FOOD&WINE

DPlease tell us about yourself:

RI am the CEO, Founder and Owner of Richard Sandoval Hospitality. Our hospitality group has over 60+ locations across 4 continents, 11 countries and 10 US states. It all began with my passion to introduce Latin cuisine to the world. I learned many of my own business skills from my father who was a restaurateur in Acapulco. From my Grandmother in Mexico City, I developed my love of cooking. However, my focus growing up was tennis. I wanted to be a professional tennis player and was playing in college, and I had to decide whether I was going to go teach tennis or go into another profession.

Growing up in Mexico with my grandmother I was always around a lot of food. Everything in our culture revolves around food...I was always migrating towards the kitchen so I chose to go to culinary school. I enrolled in the CulinaryInstitute of America and opened my first Modern Mexican concept, Maya, in 1997. Denver was the next market that I opened a restaurant in shortly after – Tamayo is celebrating it’s 22nd anniversary in Larimer Square this year. Another RSH restaurant in Denver is Toro, a Pan-Latin restaurant & lounge located in Hotel Clio in Cherry Creek. We also have restaurants in the mountains - including Venga Venga and Toro in Snowmass, and Stoke & Rye in Beaver Creek. It’s been fun to continuously open restaurants in Colorado over the past 20+ years – this is one of my favorite places in the world.

DYou began your career with French cuisine. Why the shift to Latin, and specifically Mexican, cuisine?

RI craved the cooking of my childhood in Mexico City and my grandmother’s kitchen. She taught me to respect fresh, authentic ingredients and the vibrant flavors that turned family dinners into events. I also felt that there was an opportunity to reintroduce authentic Mexican to American diners, who mistakenly thought that all Mexican food was fast food or Tex-Mex.

DWhat do you love about designing the perfect dish?

RMy cooking style is “old ways, new hands,” where I take the authentic Mexican ingredients Iused with my grandmother and put a modern, global spin on them inspired by my world travels.

DShare your most recent awards and accreditations with us?

RI was humbled to receive “National Toque d ’Oro,” Bon Appetit’s “Restauranteur of the Year,”Cordon d’Or’s “Restauranteur of the Year” & James Beard Semi-Finalist for “Outstanding Restaurateur.”

DWhat are some of the latest trends you’re seeing in top restaurants around the globe?

RInteractive & Theatrical cuisine, which we are having fun experimenting with at some of our restaurants. For example, at dLeña in Washington DC, we mezcal-flambée a Tomahawk steak table-side on a cartthe guests love it! I am also seeing salsa macha as a 2023 food trend –which is a rich & slightly spicy, nutty salsa that hails from Veracruz, Mexico. It’s delicious!