Top Chef Masters Winner Floyd Cardoz passes away due to COVID-19
By Brad Cramer
Top Chef Masters winner, Floyd Cardoz falls victim to the coronavirus and the restaurant industry reacts to his passing.
Floyd Cardoz, Top Chef Masters winner, celebrated New York chef and restaurateur has died as a result of COVID-19. As coronavirus continues to cost jobs and lives globally, its effect on the restaurant industry in the U.S. becomes more devastating by the day.
COVID-19 hit way too close to home this week, as innovative chef Floyd Cardoz passed away from the virus at age 59. The winner of season 3 of Top Chef Masters, Cardoz brought newfound awareness to contemporary Indian dining with his highly-acclaimed New York restaurant Tabla.
In Top Chef Masters‘ finale, Chef Cardoz outcooked Border Grill’s Mary Sue Milliken and James Beard Award winner Traci Des Jardins to capture the coveted title.
As the industry comes to grips with the sudden and tragic loss of the respected chef, tributes continue to flow in on social media.
Top Chef’s Padma Laksmi paid tribute to Cardoz in a touching post.
.@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
As seen in this tribute by NY Times Food critic, Pete Wells, Cardoz brought Indian flavors to the table in an innovative way.
Floyd Cardoz was an exceptional talent, a chef equally at home with undiluted Indian flavors as he was with the delicious union of French, Indian and American food, a personal idiom that he invented. https://t.co/7NcTes1D01
— Pete Wells (@pete_wells) March 25, 2020
While chefs and the restaurant industry are voicing their shock at Cardoz’s passing, the tributes comment on more than his food and innovative cuisine. From his generosity to his kindness to his smile, the loss to the culinary world is great.
This devastating news is another example of the impact that COVID-19 is having on the restaurant industry. As restaurant tables sit empty, the future for restaurants and their employees is quite uncertain.
Too small to fail, four words that will change the restaurant industry. light. Related Story
For more information about COVID-19, visit the CDC’s website or the website for your state’s Department of Health.