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Famed chef Floyd Cardoz died Wednesday due to complications from COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, at New Jersey’s Mountainside Medical Centre, a spokesperson for his Hunger Inc. Hospitality group tells The Hollywood Reporter. He was 59.
“It is with deep sorrow that we inform you of the passing away of Chef Floyd Cardoz (59 years), Co-Founder, Hunger Inc. Hospitality, on March 25, 2020 in New Jersey, USA,” Cardoz’s company said in a statement. “He is survived by his mother Beryl, wife Barkha and sons Justin and Peter. Floyd tested positive for Covid-19 … on March 18 and was being treated for the same at Mountainside Medical Centre, New Jersey.”
Cardoz — who owned The Bombay Canteen, O Pedro and the Bombay Sweet Shop in India — was admitted to the hospital with a fever last week and later tested positive for the coronavirus.
Not long after he was hospitalized, Cardoz took to Instagram to share more about his health. “Sincere apologies everyone. I am sorry for causing undue panic around my earlier post. I was feeling feverish and hence as a precautionary measure, admitted myself into hospital in New York,” he wrote, adding he “was hugely anxious about my state of health.”
Cardoz was known for winning Bravo’s third season of Top Chef Masters in 2011. The network mourned his death in a statement that read, “Bravo and the Top Chef family are deeply saddened by the passing of Chef Floyd Cardoz. Floyd was a talented chef who competed and won Top Chef Masters. He was thoughtful, kind and his smile illuminated a room. He was an inspiration to chefs around the world and we offer our deepest sympathy to his family and friends.”
Cardoz’s career kicked off in his native Mumbai, where he attended culinary school and interned in the kitchen of the Taj Mahal Intercontinental Hotel. He also studied in Switzerland before taking his talents to New York. It was there that Cardoz made a name for himself as the executive chef of the popular restaurant Tabla, where he reinvented New Indian cuisine.
Cardoz later served as the executive chef of North End Grill, part of Danny Meyer’s elite portfolio of restaurants under Union Square Hospitality. In 2019, he announced his new position as vp culinary with the Estiatorio Milos Group.
Following the news of Cardoz’s death, several notable culinary figures took to social media to share their condolences.
“Love you so much @floydcardoz,” Meyer wrote on Twitter, while Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi tweeted, “@floydcardoz made us all so proud. Nobody who lived in NY in the early aughts could forget how delicious and packed Tabla was. He had an impish smile, an innate need to make those around him happy, and a delicious touch. This is a huge loss…”
The U.S. is behind only China and Italy in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases, with more than 55,000 infections and more than 800 deaths to date, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
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