About me
I’m Mateo Sánchez Téllez — a Strategic Gastronomic Consultant working at the intersection of culinary R&D, product development, branding, and business strategy.
I help ambitious food founders and hospitality groups turn ideas into differentiated, scalable, high-impact concepts—the kind that feel inevitable once you taste them.
My background was forged inside top-tier, high-pressure kitchens and then sharpened through real-world execution: translating the methodology of haute cuisine into repeatable systems that teams can run, brands can scale, and audiences can instantly understand.
What I do
R&D and sensory innovation
I design and prototype new products, dishes, and processes—often rooted in fermentation, origin ingredients, and unconventional raw materials—then transform them into clear, usable frameworks (recipes, SOPs, training, and quality control) that survive real service and production.
Concept, identity, and menu architecture
When a restaurant or brand needs a new direction, I build the why and the how: positioning, narrative, signature product strategy, menu flow, and creative rules that keep a concept coherent as it grows.
Turning creativity into a business system
I love ideas—but I’m obsessed with replicability. I translate creative output into operational reality and scalable IP’s: cost logic, workflow, mise en place structure, team training, and the strategic “engine” that makes a concept expandable.
Proof through execution
I’ve collaborated with and learned from some of the most demanding culinary ecosystems in the world—Central / Mater Iniciativa, DiverXO, Dstage, and others—and I’ve used that standard to elevate businesses in the real market.
In Norway, I lead a full rebrand and growth strategy within restaurant groups, improving differentiation, consistency, and guest perception—while driving measurable commercial impact.
My current research obsession
I’m fascinated by the future of gastronomy as a knowledge industry, not only a dining industry. That’s why much of my work explores:
Upcycling and circular systems (e.g., cacao by-products turned into new edible formats and biomaterials)
Fermentation as culture + technology (ancestral techniques rebuilt with modern rigor)
Premium food as a brand experience, where story, design, and sensory impact converge
How I work
My process is simple and ruthless:
Insight → Prototypes → Refinement → System → Validation.
If something can’t be repeated, taught, and delivered at a consistent standard, it’s not finished.
Background
- BSc in Culinary Arts & Sciences — Basque Culinary Center
- Fermentation/Chemistry and Physics of food (Harvard) and continued research / writing contributions for Academic purposes.
- Entrepreneurial experience building and scaling digital businesses—useful when “brand + market” matters as much as “food + technique.
Now
I’m based in Europe (Norway) and work in English and Spanish in both remote and physical formats.
I collaborate with:
- Restaurants and groups aiming for a step-change in quality and identity.
- Food brands building premium, story-driven diferential products.
- Cultural institutions and innovation hubs seeking high-impact culinary experiences.
- If you want to build something that’s creatively fearless but commercially real, let’s talk.
Mateo Sanchez
© 2026 Mateo Sanchez. All intellectual property rights reserved.