Faze 2 owner goes to rest

Kampala. Kind, generous and immensely knowledgeable. Those traits form the foundation on which Elizabeth Taylor, widow to the now deceased Shantilal Patel believes her late husband’s legacy will forever be built on. She is taken up by his demise, but even amid the sorrow, her voice bears fractions of laughter as she reminisces her husband with spot-on clarity.
“We met on Friday January, 13, 1989. It was at a party right here in Kampala. And nothing has changed from then to the point of his death. He has always been the younger version of himself - hardworking, warm, in love with cricket and a great and passionate cook.”

Sam Patel, as he was fondly known among close friends and family, passed away on the morning of Wednesday, January 20. He had nursed lung complications for almost two years and had actually been moving around with an oxygen supply tube as part of the tireless efforts to get his health back on rail. He had recently returned from a trip to Thailand to try stem cells as a possible remedy.
That, however, did not work and he succumbed shortly after his return, aged 70.

A great business man
Dr Rajni Tailor, the chairman Indian Association Board of Trustees and a close and longtime friend of Patel, remembers him for being great with recipes and truly in love with cooking, a passion he would later turn into business.
“Cooking was his art. I remember every time we had our social get togethers with Sudhir Ruparelia and a couple of other friends, he would always gladly cook for us. That love is why he took on restaurant business,” Dr Tailor reminisces.

Patel worked for a Kenyan transport company. He also operated a shop on Kampala Road, opposite Fido dido, where he specialised in shirts and other wear before he opened Old Sams restaurant on Bombo Road, which was a major success in the 1990s. It is after Old Sams success that he opened up Faze 2 restaurant in Nakasero and Faze 3 in Entebbe, the ventures that have sealed his status as a revered city businessman.
Gyan Virma, the general manager Faze 2, remembers Patel as a joyful man and certainly a great person to work for.

“He put his heart into this business. He designed every inch of the Faze 2 kitchen, and the same goes for Faze 3. That is how passionate he was about this setup. And he would wake up very early, earlier than most staff to drop in and look at how things were falling through. Actually, he had a close relationship with those that worked for him.”
Beyond Faze 2 and Faze 3, the deceased was the mastermind behind Your Choice Ltd and Sausage Master Ltd.

But Patel will not only go down as a revered businessman, he will also be remembered as a fine sportsman, especially in the cricket corner, having played the game at club level in Uganda.
Paul Nsibuka Luswata, a former national captain for Uganda’s cricket side, remembers Patel as having been a proud member of the Kampala Institute Cricket Club (KICC) back in the 80s.

“He played between 1984, until the mid-90s. He was an off spinner, and did not fancy much the idea of being a batsman. I remember him being passionate on the pitch. But then again he was the same man off pitch. King of barbecue is what we called him because he made it a point to throw a barbecue for his side almost after every game,” Luswata reminisces, and goes ahead to note that Patel’s contribution to cricket did not end with his retirement from the game.
“He kept supporting the sport in other ways. He fundraised a lot for the game and he would actually show up at some cricket games to support the lads. So his death comes as a great loss to Uganda’s cricket family. He will dearly be missed.”
Patel is survived by two sons. His cremation will be held today, Saturday at 4pm at Lugogo crematorium.

Background. Born on January, 16,1946, Patel’s parents moved to Kisumu, Kenya when he was just six months. This is where he was raised. He lived in Kenya for many years before moving to Uganda in 1984.

[email protected]