Feeding hungry tourists and tennis fans is never an easy job, but that was the task given to world-renown chef Richard Sandoval, owner of such restaurants as Maya, located in New York, San Francisco, and Dubai; and Toro Latin Gastrobar in Serbia and Hong Kong.

It was an undertaking that while difficult for some, but for Sandoval, a former tennis player himself, it was just another way to challenge his competitive nature.

"I was actually cooking at the Miami Heat's first Finals against the [San Antonio] Spurs two years ago," said Sandoval to Latin Post. "I was invited as a guest chef there when one of the organizers at the U.S. Open asked if I was interested. I got a call about six months later and they were like, 'Listen, we know you love tennis, we like chefs to work the event, would you be interested?' I said, 'Yeah, I would love to.' So, we got involved and it's a very challenging endeavor because look at the amount of people. You have 700 other people you have to feed day in and day out. For me it's a little bit easier because I have restaurants in Manhattan, so I have staff here, but it's still very difficult."

Part of the task at hand for Sandoval, born in Mexico City, Mexico, is not just feeding a large crowd, but also pleasing all the different palates that attend the yearly tennis tournament.

"When they asked me to do this, I asked myself, 'How can you do something that still represents you but still do something for thousands of people everyday?'," said Sandoval. "So my response was, 'Let me reach back to Mexican roots. Everyone gets it, it's what I do with my restaurant Maya in New York, so that will be a connection.' I did dishes that I have in my restaurant in New York but also did some things that are approachable like hot dogs and guacamole, things like carnitas, things that people understand. I think it's important with such a diverse group to also teach them about modern Mexican. I think you kind of have to be focused and do dishes that everyone can understand and enjoy."

Sandoval's passion for food began at a young age, connecting him with his family, particularly his grandmother, who sparked his interest in flavors, and his restaurateur father who owned Madeiras and Villa Fiore, both located in Acapulco.

"With my family divorced, I spent a lot of time with my grandmother and my palate was being introduced to different flavors. It was getting me prepared for my career later in life," said Sandoval. "My grandfather was a banker who was always holding these big parties and reunions and everything around our culture revolves around food. We were always tasting different butters, cheeses, so from a very young age I was exposed to a lot of different ingredients which gave me not only a head-start, but also a better understanding of food."

Sandoval realized early on that his family's access to various ingredients, as well as tastes that were outside-the-box from his Mexican heritage, would come in handy someday.

"Growing up in Mexico at that time and my grandfather being a banker, they entertained a lot," said Sandoval. "This is going back 30-35 years back, so in Mexico, you didn't have a lot of ingredients coming in from Europe. As a banker, my grandfather was entertaining a lot of people, so they would import French butters, French cheeses. I remember tasting lots of different olives, prosciutto, foods not many kids got to taste. I was seeing a lot of things that were outside of Mexico."

Sandoval credits his desire to succeed to his competitive nature that helped both on the tennis court as a young professional player and later in the kitchen, including during his appearances on Season Five of Bravo's "Top Chef Masters."

"I am very competitive and I hate to lose," said Sandoval. "I open a restaurant and I want it to be the most successful it can be. I hate to close restaurants. I'm a very competitive person. 'Top Chef' brought that back out of me going up against other chefs. Obviously it was a friendly environment and we were competing for charity but it was an opportunity to get back there and compete. I'm not on the line anymore. With 40 restaurants around the world, I can't be there behind the stoves every day. But when I first started, when I was cooking every day, I got the same adrenaline rush that I would get playing a tennis match as being on the line and things were just clicking, trying to cook for 300 people. For me, it was the same rush as being in a tennis match."

Despite the challenges that U.S. Open can present for Sandoval, the top-flight chef who has been awarded Mexico's National Toque d'Oro in 2003, the Bon Appétit Restaurateur of the Year in 2006 and the Cordon d'Or Restaurateur of the Year in 2012 would love to work the tournament again considering his love for food and tennis.

"It's been a learning experience," says Sandoval. "Now we understand what we are up against, so hopefully they'll invite us back next year and we can do a better job."

Related