Growing up in Mexico City, Richard Sandoval would join his grandmother in the kitchen and gather around her large table with family to enjoy lively Mexican feasts prepared from scratch.

From his grandmother, he learned to respect fresh, authentic, ingredients and create the vibrant flavors that turned family dinners into celebrated events. Meanwhile, his restaurateur father - owner of Madeiras in Acapulco and Villa Fiore also in Acapulco - imparted lessons in service and restaurant management.

Sandoval, who was once a professional tennis player and had toured the world participating in prestigious matches, had such a passion for food that he decided to enroll in the Culinary Institute of America. Upon graduation, he gained the attention of New Yorkers with his contemporary French restaurants, Savann and Savann Est. Soon, though, he returned to his first love - the food of his childhood and in 1997 opened Maya, his flagship modern Mexican restaurant in New York.

During the past 18 years, Sandoval's career as a Chef-Restaurateur has evolved to include serving as a culinary consultant, television personality, cookbook author and brand ambassador. RS Hospitality is now a leading international restaurant group with over 45 concepts spanning Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Texas, New York, Virginia and Washington, D.C., as well as in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Mexico, Costa Rica, Tokyo, Qatar and Serbia. Restaurant Business named the company on their POWER 20 LIST in 2017.

With the broad range of restaurants in his portfolio, Chef Sandoval combines authentic Latin ingredients with international flavors and inventive techniques to create new and unexpected concepts and cuisines such as modern and coastal Mexican, Latin-Asian, Peruvian and Pan-Latin.

Sandoval has developed menus for American Airlines First Class cabin, as well as many of the world's leading hotels. He is equally passionate about tequila and has curated one of the largest collections in North America and the Middle East and aspires to educate diners on their quality and diversity. 

When not cooking, Sandoval is passionate about training the chefs of the future. He supports their growth on the Board of Trustees at his alma ma­­ter, the Culinary Institute of America and has recently received an honorary doctorate from Johnson and Wales. For his work, he has been awarded Mexico's National Toque d'Oro 2003, Bon Appétit Restaurateur of the Year 2006 and Cordon d'Or Restaurateur of the Year 2012 and various other awards for his restaurants around the globe.

RECENT awards
2019

BEST LATIN AMERICAN RESTAURANT
Toro Toro Doha - Fact Qatar Dining Awards

BEST SOUTH EAST ASIAN RESTAURANT
Zengo Doha - Face Qatar Dining Awards

FAVORITE NEWCOMER (CASUAL DINING)
Maya Doha - Fact Qatar Dining Awards

2018

LOS CABOS RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR
Toro Gastrobar - Culinary Award Los Cabos

BEST LATIN AMERICAN RESTAURANT IN DOHA
Toro Toro Doha - Fact Qatar Dining Awards

BEST SOUTH EAST ASIAN RESTAURANT IN DOHA
Zengo Doha - Fact Qatar Dining Awards

HIGHLY COMMENDED ASIAN RESTAURANT
Zengo Doha - Time Out Doha Restaurant Awards

2017

BEST LATIN AMERICAN RESTAURANT
Toro Toro Dubai - Time Out Restaurant Awards

BEST NEW RESTAURANT
Toro Toro Dubai - Time Out Restaurant Awards

RICHARD SANDOVAL RESTAURANTS
On Restaurant Business' Power 20 List

BEST LATIN AMERICAN RESTAURANT IN DOHA
Toro Toro Doha - On Restaurant Business' Power 20 List

BEST LATIN AMERICAN RESTAURANT
Toro Toro Doha - Time Out Doha Restaurant Awards

BEST NEWCOMER RESTAURANT
Zengo Doha - Time Out Doha Restaurant Awards

2016

BEST RESTAURANT LOUNGE
Z Lounge Doha - Fact Qatar Dining Awards

BEST RESTAURANT OVER ALL
& BEST RESTAURANT - LATIN AMERICAN
Toro Toro Doha - Fact Qatar Dining Awards

BEST SOUTH AMERICAN RESTAURANT IN THE GCC
Toro Toro Dubai - GCC Food and Travel Awards

BEST BRUNCH
Toro Toro Dubai - Time Out Restaurant Awards

BEST AMERICAN RESTAURANT
Toro Toro Dubai - Time Out Restaurant Awards

BEST LATIN AMERICAN RESTAURANT
Toro Toro Doha - Time Out Doha Restaurant Awards

RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR
Toro Toro Doha - Face Qatar Dining Awards

2015

HONORARY DOCTORATE OF CULINARY ARTS
Chef Richard Sandoval - Johnson & Wales University

BEST BRUNCHES IN DENVER
Tamayo - USA Today

2014

NAMED THE "KING OF LATIN FUSION"
by Modern Luxury Magazine

2013

TORO LATIN GASTROBAR NAMED "BEST RESTAURANT IN SERBIA"
TripAdvisor

RSR NAMED 25 COOLEST MULTI-CONCEPT COMPANIES
by Restaurant Hospitality

RICHARD SANDOVAL NAMED "ON PREMISE PLAYER OF THE YEAR 2013”
by Market Watch

EL CENTRO D.G. "BEST LATIN AMERICAN CUISINE"
Washingtonian Magazine

RECENT press

TIME OUT DUBAI
October 2019

OC WEEKLY
October 2019

TIME OUT DOHA
September 2019

CULTUREMAP
August 2019

5280 MAGAZINE
July 2019

TRIPSAVVY
June 2019

HOTEL MANAGEMENT
May 2019

7NEWS MIAMI
April 2019

CAPITOL FILE MAGAZINE
March 2019

BUSINESS INSIDER
March 2019

SUNSET MAGAZINE
February 2019

EATER CHICAGO
February 2019

USA TODAY
February 2019

FORBES
February 2019

5280 MAGAZINE
February 2019

IN NEW YORK MAGAZINE
January 2019

WHERE TRAVELER
January 2019

DINING OUT DENVER
December 2018

EATER DENVER
December 2018

EPOCH TIMES
December 2018

TIME OUT DOHA
December 2018

THE MANUAL
December 2018

EATER DC
December 2018

FORBES TRAVEL GUIDE
November 2018

VACATION IDEA
November 2018

FORBES
November 2018

5280 MAGAZINE
November 2018

THE EPOCH TIMES
October 2018

HOTEL F&B
October 2018

SOCIETY QATAR
October 2018

OPENTABLE
September 2018

EATER AUSTIN
September 2018

ASPEN TIMES
August 2018

DINING OUT ATLANTA
July 2018

5280 MAGAZINE
June 2018

TIME OUT ABU DHABI
June 2018

TRAVEL & TOUR WORLD
June 2018

5280 MAGAZINE
June 2018

ASPEN PEAK MAGAZINE
June 2018

USA TODAY
June 2018

LUXURY TRAVEL MAGAZINE
May 2018

SEE MORE PRESS HITS