Noted chef and restaurateur Floyd Cardoz, 59, died Wednesday of coronavirus infection, according to media reports.
Cardoz posted on Instagram on March 17 that he had checked himself into a hospital in New York City after “feeling feverish.” He noted that he had returned to New York on March 8 after being in Mumbai, where he ran the restaurants Bombay Canteen and O Pedro.
Hunger Inc., the parent company of Cardoz’s restaurants in India, confirmed on March 17 that the chef had been admitted to the hospital with a “viral fever.”
Cardoz was a major player in the New York City restaurant world, teaming up with Danny Meyer and his Union Square Hospitality Group in the late 1990s on fine-dining Indian restaurant Tabla. The restaurant earned three stars from The New York Times. Cardoz also worked with Meyer on the North End Grill, which opened in 2012, where he was the opening chef.
Early Wednesday, Meyer tweeted, “Love you so much Floyd Cardoz.”
Cardoz also appeared on the reality show “Top Chef Masters.” He used his winnings to start a cancer research fund to encourage young people to get into science and went on to host annual fundraising dinners for the foundation.
“Top Chef” host Padma Lakshmi tweeted, “Floyd Cardoz made us all so proud. Nobody who lived in NY in the early aughts could forget how delicious and packed Tabla always was. He had an impish smile, an innate need to make those around him happy, and a delicious touch. This is a huge loss … “
Cardoz was born and raised in Bombay and trained as a biochemist before realizing his passion for restaurant kitchens. He attended culinary school in India and Switzerland before moving to New York, rising to become chef de cuisine in Gray Kunz’s kitchen at Lespinasse. Kunz died earlier this month.