Floyd Cardoz, the pioneering Mumbai born chef critically – acclaimed NYC restaurant Tabla and Bombay Bread Bar, has died from complications related to COVID-19, He was 59 at the time of his death.
On March 18, the Mumbai – raised chef posted on Instagram that he had been admitted to a New York hospital for a fever and that he had tested positive for the coronavirus. As soon as the website scroll in broke the news of his death on Wednesday morning, tributes spread across social media and the food world, with fans mourning the loss of a brilliant culinary mind and chef who changed the way many Americans thought about Indian cooking.
“Floyd Cardoz was an exceptional talent, a chef equally at home with undiluted Indian flavors as he was with the delicious union of French, Indian and American food, a personal idiom that he invented,” Wrote New York Times restaurant critic Pete Wells.
On Twitter, Dave Chang Posted, “I feel so terrible for his family and his two sons. All the cooks and managers that worked under him. Easily one of the most beloved people in the business. He was criminally under-appreciated, introduced so many new flavors and techniques to America.” Chang also wrote that ” Floyd was one of my earliest supporters and he would saddle up at the old noodle bar with his sons and they would each order a bowl of spicy tripe”.
The company, Hunger Inc. Hospitality issued a statement confirming his death. The statement said he died in New Jersey.
A multiple James Beard Award nominee, Cardoz went to culinary school in Mumbai before studying at the respected Global Hospitality Management School at Les Roches in Switzerland. He moved to New York in 1988 and, Several years later, started working at Lespinasse, where the late Gray Kunz blended Asian ingredients with French techniques.
The Chef wrote two Cookbooks: “One Spice, Two Spice” in 2006 and “Flavorwalla” in 2016.
“Floyd Cardoz was much more than just a business partner for us,” said Hunger Inc. Hospitality. Co-founder Yash Bhanage in a Facebook message. “He was our mentor, guide, father figure all rolled into one amazing human being. He kept us grounded and humble during the high moments and lifted our spirits whenever we felt down in the dumps. He played a huge role in the success of Hunger Inc Hospitality and our restaurant, bringing perspective and contributions that only he could. His passing has left a deep void that can never be filled. We will truly miss him. “
