RESTAURATEUR Anil Sud of Passage to India and Jewel of India died Sunday while on vacation in Madrid, Spain.

The cause of death has not been verified, but his son Pascal, who confirmed his death, indicated a massive heart attack.

Sud and his wife Rajni were staying at the Mercure Madrid Plaza hotel.

Sud, who was born in India on September 5, 1950, would have been 60 next week.

Yesterday, the restaurant and hotel industries reacted with shock to news of Sud’s sudden passing.

“Our community has lost a good person,” said Brian Sang, general manager of Beaches Sandy Bay Resort. “Anil was a great guy, just an outstanding human being. He had a wonderful generosity of spirit, was always thinking of others before himself and had a great sense of humour and deep love for his family.”

Sang recalled that he met Sud, a fellow member of the Confrerie de la Chaine des Rotisseurs, in 1984 when they both worked at the Wyndham Rosehall hotel in Montego Bay.

“At the time, he was the executive chef for the hotel and those days the hotel had the largest meeting room space on the island, and we used to do a lot of group and incentive business,” said Sang.

“During those days, he used to dazzle the guests with his culinary mastery, he was very passionate about food and was always researching a new dish that he was planning to fuse with the local ingredients. He was also very keen on training and always prepared to develop the next level of chefs,” added Sang.

Leila and Pierluigi, operators of Toscanini in Ocho Rios, were devastated. “We are both shocked,” they told the Observer. “Passage to India opened a year after we did here in Ocho Rios, some 11 years ago, and we have enjoyed a great relationship. We’ll miss him terribly. May his soul rest in peace.”

Restaurateur Eva Myers, owner and operator of Evita’s in Ocho Rios, was also stunned at the news. “I’m so shocked, it’s so sad,” she said. “He was such a nice person and so full of life. I extend to his family my deepest sympathy. I’m really feeling for them, especially his wife.

“We had some wonderful times. I enjoyed going to his restaurant as well as having him here at my place. He was always so accommodating, and I was always happy and flattered to see him,” Myers added.

World renowned restaurateur Norma Shirley, who was particularly hard hit by the news, said Sud’s passing was “a terrible loss to the industry”.

Chaine des Rotisseurs member Marigold Harding recalled that Sud, who had been a Chaine member for possibly two decades, was one of the most efficient industry players she has ever met. “He was meticulous to the last detail. He is someone we’ll miss terribly,” she said.