(CNN) – World famous chef Floyd Cardoz died Wednesday in New Jersey at age 59. Cardoz had tested positive for coronavirus.
“It is with deep regret that we informed you of the death of Chef Floyd Cardoz,” says a statement from Hunger Inc. Hospitality, where Cardoz was the culinary director.
Cardoz tested positive for covid-19 on March 18 and was being treated at Mountainside Medical Center in New Jersey, according to the statement.
Floyd Cardoz
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In a 2017 CBS interview, Cardoz explained how he ended up becoming a chef. “I wanted to be a biochemist. Then I read ‘Hotel’ by Arthur Hailey. This is a lot of fun, because as I grew up I loved food. Then I started cooking and realized I was really good at it. “
Raised in Mumbai, India, Cardoz went to Les Roches Culinary School in Switzerland before moving to New York City.
He was the executive chef of Tabla, the pioneering and modern Indian restaurant that opened with Danny Meyer in 1998, earning him multiple accolades and critical acclaim. Later he directed the North End Grill in Meyer, while competing and winning in the third season of “Top Chef Masters” on the Bravo channel.
It later opened Pao Walla in the Soho neighborhood of New York City, and followed with the Bombay Bread Bar, which closed last year.
Cardoz also had restaurants in Mumbai: Bombay Canteen, O Pedro and Bombay Sweet Shop.
Cardoz was admitted to the hospital on March 17 after feeling feverish.
He had just returned from India, where he was filming the Netflix series “Ugly Delicious” with actor Aziz Ansari. He posted a selfie to Instagram that day.
Another Bombay Canteen Instagram post from that day said: “Chef Floyd Cardoz (59), culinary director of Hunger, Inc. was admitted to a New York hospital with viral fever. Chef Floyd, who was previously in Mumbai, left the city on March 8 for New York at the Frankfurt airport. He is being closely monitored for his condition and we wish him a speedy recovery. ”
Food magnate David Chang posted a message about Cardoz’s death on Instagram: “Heartbroken at the loss of Floyd Cardoz by covid-19. Rest in peace Floyd… we will continue your beautiful legacy. ”
“I am shocked and very sad,” said television chef and cookbook author Madhur Jaffrey.
“He had so many ambitions. He was an innovator. I was ready to do much more. Being defeated this way in the middle of a brilliant career is heartbreaking, ”said Jaffrey.
Chef Preeti Mistry of the Juhu Beach Club in Oakland also reflected on Cardoz’s life and legacy.
“I’ve always commented that the media acted like I was the only Indian chef in (U.S), ”Mistry told CNN. And yet he was the type everyone looked at and followed. And now it’s gone and it’s really sad. And I am so angry with everything, with this virus and with the world. ”
Chef Michael Anthony, executive chef at Gramercy Tavern in New York, called Cardoz “a constant source of knowledge and inspiration.”
“With his passing, the restaurant industry has suffered a great loss and our thoughts are especially with his wife and two children,” said Anthony.
Cardoz is survived by his mother Beryl, his wife Barkha, and their children Justin and Peter.
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