Chef Floyd Cardoz is a celebrated Indian-American chef in New York City, India, and throughout the world. Cardoz attended culinary school and began his career in his native Bombay, India, where he apprenticed in the kitchen of the Taj Mahal Intercontinental Hotel. To broaden his familiarity with classic culinary technique, he moved to Switzerland to study at Les Roches, a Hotel Management Culinary School in Bluche, and spent his evenings cooking at local Italian, French and Indian establishments. He then followed culinary opportunities to New York City, where he worked under Chef Gray Kunz at the venerable Lespinasse, rising from Chef de Partie to Chef de Cuisine in five years.

In 1997, Floyd partnered with Union Square Hospitality Group’s Danny Meyer to open Tabla, a contemporary Indian restaurant celebrating his groundbreaking new Indian cuisine that expertly married the exotic flavors and spices of his native land with Western techniques. Under his leadership, Tabla received numerous accolades, including a 3-star review from The New York Times. In 2011, Chef Cardoz opened New York’s North End Grill, a seasonal American restaurant and bar, followed by White Street in New York’s Tribeca neighborhood and later, The Bombay Canteen and O Pedro, both in Mumbai, India.

In the summer of 2016, Cardoz opened Paowalla in Soho, NY, a restaurant celebrating his Goan-Indian Heritage and showcasing his seamless integration of Indian flavors with Western techniques. The restaurant received critical acclaim, but Cardoz had another idea for the space: The Bombay Bread Bar, a vibrant, colorful restaurant that celebrated the festive spirit of Indian dining. With a new design by a longtime member of Wes Anderson’s creative team, The Bombay Bread Bar became an instant hit.

Cardoz’s first cookbook, One Spice, Two Spice (William Morrow, October 2006) includes his favorite recipes while demystifying Indian flavors; teaching budding cooks how to expertly add Indian spice to American cuisine. His second cookbook, Floyd Cardoz: Flavorwalla (Artisan, April 2016), was published in spring 2016.

Chef Cardoz is a four-time James Beard Award nominee. In January 2007, he received the first-ever “Humanitarian of the Year” Award from Food TV and Share our Strength in honor of his continued commitment to community engagement. Cardoz regularly works with Share our Strength, City Harvest, C-CAP: Careers through Culinary Arts Program, and Madison Square Park Conservancy, among others. In 2012, Cardoz won Season 3 of Bravo’s Top Chef Masters, and donated his winnings to the Young Scientist Cancer Research Fund at New York’s Mt. Sinai School of Medicine.