More About Padma Lakshmi

About Padma Lakshmi

After suffering a car accident at the age of 14, which injured her hip and shoulder, she went on to becoming a model, television star, cookbook author and Top Chef contestant. The serious accident required later surgery, but this did not prevent her from her many accomplishments.

Known as a contributor to charitable causes, she is a United Nations Development Programme Goodwill Ambassador to work against inequality throughout the world.

Padma Lakshmi Biography

Born in 1970 in Chennai, India, after attending school in the U.S., she graduated from Clark University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Theatre Arts and American Literature.

While still in school, she enjoyed discovery by a photographer in her senior year. This led to a career in modeling; she was India’s first supermodel. Working with fashion designers, such as Giorgio Armani, Gianni Versace, Ralph Lauren and others, she soon traveled the world. Modeling became the pathway for her career as an actor.

An early start was the hosting of “Padma’s Pssport,” a cooking show that had her cooking food from around the world. “Planet Food” became a documentary series that aired on the Discovery Channel and the Food Network. Additionally, Lakshmi was the co-host of an variety show program that had the highest rating in Italy.

There is more to learn about her career. She is the host of Top Chef and was a guest on The View, where she brought food, talked about cooking with her daughter and spoke of her experiences.

In addition to her fame in food, she has influenced other women’s health. She suffered from endometriosis without knowing it for many years. She was the co-founder the Endometriosis Foundation of America (EFA) in 2009. This was with Tamer Seckin, MD, an advanced Gynecological Surgeon.

Padma Lakshmi the Writer

She has written many books. The following are among her successful writings:

• “Easy Exotic”
• “Tangy, Tart, Hot & Sweet”
• “Love, Loss and What We Ate”

Added to these food-based books is a 2021 “Encyclopedia of Spices & Herbs.” She also has written her first book for children, called “Tomatoes for Neela.”

Books are not her only writing achievements; she is a contributor to Gourmet Magazine, Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar in both America and Britain. Additionally, her busy life allows her time to write a column for the New York Times that has syndication; it maintains the theme of fashion and food.

Padma Lakshmi News

As the creator and host of Taste the Nation, a series on Hulu, she has enjoyed success with a series that has expansion into two seasons. It received an award for 2021 Gotham Award for Breakthrough Series.

The Padma Collection, a line of fine jewelry designs, is sold at Bergdorf Goodman, Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus. She also designed decor for the home that includes stemware, tabletop items and fine glass.

In addition, she is the creator of the Padma’s Easy Exotic, a collection of culinary products, which includes organic foods, natural spice blends, fine teas and home goods. Makeup and cosmetics also bear her name, as she collaborated with MAC Cosmetics for a 2018 capsule collection, sold worldwide; it had the name, “MAC Padma.” It was a best seller and quickly sold out in the U.S. and India.

Lakshi is visiting scholar at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She is a recipient of the 2016 NECO Ellis Island Medal of Honor, which recognized a debt to her ethnic heritage while upholding the American spirit. In recognition of her many contributions, she is a recipient of the 2018 Karma Award from Variety.

A resident of New York City, she lives with her daughter as she maintains a busy lifestyle.

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