Tuesday, December 9, 7:00 pm
Members $90, guests $115

At the Beard House we understand that Christmas traditions extend far beyond our country’s borders and culture, which is why we tapped Troy Guard, executive chef of Tamayo, to bring some south-of-the-border flavor up north for Christmas.

Named after Rufino Tamayo, a noted Mexican Indian artist, Tamayo serves up what Denver gastronomes call “haute Mexican,” a.k.a. modern Mexican cuisine. And hard-to-please hired mouths have been seduced. Bill St. John in the Denver Post instructed his readers to “think of Tamayo the way you would a fine French restaurant.” Denver Westword’s Kyle Wagner put it a different way: “An undeniably upscale Mexican restaurant, Tamayo carries all the ingredients for success…a nationally recognized owner…a roster of interesting creative dishes [and] a kitchen capable of executing those dishes.” The Denver Business Journal included Tamayo as one of the top 25 restaurants in Denver, and in 2002, Food & Wine bestowed the honor of Best Wine List for a new restaurant.

Originally from Honolulu, Guard began his career in the Seattle kitchen of his caterer parents—he was their barbecue man. By 16, he had worked his way through the kitchens at all five restaurants of the La Costa Resort & Spa chain. In 1992, he met fusion star Roy Yamaguchi, who quickly signed him up to work at Roy’s Kahana Bar & Grill on Maui. After Guard’s meteoric rise, it was off on a whirlwind culinary tour, working in Hong Kong, Tokyo, and New York. About a year ago, Guard joined up with Richard Sandoval, who owns Tamayo and is the chef/owner of Maya in Manhattan.

At Maya, half a world away from Denver, the accolades for Sandoval’s empire sound much the same. Hal Rubenstein of New York wrote, “This is Mexican cuisine as it is rarely presented: with respect…Sandoval [has] a knack for turning the ordinary into something extraordinary.” Sandoval has been featured in publications from Bon Appétit and The New York Times to Santé and Food Arts.

Sandoval grew up on the Mexican Riviera and learned to cook in his family’s restaurants, which had an ardent following. He studied at the CIA, after which he returned to Mexico, where he won the 1992 National Toque d’Oro and was subsequently recruited for the Bocuse d’Or Mexican Culinary Team. Three years later he was back in New York City, where he opened Savann, which proved so popular that he had to appease his East Side fans by opening Savann Est. Maya followed in 1997.