Madeiras​ and Villa Fiore in Acapulco, imparted lessons in service and restaurant management. These early influences inspired Chef Sandoval to enroll at 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 Mexican food of his childhood. In 1997 he channeled his passion into Maya, his flagship modern Mexican restaurant in New York. Chef Sandoval opened his second modern Mexican concept, Tamayo, in Denver in