Contributor Biography
Contributor on ABC Television Network’s “The View.”
Emmy nominated Padma Lakshmi is known internationally as an actress, food expert, model and award--‐winning author. Lakshmi recently wrapped her eleventh season as a judge, host and executive producer of Bravo’s Emmy award winning “Top Chef.”
Lakshmi was born in India and grew up in America. She graduated from Clark University with a Bachelors degree in Theater Arts and American Literature. Known as India’s first supermodel, she began her career as a fashion model, working in Europe and the US.
In 2009, Lakshmi co-founded the Endometriosis Foundation of America alongside world renowned Advanced Gynecological Surgeon Tamer Seckin, MD. After suffering from the disease for decades herself, she has been able to make amazing strides with the foundation such as launching the first interdisciplinary research facility in the country for Gynepathology as a joint project between Harvard Medical School and MIT, where she gave the keynote address at the Center’s opening in December 2009. Lakshmi has recently been recognized on the floor of the New York State Senate where she succeeded in passing a bill relating to teen health
initiatives.
Lakshmi established herself as a food expert early on in her career, having hosted two successful cooking shows and writing a best-selling cookbook Easy Exotic, for which she won the International Versailles Event for best cookbook by a first time writer. Lakshmi followed this success with the publication of her second cookbook, Tangy, Tart, Hot & Sweet, released by Weinstein Books, which has over 150 recipes from around the world alongside intriguing personal memoirs.
In addition to these current projects, Lakshmi is a savvy businesswoman with multiple companies of her own. Her debut home décor line, The Padma Collection, is sold in Bloomingdale’s and other fine retailers nationwide with tabletop dishware, stemware and hand-blown glass décor pieces. She has also created Padma’s Easy Exotic, a collection of culinary products including frozen organic foods, fine teas, natural spice blends, as well as hard goods.
For The Food Network, Lakshmi hosted “Padma’s Passport” where she cooked diverse cuisine from around the world. Lakshmi has also hosted “Planet Food,” a documentary series broadcast on The Food Network and worldwide on the Discovery Channel where she journeyed to countries such as Spain and India. Lakshmi is Emmy nominated for her role as host and judge on Bravo’s “Top Chef” which has been awarded an Emmy for Outstanding Reality Competition Show. Other television credits include co-hosting Rai Television's “Domenica In,” Italy’s highest rated program.
Lakshmi is also an accomplished writer. In addition to her food writing, she has contributed to such magazines as Vogue, Gourmet and British and American Harper's Bazaar as well as had a syndicated column on fashion and food for The New York Times.
Originally known as the first internationally successful Indian supermodel and often noted as a global style icon, Lakshmi has been featured as People magazine’s “100 Most Beautiful People” and “25 Most Intriguing People,” AOL’s “Top 20 Style Influencers,” Gotham magazine’s “Best Dressed New Yorkers,” and part of “The Elle 25.”