothers) and ended up falling I love with hospitality. After spending nearly a decade behind the bar at acclaimed NYC restaurants and bars (including Daniel Boulud’s DBGB and Café Boulud, David Chang’s Momofuku Ssäm Bar, Danny Meyer’s North End Grill, and Underdog), Derek arrived in Houston, TX at the end of 2016. In addition to various event and consulting projects with brands like Bacardi, Brown Forman, Diaigio, The Four Seasons and the Waldorf Astoria, his work has also been featured in the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Culture Map and the cover of StarChefs Magazine.
In conjunction with a bi-coastal team, Derek also designed a wine based amaro and brought it to market in 5 states in 2015.
Derek was the beverage director at Riel Restaurant in Houston as well Blood Brothers BBQ in Bellaire, TX.
Most recently Derek was a Business Development Manager for Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, focusing on the Houston market with a focus on craft spirits.More...