Our Chef

Uday Kadam

Owner, Manager, and Head Chef Uday Kadam was born in India, in a small village just south of Bombay. His family were farmers, and his father was a teacher: Uday's first Guru. They were poor, so when Uday was offered a scholarship to a boarding school he accepted, excited to meet his next Gurus.

These Gurus were Buddhist monks and Catholic teachers. Uday's experience there marked the beginning of his life's journey: meeting people of multiple cultures and exploring their unique cuisines.

After completing high school, Uday moved to Bombay to attend college. While there, he also took his first restaurant job at the renowned Taj Mahal Hotel. Uday thrived in his new occupation. He became a management trainee, working under the influence of talented Gurus who taught and encouraged him in what would become his life's profession.

While at the Taj Mahal Hotel, Uday met his first Guru of international business: a private restaurateur who brought Uday to Kuwait. His adventures continued when he was discovered by Marriott International. This was a major turning point in Uday's life. Marriott took him to Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom and ultimately to the United States. He was fortunate to work directly with the Marriott family and their vast number of Gurus. They taught him the ins and outs of the New York City banquet business and how to manage multiple locations.

When one of his Marriott Gurus accepted an offer to move to Florida to work at Disney's Polynesian Resort, he asked Uday to accept a job there as well. Uday's experience at Disney was both positive and informative, and most especially taught him the importance of storytelling and customer service excellence.

Uday decided to make Central Florida his permanent home and opened his first restaurant in Orlando. This was the culmination of all the lessons his Gurus had taught him over the years.

He met his wife Pam in 2005 and learned about the many places she had lived and worked, including California, the Midwestern and Southern United States, Canada, Italy, Germany, Spain, China, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Singapore. Both Uday and Pam love the flavors of the world's cuisines, and so the idea of Guru Restaurant and Catering was born.