Padma Lakshmi
Padma Lakshmi
Padma Lakshmi is an Indian-born American author, actress, model, television host and executive producer. Her debut cookbook Easy Exotic won her the "Best First Book" award at the 1999 Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. She has been the host of the US reality television program Top Chef since season two in 2006, for which she received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program. In 2010, Top Chef won the Emmy Award for...
NationalityIndian
ProfessionTV Actress
Date of Birth1 September 1970
CityChennai, India
CountryIndia
For a long time, I didn't know what I wanted to be when I grew up. I was desperate to find something that fit me and I just decided that if I could organically make a professional living out of the things that interested me, then I would be a happy person.
Beauty is no accomplishment on its own. It's what you do with it.
I think wine is such a big universe that it's kind of like food - it's intimidating to a lot of people, myself included.
You don't want your jewelry to make you look fat. A lot of what's out there now does - you just wind up looking like a Christmas tree.
During the course of filming 'Top Chef,' I gain 15 lbs., so I'm used to needing two dress sizes.
I work out all the time! I don't just sit around and eat burgers whenever I want. Oh, if I could I probably would, but I don't.
I'm an immigrant kid who came to America from India when I was very young and grew up in New York City with a single mom and really was influenced by all of those immigrant cultures bumping up against each other.
My mom was scared of the old Times Square so I was never allowed to go. Now I'm scared of the new Times Square, so I still never go.
In southern Spain, they made me eat a bull's testicles. They were really garlicky, which I don't like. I prefer to take a bull by the horns, not by, um...
Women's voices not being heard is the root of many of the problems of the world,
I never Tweet about my daughter. Never. I just want to be respectful of her privacy. My job as a mom is to know when to open my mouth and when not to.
I grew up a vegetarian. Then, because I grew up in the states, I started slowly eating meat. First it was bologna sandwiches, or pepperoni on pizza.
I love seafood. I'm not a vegetarian but I'm probably a pescetarian.
I have a great career, and I have my daughter. Sio what I don't have is not as important to as what I do have.