Mumbai loses its OG of restaurateurs

Mumbai lost a culinary legend on Wednesday when Henry Tham passed away But his legacy goes beyond the Cantonese food that he pioneered after taking over the mantle from his father Tham Mon Yiu before passing the baton on to his sons Ryan and KeenanBack in 2019 when INCA India Nightlife Convention and Awards had honoured him for his contribution to the nightlife industry the FampB bodyrsquos Twitter handle had tweeted ldquoHenry Tham modernised Asian cuisine in the country gave us resto bars Thursday Nights and Mumbai nightlife as we know itrdquo And with his passing Mumbairsquos culinaryscape has lost one of its earliest visionariesHenry Tham centre with his wife left and Monica Vazirali at a partyHis kindness and unfailingly affable nature is what people also remember him for ldquoHe was always smiling and helpful and I could chat with him for hoursrdquo recalled restaurateur Anurag Katriar Fellowrestaurateur Gauri Devidayal echoed Katriarrsquos sentiment of Henry Thamrsquos large heartedness ldquoHe was a kind person who was always supportive and encouraging of us as a younger generation He really was the OG of restaurateursrdquoHe kept the wheels of erstwhile hotspots Henry Tham Kamling and Mandarin in SoBo churning after his father retired from the business And culinary anthropologist Kurush Dalal said the apple hadnrsquot fallen far from the tree in the sense that the son too would personally cater to patrons to make them feel comfortable a trait that reflects the ethos that that generation of FampB proprietors stood forGauri Devidayal restaurateurldquoThey believed in quality and value for money Chinese food in the 1980s and rsquo90s was all about thatrdquo Dalal shared while Katriar added that Henry Thamrsquos legacy is also about how he shaped his own sons to keep the soul of the family business alive Katriar said ldquoThe passing on of a legacy can be a jerky business but he did it so smoothly His kids are really humble and they wouldnrsquot have been as successful Ryan and Keenan run popular joints like Foo had they not listened to their fatherrdquoThe manrsquos passing away is a huge loss to the cityrsquos FampB history Katriar added in as many wordsKurush Dalal culinary anthropologistBusybeersquos best buddyBehram Contractor and Farzana ContractorFarzana Contractor editor and publisher shares about the nostalgiasoaked evenings that she and Behram lsquoBusbyeersquo Contractor would spend at the SoBo landmark ldquoThere was a time I would see Henry every Saturday night when he dropped in at Mandarin even if just for a few minutes to check on his father Tham Mon Yiu Mr Henry Tham was Behramrsquos best friend I can safely say and Saturday nights were spent at the special lsquoTham tablersquo under that giant and very arresting phoenix made of plaster of Paris Both men would drink away to glory while I slept on the sofa using Behramrsquos lap as a pillow We never left from there before 3 am ldquoBut itrsquos Sunday tomorrow loverdquo Behram would try to cajole me when I would protest that it was late Henry was a man of few words but many smiles I am truly saddened and will miss himrdquoAs told to Anindita Paul