Azhar Mohammad is no longer the executive chef at The Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis. Mohammad, who joined the luxury hotel in Clayton in 2010, is now helming culinary operations at The Ritz-Carlton property in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Replacing Mohammad is Melissa Lee, who joins the hotel after most recently serving as executive sous chef at The Ritz-Carlton, Orlando Grande Lakes in Florida.
Lee was born and raised in southern Ireland, where her family owned and operated multiple Cantonese restaurants. By age 11, she was learning to prepare the cuisine as she worked alongside her parents. She has been a member of The Ritz-Carlton family since 2004, when she began as a banquet kitchen supervisor/departmental trainer at The Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City. In 2006 she joined The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island, where she was eventually named chef tournant, overseeing eight departments. As the executive chef at The Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis, Lee will be responsible for overseeing the hotel’s banquet facilities, The Restaurant, The Grill and in-room dining.
This article appears in September 2012.