The co-owner of two extremely popular restaurants in Mumbai – Bombay Canteen and O’ Pedro and his new venture Bombay Sweet Shop, passed away in New York City on Wednesday. His family confirmed the news that he tested positive for Covid-19 and passed away of the infection in a NYC Hospital. He was 59. The Mumbai raised chef returned to his current residence in NY at the beginning of March and later checked himself into the hospital for feeling feverish. The company that runs his restaurants, The Hunger Inc, put out a statement confirming the news that the chef had tested positive for the virus in New York City. “As a precautionary measure we have informed the Health Department in Mumbai about the same. We are also reaching out personally to people who have interacted with during his visit to India, so they can take necessary medical advice should they indicate any symptoms and or self-quarantine.”
Floyd was one of the most creative and talented people in his field. His untimely passing has saddened fans and the culinary world. Many have been paying tributes and sending condolences to the family on social media.
Floyd Cardoz attended culinary school in Mumbai, India, and then The Global Hospitality Management School at Les Roches in Switzerland. He moved to New York City in 1988 and four years later, started working under Chef Gray Kunz at Lespinasse, where he worked his way from chef de partie to executive sous chef. In 1997, he left to work with Union Square Hospitality Group, for which he opened the groundbreaking, fine-dining Indian restaurant Tabla, and later El Verano Taquería and North End Grill. In 2014, he left the Grill to open White Street, where he was the consulting executive chef in its first year.
In 2015, Cardoz returned to India to open his first restaurant in Mumbai, The Bombay Canteen, which rose to local and international acclaim. In summer 2016, Cardoz came back to New York and opened Paowalla in New York’s Soho neighborhood, focusing on small plates to redefine approachable Indian cuisine. In 2018, he closed Paowalla, redesigned it with a more casual, festive atmosphere, and reopened it as Bombay Bread Bar.
In summer 2012, Cardoz won season 3 of Bravo’s “Top Chef Masters.” He donated his winnings to the Young Scientist Cancer Research Fund at The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He has received the James Beard Award for “Humanitarian of the Year” in honor of his continued commitment to community engagement. In 2011, Cardoz was named among the “Top 50 Most Influential Global Indians” by GQ Magazine.
He is also the author of two high rated books, ‘One Spice, Two Spice” & “Flavorwalla”.
