Chef Richard Sandoval has built RSH (Richard Sandoval Hospitality) into a gastronomy empire with over sixty restaurants spread across the world including far away lands Malta, Greece, Qatar, Morocco, Serbia, Spain, Abu Dhabi, and closer resort towns like Los Cabos, Punta Mita, and Riviera Maya. Stateside there are outposts in Denver, Sedona, Miami, Chicago, Houston, DC, and where it all began, New York City.
Set to steer the massive culinary ship moving forward are his offspring, Isabella, and Giancarlo Sandoval.
At the moment Giancarlo is spending time at midtown’s tán, as he prepares for the major challenges ahead.
We spoke with the scion about his vision for Richard Sandoval Hospitality, the work at award winning tán, and the responsibility of following the footsteps of a legendary chef.

HOMBRE: What is your current role at Richard Sandoval Hospitality?
Giancarlo Sandoval: Right now I’m the sous chef at tán, a Tulum style restaurant in New York City. We pull our flavors from the Yucatan Peninsula and its amazing. It’s hard work, a lot of hours, seven day weeks, but it’s fun.  I love working there. I’m the right hand man of the chef, overseeing the kitchen and food quality and making sure everything is to the utmost excellence.

H: What was your training beforehand?
GS: Before that I worked at Jean-Georges for a year and three months. It was an eye opening experience. It taught me how to work hard, make sure everything is organized and cut correctly, to respect and communicate with the chef. I’m taking some of the values of Jean-Georges and implementing them here at tán, like making sure we have a successful team and the food is coming out at the highest quality.
I want to make my father proud and I work with my sister too. She’s in a more corporate position but actually opened tán so it was really cool to work with her for a little bit.

H: Did you work at other RSH restaurants?
GS: I started working with my father as a dishwasher, at Zengo in Colorado. That was my first look into the kitchen. Then I worked at Tamayo in Denver Square which just reopened where I was a line cook. I finished college and went to culinary school for two years, same as my father, The Culinary Institute of America. I got my Associates Degree and went to Jean-Georges and now I’m here.

Chef Richard Sandoval

H: When we interviewed Richard years ago, he spoke about working with his father in Acapulco, now here you are doing the same thing.
GS: It’s cool to hear it that way, he worked with his father and now my sister and I are working with our father. It’s a beautiful thing to see this being passed out through generations. It’s important that we nurture and stay true to our Latin roots, making our family proud and showing everyone that this is authentic Latin cuisine. I want to travel more throughout México, learn more about the ingredients and the culture, and bring that here.

H: Why is it important to work with family?
GS: Nothing is more exciting than working with my dad and my sister and keeping true to the family values. It’s something I love because I can talk to my dad as a father, but he’s also basically my boss, and gives advice on all aspects of my life.

ToroToro in Malta

H: What makes RSH restaurants successful in foreign markets?
GS: It goes back to my dad being a Mexican Latino and being proud of his roots and his culture. He’s passing that on and it shows in his food. His flavors, his drinks, everything my dad does is very bold and exciting and has a lot of flavor so when he opens a restaurant in one of these countries, it’s a cuisine that maybe they have been exposed to but not to the level my father is bringing it to them.

H What ties all the restaurants together?
GS: All the restaurants have that closeness, that love almost, in the food. You can see that through every single restaurant and every single team across the world

H: How do you see your career progressing?
GS: We’ve been talking about it, and maybe I’ll move to a more corporate position. Overseeing three restaurants, tán Maya and maybe another East Coast restaurant.  DLeña in DC, or something in Florida, maybe Toro, Lona, or ToroToro. I’ll be traveling with Carlos Hannon, our Culinary Director. Basically shadowing him, seeing how he controls and standardizes recipes. Seeing everyone is performing as best they can.

H: What is the key to a successful restaurant?
GS: It definitely starts with the team, from the manager, to the chef. Making sure they are strong people, that they are a people’s person and you can build a team around them.  If you have a good manager and a good chef, then you know you’ll create a great restaurant overall.

H: What is your vision for the company?
GS: The way I see the company in the next ten years is my sister and I will be working hand in hand together. She’ll be more the operations business side, and I’ll be more on the culinary side of RSH. One of my ideas was to form a Test Kitchen. My dad can go to the test kitchen, try the entire menu and make adjustments. Then we just hand it to the restaurants and have more time, and essentially become more creative. Being more creative, listening to our guests, and understanding what they like that’ll be the way we stay ahead of the curve and keep RSH ever evolving to be better.

H: What can people expect when they step into a Richard Sandoval Restaurant?
GS: They should expect a huge smile from the hostess, and a beautiful restaurant, clean, beautifully lit.
Not too much chaos. You’ll smell great food and you’ll see food going out and you’ll go ‘Wow! look at the colors of the food.’ When you look at the space,  it’s a kind of place that is making you escape from your everyday life. Then you can actually relax and enjoy yourself.

You feel that when you enter tán. The second you pass through those doors you’re not in New York anymore. You’ll be transported to Tulum. Creating an experience like that is what people are looking for.  It’s so rewarding.  Whatever we can do to make our customers happy is our number one goal. We show it through our food, through the design of the restaurant,  through the drinks, and through our own team.

Giancarlo and Richard Sandoval at tán

H: What is the best advice your dad gave you?
GS: I have to think about that one. Honestly, the best advice was him telling me that he’ll always be there for me and my sister. And to never stop working hard, and just become a great man and respect others and to always be truthful in all you do. Just be humble, stay truthful, and work hard.
I wish we had more time. There’s so much more to say to that answer.

For more information visit Richard Sandoval Hospitality