Up close with Celebrity Chef Richard Sandoval

Global Restaurateur and celebrity chef Richard Sandoval opened his latest F&B venture Zengo in Doha on the 61st floor of the Kempinski Residences & Suites, the tallest residential building in Qatar.

Zengo Doha is Sandoval’s fourth restaurant in Qatar along with Toro Toro, Isla in the Pearl and Z Lounge, which is also located on the 61^st floor of Kempinski Residences & Suites. The celebrity chef is at the helm of running his new venture offering Pan Asian cuisine in Doha.

Born in Mexico, Sandoval was always influenced by his grandmother’s cooking. He started his career as a tennis player and travelled around the world. But his love for cooking brought him back into the kitchen, and there was no looking back since then.

Richard Sandoval Restaurants (RSR) is now a leading international restaurant group with over 40 concepts spanning Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Nevada, New York, Virginia and Washington, as well as in Dubai, Hong Kong, Mexico, Japan, Qatar and Serbia. Restaurant Hospitality recently named RSR as one of the ‘25 Coolest Multi-concept Companies’. With the broad range of restaurants in his portfolio, Chef Sandoval combines authentic Latin ingredients with international flavours and inventive techniques to create new and unexpected concepts and cuisines such as modern and coastal Mexican, Latin-Asian, Peruvian and Pan-Latin.

Sandoval, who was in Doha for the grand opening of Zengo recently, shared his life’s journey with Sherry Aggarwal Gupta:

Talk us through your career?

I was born and raised in Mexico City. Food was an integral part of my life growing up. I spent a lot of time at my grandmother's house who put together an amazing feast for the whole family every Saturday and Sunday. I would always watch her cook when I was little and think about how much fun it would be. My father was a restaurateur and also entertained guests in our house regularly. Because of this, I was always exposed to new ingredients. I ended up pursuing tennis and becoming a professional tennis player, travelling around the world and getting the chance to compete with legends like Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi. However, at some point, I realised that I was not going to make it on the satellite circuit, so I re-evaluated my career. I thought hard about what I enjoyed besides tennis, and I kept going back to cooking. It was then that I decided to enroll in the Culinary Institute of America. After I graduated, I moved to Acapulco to work with my father at his restaurants. I was able to hone my cooking skills at his restaurants and also learn how to successfully operate them. Four years later, I returned to New York City to open my first restaurant. In 1997, I opened Maya, my flagship modern Mexican restaurant in New York.

How did you get inclined towards Pan-Asian cuisine?

I fell in love with Asian cuisine during my world travels when I played tennis and later, opening restaurants internationally. Asian cuisine has many similarities with Mexican cuisine – the spiciness of the food, the sweet and sour elements, similar ingredients such as grains, chillies, and sweet-and-spicy flavours, moles are like curries… due to the similarities between the two types of cuisine it felt natural to incorporate Asian cuisine into my career as a chef.

Who influenced your cooking? 

My grandmother. To this day I still emulate her unforgettable traditional recipes such as tortilla soup, enchiladas de mole and carnitas.

How has the experience been at 'Kempinski' so far?

It has been fantastic so far. In the restaurant industry, location is always the most important contributing factor to the success of your restaurant. The Kempinski always offers the most spectacular settings. Take Zengo in the highest tower in Doha as a prime example. The company also has an extremely high standard of quality which they have mastered and I feel honoured to partner them.

How do you envision the culinary industry in Doha five years down the line? 

The restaurant scene in Doha is always evolving. The more restaurants that open, the more expectations grow. I want to focus on making Zengo and Z Lounge the best they can possibly be as far as quality, flavours and experience, so it will consistently be one of the top restaurants in Doha.

What is your inspiration while creating a new dish?

All the inspiration comes from my travels but also from childhood memories and ingredients I grew up eating at my grandmother’s house

How has your culinary point of view changed over the years?

My style hasn't changed, but the way I approach food has changed. These days, people (myself included) are gravitating towards healthier dishes and using organic and natural ingredients. It’s important to know what we eat and where it comes from. I am very conscious of this when I create my menus.

What are your strengths and fears as a successful chef?

My strength is my experience of opening over 50 restaurants in 30 years around the world. However, you can never overestimate experience. My fears are still the same. My fear will always be failing and people not liking what I create. My belief is if you don’t take anything for granted.

How important is a formal education in culinary skills?

Knowledge is power. No matter what you do, you will always need knowledge. So, education will always be important. If it wasn’t for my experience at the Culinary Institute of America, I would not be where I am today. 

Anything special you have in mind for Doha market?

I do…but it will be a surprise!

What are the challenges in Doha?

I think ingredients are still a challenge. However, I believe as more restaurants open and chefs continue to bring their talent to Doha, it will continue to improve.