Máximo Tejada is Executive Chef and partner of Rayuela, a stylish new restaurant on the Lower East Side that is introducing Estilo Libre Latino (Freestyle Latino) cuisine, which respects yet redefines contemporary Latin American and Spanish dishes, including ceviche and tapas.  His cooking represents his character—spiritual, nurturing, energetic, harmonious, gentle—and he puts his passion into each dish, creating inimitable combinations of ingredients that inspire a memorable reaction with each bite.  A true artist, Tejada connects with others through the craft of cooking, using food to create a fabric of energy. 

At Rayuela, Tejada returns to the basics of restaurant hospitality, where the love of people inspires creative, heartfelt cooking.  Rayuela re-envisions Latin American and Spanish classics with its first-of-a-kind Estilo Libre Latino (Freestyle Latino) cuisine.  While the basic structure of the traditional dishes will be maintained, the actual ingredients may be unconventional and may come from several different countries.  The result is a cuisine that is without pretensions; it feels harmonious even when it is elaborate.

Tejada graduated from the French Culinary Institute in 1996 and was quickly recruited by Patria.  He soon followed his mentor Douglas Rodriguez, often regarded as the father of Nuevo Latino cuisine, to Chicama and Pipa Tapas Restaurant at ABC Carpet & Home where he became head chef and helped Chicama earn two stars from the New York Times.  He further honed his skills at Rodriguez’s OLA, a Latin eatery on 48th Street, before returning to the former Chicama space, now called Lucy Latin Kitchen, in 2004 (which earned three stars from Crain’s New York Business). 

At the age of 21, Tejada moved to New York, claiming his first job in the industry as a server aboard a World Yacht Cruise boat and rose through the ranks of the elite cruise line and later through operations at Water Club and the Rainbow Room.  These experiences inspired him to pursue a culinary career. 

Tejada was born in the Dominican Republic, where he was fascinated by his grandmother’s soulful home cooking and by the colors, sounds and aromas she created for each meal. 

Restaurateur Hector Sanz is a partner in Rayuela, a stylish new restaurant on the Lower East Side that is introducing Estilo Libre Latino (Freestyle Latino) cuisine, which respects yet redefines contemporary Latin American and Spanish dishes, including ceviche and tapas.  Rayuela, his first restaurant, is inspired by hopscotch, the children’s street game that is also the title of the 1963 experimental novel by Argentine writer Julio Cortázar.  A native of Spain, Sanz is emerging onto New York City’s dining landscape with a unique vision: to create an intellectual connection between Latin American culture and authentic Latin American cuisine.

Sanz met Rayuela’s Executive Chef Máximo Tejada in 2003 when they worked together at OLA and was immediately drawn to his spiritual approach to cooking.  With a belief that Latin American cuisines are the most exciting in the world, Sanz is passionate about bringing their refined flavors to New York’s palate and delights in introducing guests to new culinary experiences.  The wine list for Rayuela, which Sanz personally created, will include more than 200 selections from the Spanish-speaking world.

Prior to Rayuela, Sanz was director of Lucy Latin Kitchen (which earned three stars from Crain’s New York Business) and Pipa Tapas Restaurant in ABC Carpet & Home.  During his tenure, he cultivated long-term relationships with his staff of up to 80, which resulted in a low turnover rate.  A true mentor, he continually educated his staff through daily meetings and guided or blind wine tastings and seminars. 

Previously, Sanz was general manager and wine director of OLA, general manager of Meritage and assistant manager of Taperia Madrid and Meigas.

In 1999, after a stint studying industrial engineering and philosophy at Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Industriales(ETSII) in Madrid, Sanz left Spain for New York City, where he began his career in the restaurant industry. 

Sanz was born in the small town of Soria, just two hours from Madrid. 

Paul Fernandez is a partner in Rayuela, a stylish new restaurant on the Lower East Side that is introducing Estilo Libre Latino (Freestyle Latino) cuisine, which respects yet redefines contemporary Latin American dishes, as well as Spanish tapas.  Fernandez is an entrepreneur who brings close to 30 years of experience in the retail food and real estate industries to his investment role in the opening of Rayeula, which he hopes will represent Latin American cuisine in a new light.

Fernandez met partners Hector Sanz and Chef Máximo Tejada in 2005 when the duo first approached him about Rayuela.  “We were looking to create a new category in Latin American cuisine that was authentic and innovative at the same time.  I immediately recognized a winning opportunity to work with Sanz and Chef Tejada, who are both talented, passionate and committed to this project,” said Fernandez.

Rayuela is Fernandez’s first venture in the restaurant industry, but his own passion for high-quality food service and food retailing is reflected in his role as the sixth president of the New York Chapter of the National Supermarket Association, an advocacy group representing 350 independent supermarkets throughout the metro New York area.  During his two-year term, which he completed in May 2006, he raised seed money to form an insurance company, N.S.A. Risk Retention Group.  He continues to be an active member of the New York N.S.A. Chapter.

Fernandez started out working in a deli in Little Italy, which he eventually bought from the owner.  He left the business 10 years later to his brother and launched a successful career in the retail food industry.  With hard work and a passion for food, he came to own a string of supermarkets including Union Market in Park Slope, Brooklyn, Met Foods in Gramercy Park and in Far Rockaway, Queens and a C-Town in the South Bronx, among others.

Fernandez was born in the Dominican Republic and came to the U.S. at age 14.  He studied at Baruch College.  Fernandez is married and is the father of four young boys.