Padma Lakshmi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Padma Lakshmi
Lakshmi in 2017
Born	Padma Parvati Lakshmi Vaidynathan (1970-09-01) September 1, 1970 (age 54) Madras, India
Citizenship	US (naturalized)
Occupation	TV personality model author producer businesswoman activist
Years active	1992–present
Spouse(s)	Salman Rushdie ​ ​ (m. 2004; div. 2007)​
Children	1
Modeling information
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Hair color	Black
Eye color	Brown

Padma Parvati Lakshmi (born September 1, 1970) is an American television personality, model, author, producer, businesswoman, and activist. She was born in India and moved to the United States as a child. She grew up in California.

Padma Lakshmi started her career as a model. Later, she became well-known for hosting the cooking competition show Top Chef on Bravo from 2006 to 2023. She also created, hosts, and produces Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi on Hulu. This show explores the food and culture of different communities in America. For her work on these shows, she has received many nominations for the Primetime Emmy Awards.

She has written five books, including cookbooks, a memoir, and a children's book. Two of her books, Love, Loss, and What We Ate and Tomatoes for Neela, became best-sellers on The New York Times list. Padma Lakshmi has also started several businesses. In 2023, she was named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people. She is also a co-founder of the Endometriosis Foundation of America and a United Nations Development Programme Goodwill Ambassador.

Early Life and Education

Padma Parvati Lakshmi was born in Madras (now Chennai), India. Her mother, Vijaya, was a nurse. Her parents divorced when Padma was two years old.

When she was four, Padma moved to the United States. She lived in New York City before moving to La Puente, California, with her mother and stepfather. As a teenager in Los Angeles, she faced bullying and racism. This made her feel bad about herself, but she worked hard to overcome it.

In 1984, at age 14, Padma was diagnosed with Stevens–Johnson syndrome. This is a rare and serious illness that can be caused by infections or certain medicines. Soon after, she was in a car accident in Malibu, California. This accident caused a broken hip and a badly injured right arm. She had surgery on her arm, which left a seven-inch scar.

Padma Lakshmi finished high school at William Workman High School in City of Industry, California, in 1988. She later earned a degree from Clark University.

Career

Modeling Work

Padma Lakshmi began her modeling career at age 21. A modeling agent discovered her while she was studying in Madrid. She has said she was the first Indian model to have a career in Paris, Milan, and New York. Modeling helped her pay off her college loans.

She modeled for famous designers like Giorgio Armani and Ralph Lauren. She also appeared in ads for brands like Roberto Cavalli. The photographer Helmut Newton often took pictures of her that showed the scar on her right arm. In 2023, at age 53, she appeared in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

Lakshmi in 2008

Television and Film Roles

Padma Lakshmi has hosted many TV shows. In 1997, she hosted Domenica In, an Italian program. In 2001, she hosted Padma's Passport on the Food Network, where she cooked recipes from around the world. She also hosted specials for the British show Planet Food.

She is best known as a host and judge on the cooking show Top Chef. She also works as an executive producer for the show. Padma Lakshmi was nominated for Emmy Awards multiple times for her hosting on Top Chef. She won three Critic's Choice Awards for the show in 2020. She left Top Chef after its twentieth season in 2023.

Padma Lakshmi also created, hosts, and produces Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi. This show started in 2020 on Hulu. It has won awards like the Gotham Award for Breakthrough Series. The show explores the food and culture of different immigrant and native communities in America.

She has also acted in films and TV shows. Her first film roles were in Italian pirate movies. She appeared in the American movie Glitter (2001) and had a guest role as an alien princess in Star Trek: Enterprise (2002). She also acted in the Bollywood film Boom and The Mistress of Spices. She has made guest appearances on shows like 30 Rock and Whose Line Is It Anyway?.

Books and Writing

Padma Lakshmi is a successful author. Her first cookbook, Easy Exotic, won an award in 1999. Her second cookbook, Tangy, Tart, Hot and Sweet, was released in 2007.

Her memoir, Love, Loss and What We Ate, came out in 2016 and became a The New York Times best-seller. In the same year, she released The Encyclopedia of Spices and Herbs, a guide to flavors from around the world. Her first children's book, Tomatoes for Neela, was released in 2021. It also became a New York Times best-seller.

Padma Lakshmi unveiling her book Love, Loss, and What We Ate: A Memoir, in 2017

Here are her books:

• Easy Exotic: A Model's Low Fat Recipes From Around the World (1999)
• Tangy, Tart, Hot and Sweet: A World of Recipes for Every Day (2007)
• Love, Loss, and What We Ate: A Memoir (2016)
• The Encyclopedia of Spices and Herbs: An Essential Guide to the Flavors of the World (2016)
• Tomatoes for Neela (2021)

Padma Lakshmi has also written articles for The New York Times, Vogue, and Harper's Bazaar.

Business Ventures

Padma Lakshmi has created several businesses. She launched "The Padma Collection," which included fine jewelry and a home décor line. She also created "Padma’s Easy Exotic," a brand for food items like teas and spice blends. She even worked with MAC Cosmetics to create a makeup collection called "MAC Padma." In 2024, she launched a lingerie line with Bare Necessities.

Personal Life

In April 2004, Padma Lakshmi married novelist Salman Rushdie. They divorced in 2007. She has a daughter, born in 2010, with businessman Adam Dell.

Padma Lakshmi can speak five languages: Tamil, Hindi, English, Spanish, and Italian.

At age 36, she was diagnosed with endometriosis. This is a health condition that she has had since she was a teenager.

Padma Lakshmi has received several honors for her work and contributions. In 2016, she was given the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. In 2022, she received the Carnegie Corporation of New York's Great Immigrant Award. In 2024, she was a visiting scholar at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Helping Others

Padma Lakshmi is a co-founder of the Endometriosis Foundation of America. This organization works to raise awareness, educate people, and support research about endometriosis. The foundation helped open the MIT Center for Gynepathology Research in 2009.

Activism and Advocacy

Padma Lakshmi is a strong advocate for immigrant rights, supporting independent restaurants, and women's rights.

She is an ambassador for immigration and women's rights for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). She has also spoken out against skin-lightening creams, especially those marketed to people of color. She has shared her experiences with colorism, which is discrimination based on skin tone.

In 2019, Padma Lakshmi was appointed a United Nations Development Programme Goodwill Ambassador. In this role, she highlights how inequality affects people everywhere, especially women and minorities. She received an award from the United Nations Correspondents Association in 2021 for her advocacy. She also helped pass a bill about teen health in the New York State Senate.

Selected Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Padma Lakshmi para niños

• Indians in the New York City metropolitan region