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Managing Partner, Michael Lugo and Chef Matthieu Landillon
The Tasting Room is known for its award-winning wine list, live Latin music, dynamic menu, courtyard dining and continuous innovation of Spanish cuisine - a culmination of the efforts and experience of Michael Lugo. After studying hotel and restaurant management at the University of North Texas and working for the Pappas Restaurant Group in Dallas, he gained knowledge in all areas of the industry, from server, to head waiter to kitchen manager. After serving as a bar manager with the Landry's Restaurant Group, Michael had entered the fine dining category in a management role for Food Star Restaurant Group in Texas and the Chamberlain’s Steak and Chop House in Dallas. There, he cultivated an in-depth knowledge of Wines as a wine steward, overseeing the restaurant’s 1000 bottle wine list. He and his wife moved to St. Augustine looking for a slower pace of life, yet bringing with them, passion for fine dining and entertainment.
Originally from the port city of Marseilles, Chef Matthieu Landillon leads the culinary team at The Tasting Room. He has helped the restaurant earn the Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence and Florida Trend’s coveted Golden Spoon Award for the past three years making The Tasting Room one of Florida’s top restaurants.
With his diplome gastronomique in hand from Le Cordon Bleu in Toulouse, Chef Landillon moved to the United States in 1998 to work in the ultimate restaurant city—New York. He worked with several top chefs in Manhattan, including world-renowned Jean-Georges. In nearby Greenwich, Conn., he worked in top Spanish-themed restaurants such as Bamba, a popular Neuvo Latino style restaurant, and Barcelona Tapas. These culinary experiences, along with his young life growing up in Provence and traveling to Madrid, Barcelona, and Malaga on holiday, shaped Chef Landillon’s culinary philosophy. In France, food is not an afterthought; it is what makes life worth living! His daily specials at The Tasting Room are based on what is fresh from local markets and vendors and artisanal cheeses, salume, olives, spices, and condiments imported from Spain. The Tasting Room’s smaller portioned, boldly flavored contemporary Spanish dishes are a sensation—meant to be savored and shared.
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