Renowned chef Floyd Cardoz passes away at 59 due to coronavirus, tributes pour in from around the world – Economic Times

NEW YORK: Renowned chef Floyd Cardoz, who ran the successful ‘Bombay Canteen’, ‘O Pedro’ and ‘Bombay Sweet Shop’ in Mumbai and was the magician behind New York’s ‘Tabla’, passed away Wednesday due to complications from the coronavirus, his company confirmed in a statement.

The 59-year-old co-founder of Hunger Inc. Hospitality, that runs the Mumbai restaurants, tested positive for Covid-19 in the USA on March 18, and was being treated at the Mountainside Medical Centre in New Jersey. Cardoz had travelled from Mumbai to New York through Frankfurt, Germany, on March 8.

He is survived by his mother Beryl, wife Barkha and sons Justin and Peter.

The culinary star, committed to making the food industry more sustainable, began his hospitality training in his native Mumbai. He later moved to Switzerland, where he honed his skills in French, Italian and Indian cuisine before moving on to the kitchens of New York City.

The Indian-American partnered with restaurateur Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group to open ‘Tabla’ in Manhattan 1997. Praised by critics during its run, the restaurant shut its doors in 2010.

In Mumbai, he partnered with Sameer Seth and Yash Bhanage to form Hunger Inc. Hospitality in 2015. He was a partner in the 3 Mumbai eateries at the time of his death.

Cardoz also competed on ‘Top Chef’ and won ‘Top Chef Masters’.

Social media was flooded with messages by Cardoz’s famous friends mourning his demise.

“Love you so much @floydcardoz,” his NY business partner of 17 years Meyer – who also founded Shake Shack – tweeted.

In addition to ‘Tabla’, Cardoz and Meyer partnered in 2012 on North End Grill, a Battery Park City staple that was a downtown Manhattan favourite until its closing in 2018.

Model and ‘Top Chef’ host Padma Lakshmi also offered condolences to Cardoz’s loved ones. “He had an impish smile, an innate need to make those around him happy, and a delicious touch,” she wrote in a tweet.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine star Chelsea Peretti also paid tribute to Cardoz.

Culinary expert and TV personality Andrew Zimmern remembered the ‘great chef, generous human’ in a touching post.

He also shared a picture with Cardoz, saying, “I miss this man already, woke to the news that the great @floydcardoz passed away from C19. Never met a more positive and warm hearted soul. His wife Barkha and their kids are in our thoughts.”

Chef Kunal Kapoor offered condolences while also emphasising on the need to take the corona threat seriously, “It is sad to share that chef floyd Cardozo @floydcardoz is no more. He has been an inspiration to many and I was hoping to cook with him some day.Falling to #covid19 just goes to show that this threat is very real so everyone please take care of yourselves. RIP cheffie. #corona.”

Actor Manish Dayal, known for his role in ‘The Resident’, remembered chef Cardoz as ‘a pioneer, an artist and a uniquely talented person’, who helped him prepare for his film ‘The Hundred Foot Journey’.

Cardoz, a four-time James Beard Award nominee, had also authored two cookbooks, ‘Once Spice, Two Spice’ and ‘Flavorwalla’.

(With inputs from AP)