Renowned Chef Floyd Cardoz Of Bombay Canteen Dies At 59, After Being Diagnosed With Coronavirus

Acclaimed Indian-origin chef and the co-owner of The Bombay Canteen, passed away on Wednesday due to coronavirus. He was 59.

He had gotten himself admitted to a hospital in New York after experiencing mild symptoms and had posted a picture on Instagram informing his followers about the same.

View this post on Instagram

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. I was hugely anxious about my state of health and my post was highly irresponsible causing panic in several quarters. I returned to New York on March 8th via Frankfurt

A post shared by Floyd Cardoz (@floydcardoz) on Mar 17, 2020 at 1:34pm PDT

He succumbed to the illness within a week, after which Hunger Inc. Hospitality released a statement saying:

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 25 March, in New Jersey, USA. He is survived by his mother Beryl, wife Barkha and sons Justin and Peter. Floyd tested positive for Covid 19, in USA, on 18 March and was being treated for the same at Mountainside Medical Centre, New Jersey, USA.

View this post on Instagram

We have been working with @nayakgirish for the past 2 years. We are excited to be bringing our 3 1/2 year secret project to life. @bombaysweetshop has challenged us and made us eat so many sweets, glad I won’t be tasting the 100’s of renditions of all the versions and creations.

A post shared by Floyd Cardoz (@floydcardoz) on Mar 1, 2020 at 10:29pm PST

Earlier, the company had informed people about Floyd testing positive for the virus, saying that the they are personally reaching out to people he may have interacted with during his India visit, so that they can isolate themselves.

Floyd’s demise was mourned by many, including chef Kunal Kapur and Padma Lakshmi.

It is sad to share that chef floyd Cardozo @floydcardoz is no more. He has been an inspiration to many and I was hoping to cook with him some day.Falling to #covid19 just goes to show that this threat is very real so everyone please take care of yourselves. RIP cheffie. #corona pic.twitter.com/f4eQeMw4E4
— Kunal Kapur (@ChefKunalKapur) March 25, 2020

Shocked to hear the passing away of @floydcardoz Apart from enjoying sterling meals at his various restaurants in New York & Bombay, he was a wonderful man – always warm, gracious and funny. Any pandemic always gets more ominous when you know those who have succumbed. RIP Floyd.
— Rahul Bose (@RahulBose1) March 25, 2020

.@floydcardoz 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… pic.twitter.com/Q6eRVIpZkL
— Padma Lakshmi (@PadmaLakshmi) March 25, 2020

Floyd Cardoz passed away from C19. I adored him. A great chef, groundbreaking in so many ways, a generous human, resilient of spirit and loved his family, his garden and our restaurant world so much. I’m stunned.
I know what I’m eating tonight for dinner https://t.co/ndPhMECp2E
— Andrew Zimmern (@andrewzimmern) March 25, 2020