‘Don't cook to be cool or cute'

Forbes India met with chef Floyd Cardoz in Mumbai, for what turned out to be one of his final interviews, discussing the five-year journey of Hunger Inc in India, their philosophy and the road ahead

- PANKTI MEHTA KADAKIA

An early Saturday morning led us to The Bombay Canteen in Mumbai, to catch up with celebrity chef Floyd Cardoz and his team before he left for his home in New York the next day. The coronavirus had not yet made inroads into India the way it now has; Cardoz had been in town for the better part of a month, launching the company’s newest offering, Bombay Sweet Shop.

Hunger Inc (parent company to The Bombay Canteen, O Pedro and The Bombay Sweet Shop), co-owned by Cardoz, had just hit the five-year milestone, and Forbes India was looking to trace how the company has been pushing the envelope for making Indian food trendy, while remaining sustainable and responsible.

Along with chef Cardoz, we sat down for chats and a photoshoot with the company’s core team: Co-founders Yash Bhanage and Sameer Seth, and chefs Thomas Zacharias and Hussain Shahzad. Ten days later, Bhanage called us late at night to inform that Cardoz had just tested positive for Covid-19; on March 25, he passed away from the illness, leaving the industry devastated and in shock.

From what was meant to be a forward-looking piece on the company’s next few years, the interview now remains as one of Cardoz’s last. Soft-spoken and unassuming, he spoke about identifying true passion and core philosophy, and why authenticity will always triumph over trends. Edited excerpts:

Q You worked in the US for decades, introducing the market to Indian flavours. What made you take the leap to start a restaurant in India with the Bombay canteen?