Chef Floyd Cardoz dies at 59 of coronavirus complications
New York: Chef Floyd Cardoz, who competed on Top Chef, won Top Chef Masters and operated successful restaurants in both India and New York, died Wednesday of complications from the coronavirus, his company said in a statement. He was 59.
Cardoz had traveled from Mumbai to New York through Frankfurt, Germany, on March 8. He was admitted a week ago to Mountainside Medical Center in Montclair, New Jersey, with a fever and subsequently tested positive for Covid-19, the statement said.
The committed advocate of making the food industry more sustainable began his hospitality training in his native Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay. He later moved to Switzerland, where he honed his skills in French, Italian and Indian cuisine before moving on to the kitchens of New York City.
He was a partner in Bombay Sweet Shop, O Pedro and The Bombay Canteen in India at the time of his death.
The Indian-American partnered with famed restaurateur Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group to open Tabla in 1997. The Manhattan spot was praised by critics. It closed in 2010.
Cardoz's death was mourned by famous friends in both the restaurant and television industries.
Love you so much @floydcardoz, Meyer tweeted, calling him a beautiful human being. The two worked together for 17 years. At Tabla, they celebrated Cardoz's new Indian cuisine that melded the sensual flavors and spices of his homeland with Western techniques.
Padma Lakshmi, host of the Bravo cooking competition series Top Chef, praised the success of Tabla and offered condolences to Cardoz's loved ones, including his wife and business partner, Barkha.
He had an impish smile, an innate need to make those around him happy, and a delicious touch, Lakshmi tweeted.
The Twitter account for Top Chef offered condolences and called Cardoz an inspiration to chefs around the world. In 2011, Cardoz competed in and won Season 3 of Top Chef Masters. He used his 110,000 in winnings to support the Young Scientist Cancer Research Fund at New York's Mount Sinai School of Medicine.
The now-independent foundation, referred to as the Young Scientist Foundation, enables high school and college students to work alongside accomplished researchers to develop new treatments for diseases, according to a spokesperson for Cardoz's company. It was a central focus of his charity work.
In addition to Tabla, Cardoz and Meyer partnered in 2012 on North End Grill, a Battery Park City staple that was a downtown Manhattan favorite until its closing in 2018. In addition to his work with Meyer, Cardoz partnered with Sameer Seth and Yash Bhanage in Hunger Inc. Hospitality starting in 2015.
Cardoz was a four-time James Beard Award nominee. He was the author of two cookbooks, Once Spice, Two Spice and Flavorwalla. In 2008, he launched a line of ready to cook entrees in collaboration with the online grocer Fresh Direct.
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Closely following developments: India on US bill to impose tariffs on nations procuring Russian oil
New Delhi (PTI): India on Friday said it is closely following developments relating to a proposed legislation by the US that seeks to impose up to 500 per cent tariffs on countries procuring Russian crude oil.
India and China are among a handful of countries which are procuring significant volumes of crude oil from Russia.
US Senator Lindsey Graham, the author of the bill, said this week that President Donald Trump has green-lighted the proposed legislation.
"We are aware of the proposed bill. We are closely following the developments," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at his weekly media briefing.
India has been stoutly defending its procurement of Russian crude oil, saying the purchase is driven by market dynamics and to address the energy requirement of 1.4 billion people of the country.
"Our position on the larger question of energy sourcing is well known," Jaiswal said.
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"In this endeavour, we are guided by the evolving dynamics of the global market and by the imperative to secure affordable energy from diverse sources to meet the energy security needs of our 1.4 billion people," he said.
On Wednesday, Senator Graham said he had a "very productive meeting" with Trump and that the president has green-lighted the Russia sanctions bill that has been in the works for months.
"This will be well-timed, as Ukraine is making concessions for peace, and Putin is all talk, continuing to kill the innocent. This bill will allow President Trump to punish those countries that buy cheap Russian oil, fuelling Putin's war machine," Graham said on social media this week.
"This bill would give President Trump tremendous leverage against countries like China, India and Brazil to incentivise them to stop buying the cheap Russian oil that provides the financing for Putin's bloodbath against Ukraine," he said.
The bill has proposed a 500 per cent tariff on secondary purchase and reselling of Russian oil.
Earlier this week, Graham said that Indian Ambassador to the US Vinay Kwatra informed him about New Delhi reducing its purchases of Russian oil and asked him to convey to President Trump to "relieve the tariff" imposed on India.
The US has been putting pressure on India to cut its procurement of Russian crude oil as it believes Moscow is financing its war against Ukraine using the oil revenue.
India turned to purchasing Russian oil sold at a discount after Western countries imposed sanctions on Moscow and shunned its supplies over its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Consequently, from a mere 1.7 per cent share in total oil imports in 2019-20, Russia's share increased to 35.1 per cent in 2024-25.
