Padma Parvati Lakshmi (; born September 1, 1970)
is an Indian-born American author, activist, actress, model, philanthropist, and television host. She has hosted the cooking competition program ''
Top Chef
''Top Chef'' is an American reality competition television series which premiered on Bravo on March 8, 2006. The show features chefs competing against each other in culinary challenges. The contestants are judged by a panel of professional chef ...
'' on
Bravo
Bravo(s) or The Bravo(s) may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music Groups and labels
*Bravo (band), a Russian rock band
* Bravo (Spanish group), represented Spain at Eurovision 1984
*Bravo Music, an American concert band music publishing company ...
continuously since
season 2 Season 2 may refer to:
* ''Season 2'' (Infinite album)
* '' 2econd Season''
See also
*
{{disambig ...
(2006). For her work, she received a
Primetime Emmy nomination for
Outstanding Reality Host in 2009 and 2020 through 2022. She is also the creator, host, and executive producer of the critically-acclaimed
docuseries
Television documentaries are televised media productions that screen documentaries.
Television documentaries exist either as a television documentary series or as a television documentary film.
*Television documentary series, sometimes called d ...
''
Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi
''Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi'' is an American travel and food documentary television series. It stars Padma Lakshmi and follows her on her travels around the United States to learn about a specific food and culture in each city. The seri ...
'', which premiered in June 2020 on
Hulu
Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television serie ...
and explores the food and culture of immigrant and indigenous communities across America. In 2022, ''Taste the Nation: Holiday Edition'' won a
James Beard Foundation Award
The James Beard Foundation Awards are annual awards presented by the James Beard Foundation to recognize chefs, restaurateurs, authors and journalists in the United States. They are scheduled around James Beard's May 5 birthday. The media award ...
in the Visual Media - Long Form category.
She has published six books: two cookbooks, ''Easy Exotic'' and ''Tangy, Tart, Hot & Sweet''; an encyclopedia, ''The Encyclopedia of Spices & Herbs: An Essential Guide to the Flavors of the World''; a memoir, ''Love, Loss, and What We Ate''; a children's book, ''Tomatoes for Neela'' illustrated by
Juana Martinez-Neal, and guest-edited ''The Best American Travel Writing 2021.''
Early life
Padma Parvati Lakshmi was born in
Madras
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
(now
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
), India, into a
Tamil Brahmin
Tamil Brahmins are an ethnoreligious community of Tamil-speaking Hindu Brahmins, predominantly living in Tamil Nadu, though they number significantly in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, in addition to other regions of India, as wel ...
family.
Her mother Vijaya is a retired
oncology
Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''. The name's etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγκος (''ó ...
nurse. Her parents divorced when she was two years old.
Lakshmi immigrated to the United States at age four and was raised in New York City before moving to
La Puente, California
La Puente (Spanish for "The Bridge") is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city had a population of 39,816 at the 2010 census and is approximately east of downtown Los Angeles.
History
The original inhabitants of the ...
with her mother and stepfather.
As a teenager growing up in Los Angeles, she stated that she was bullied and endured
Anti-Indian racism, which caused her to struggle to overcome "internalized self-loathing."
In 1984, when Lakshmi was 14 years old, she was hospitalized for three weeks and eventually diagnosed with
Stevens–Johnson syndrome
Stevens–Johnson syndrome (SJS) is a type of severe skin reaction. Together with toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) and Stevens–Johnson/toxic epidermal necrolysis (SJS/TEN), it forms a spectrum of disease, with SJS being less severe. Erythema ...
, a rare illness caused by hypersensitivity to an infection or a potentially fatal reaction to certain kinds of medications.
Two days after her discharge from the hospital, she was injured in a car accident in
Malibu, California
Malibu ( ; es, Malibú; Chumash: ) is a beach city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, situated about west of Downtown Los Angeles. It is known for its Mediterranean climate and its strip of the Malibu ...
, which left her with a fractured right hip and a shattered right upper arm. The arm injury required surgery, from which she retained a seven-inch scar between her elbow and shoulder.
In a 2018 essay for ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', Lakshmi revealed that she was raped by her older boyfriend when she was 16, which she did not report. She stated that her decision to keep silent about the rape resulted from her stepfather‘s relative assaulting her when she was seven years old. After she told her mother and stepfather about his assault, they sent her to live with her grandparents for a year. She wrote, "The lesson was: If you speak up, you will be cast out." She said, "I am speaking now because I want us all to fight so that our daughters never know this fear and shame and our sons know that girls’ bodies do not exist for their pleasure and that abuse has grave consequences."
Education
Lakshmi graduated from
William Workman High School
William Workman High School is the only public high school located in City of Industry, California. It is one of four high schools in the Hacienda La Puente Unified School District. For sports part of the Montview League.
History
School was na ...
in
City of Industry, California
City of Industry is a city in the San Gabriel Valley, in eastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city is almost entirely industrial, containing over 3,000 businesses employing 67,000 people, with only 264 residents as of th ...
,
in 1988.
Lakshmi attended
Clark University
Clark University is a private research university in Worcester, Massachusetts. Founded in 1887 with a large endowment from its namesake Jonas Gilman Clark, a prominent businessman, Clark was one of the first modern research universities in the ...
in
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-List of cities i ...
and graduated with a degree in
theater arts
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...
and American literature in 1992. She also began her modeling career as an exchange student in Madrid, Spain.
Career
Modeling
In effect, Lakshmi began her modeling career at age 21, when a modeling agent discovered Lakshmi while she studied abroad in Madrid.
She has said, "I was the first Indian model to have a career in Paris, Milan, and New York. I'm the first one to admit that I was a novelty."
[Padma Lakshmi — ''Evening Standard Magazine'']
LakshmiFilms.com Lakshmi was able to pay off her college loans by working as a model and actress.
She has modeled for designers such as
Emanuel Ungaro
Emanuel Ungaro (13 February 1933 – 21 December 2019) was a French fashion designer who founded the eponymous fashion house in 1965.
Early life
Ungaro's Italian father fled to France from Francavilla Fontana of Brindisi province because of the ...
,
Giorgio Armani,
Gianni Versace
Giovanni Maria "Gianni" Versace (; 2 December 1946 – 15 July 1997) was an Italian fashion designer, socialite and businessman. He was the founder of Versace, an international luxury-fashion house that produces accessories, fragrances, make-u ...
,
Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren, ( ; ; born October 14, 1939) is an American fashion designer, philanthropist, and billionaire businessman, best known for the Ralph Lauren Corporation, a global multibillion-dollar enterprise. He has become well known for his co ...
, and
Alberta Ferretti
Alberta Ferretti (; ) is an Italian fashion designer and dressmaker. She designs for her namesake brand Alberta Ferretti, and designed for Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti until 2014. Her showroom is in Milan, Italy but her studio is in her nati ...
and appeared in ad campaigns for
Roberto Cavalli
Roberto Cavalli (; born 15 November 1940) is an Italian fashion designer and inventor. He is known for exotic prints and for creating the sand-blasted look for jeans. The high-end Italian fashion house Roberto Cavalli sells luxury clothing, per ...
and
Versus. She was a favorite model of the photographer
Helmut Newton
Helmut Newton (born Helmut Neustädter; 31 October 192023 January 2004) was a German-Australian photographer. The ''New York Times'' described him as a "prolific, widely imitated fashion photographer whose provocative, erotically charged black-a ...
, whose photographs of her often highlighted the large scar on her right arm.
![Padma Lakshmi by David Shankbone](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/73/Padma_Lakshmi_by_David_Shankbone.jpg)
Lakshmi has appeared on the covers of ''
Redbook
''Redbook'' is an American women's magazine that is published by the Hearst Corporation. It is one of the " Seven Sisters", a group of women's service magazines. It ceased print publication as of January 2019 and now operates an article-comprise ...
'', ''Vogue'' India,''
FHM
''FHM'' (For Him Magazine) is a British multinational men's lifestyle magazine that was published in several countries. Its master edition contained features such as the ''FHM'' 100 Sexiest Women in the World, which has featured models, actres ...
'', ''
Cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan may refer to:
Food and drink
* Cosmopolitan (cocktail), also known as a "Cosmo"
History
* Rootless cosmopolitan, a Soviet derogatory epithet during Joseph Stalin's anti-Semitic campaign of 1949–1953
Hotels and resorts
* Cosmopoli ...
'', ''L'Officiel India'', ''Asian Woman'', ''
Elle
''Elle'' (stylized ''ELLE'') is a worldwide women's magazine of French origin that offers a mix of fashion and beauty content, together with culture, society and lifestyle. The title means "she" or "her" in French. ''Elle'' is considered the w ...
,'' ''Avenue'', ''Industry Magazine'', ''
Marie Claire
''Marie Claire'' is a French international monthly magazine first published in France in 1937, followed by the United Kingdom in 1941. Since then various editions are published in many countries and languages. The feature editions focus on wo ...
(India Edition)'', ''
Harper's Bazaar
''Harper's Bazaar'' is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. It was first published in New York City on November 2, 1867, as the weekly ''Harper's Bazar''. ''Harper's Bazaar'' is published by Hearst and considers itself to be the st ...
'', ''
Town & Country'', and ''
Newsweek
''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis (businessman), Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print m ...
''. She also posed nude for the May 2009 issue of ''
Allure''.
She has done shoots for photographers
Mario Testino
Mario Eduardo Testino Silva OBE HonFRPS (born 30 October 1954) is a Peruvian fashion and portrait photographer.
His work has featured internationally in magazines such as ''Vogue, V Magazine,'' '' Vanity Fair'' and '' GQ.'' He has also cre ...
and
Helmut Newton
Helmut Newton (born Helmut Neustädter; 31 October 192023 January 2004) was a German-Australian photographer. The ''New York Times'' described him as a "prolific, widely imitated fashion photographer whose provocative, erotically charged black-a ...
.
Film, television, and hosting
Lakshmi is the current host and one of the judges on the television show ''
Top Chef
''Top Chef'' is an American reality competition television series which premiered on Bravo on March 8, 2006. The show features chefs competing against each other in culinary challenges. The contestants are judged by a panel of professional chef ...
.'' The show has been nominated for a
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
for
Outstanding Reality-Competition Program
The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reailty Competition Program is handed out for reality-style, skill-based competition formats during the primetime telecast since 2003. The award goes to the producers of the program.
''The Amazing Race'' ...
from
season 2 Season 2 may refer to:
* ''Season 2'' (Infinite album)
* '' 2econd Season''
See also
*
{{disambig ...
through
season 19, with
season 6
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and po ...
winning the award in
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
.
She also serves as an executive producer of the show. Lakshmi was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for
Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program in
2009
File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
and in
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
through 2022 for ''Top Chef''. In 2020, Lakshmi won three Critic's Choice Awards for ''Top Chef''.
Lakshmi is also the creator, host, and executive producer of ''
Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi
''Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi'' is an American travel and food documentary television series. It stars Padma Lakshmi and follows her on her travels around the United States to learn about a specific food and culture in each city. The seri ...
,'' which premiered on
Hulu
Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television serie ...
on June 18, 2020, and received the
Gotham Award
The Gotham Awards () are American film awards, presented annually to the makers of independent films at a ceremony in New York City, the city first nicknamed "Gotham" by native son Washington Irving, in an issue of ''Salmagundi'', published on ...
for Breakthrough Series and a
Critic's Choice Award for Best Culinary Show. ''Taste the Nation'' received 100% on
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
. In 2021, Hulu released a 4-episode special, ''Taste the Nation: Holiday Edition.'' In ''Taste the Nation,'' Lakshmi expands and redefines the meaning of American food collectively. In June 2022, Lakshmi received her first
James Beard Foundation Award
The James Beard Foundation Awards are annual awards presented by the James Beard Foundation to recognize chefs, restaurateurs, authors and journalists in the United States. They are scheduled around James Beard's May 5 birthday. The media award ...
for ''Taste the Nation: Holiday Edition''.
Previously, Lakshmi served as a host of ''
Domenica In
''Domenica in'' is an Italian Sunday long-running television show broadcast by Rai 1
Rai 1 () is an Italian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by state-owned public broadcaster RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana. It is the com ...
'', Italy's top-rated television show, in 1997.
She hosted the
Food Network
Food Network is an American basic cable channel owned by Television Food Network, G.P., a joint venture and general partnership between Warner Bros. Discovery Networks (which holds a 69% ownership stake of the network) and Nexstar Media Group ...
series ''Padma's Passport'',
which was part of the larger series ''Melting Pot'' in 2001, where she cooked recipes from around the world. She also hosted two one-hour specials in
South India
South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territo ...
and
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
for the British
culinary tourism
Culinary tourism or food tourism or gastronomy tourism is the exploration of food as the purpose of tourism. It is considered a vital component of the tourism experience. Dining out is common among tourists and "food is believed to rank alongsid ...
show ''Planet Food'', broadcast on the Food Network in the U.S. and internationally on the
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel (known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery) is an American cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav. , Discovery Channe ...
s.
Lakshmi was also an official contributor for season 19 of ''
The View'' from 2015 to 2016. For celebrity contestant, she competed and won against music producer
Randy Jackson
Randall Darius Jackson (born June 23, 1956) is an American record executive and television presenter, perhaps best known as a judge on ''American Idol'' from 2002 to 2013.
Jackson began his career in the 1980s as a session musician playing bas ...
in an episode of
TBS's ''
Drop the Mic
''Drop the Mic'' is an American musical reality competition television series that premiered on October 24, 2017, airing on TBS for its first two seasons before moving to TNT for its third season on January 23, 2019. The show is based on a rec ...
'' that aired on December 26, 2017. She has appeared on ''See Us Coming Together, "''a special that celebrates the rich diversity of Asian and Pacific Islander communities as part of Sesame Workshop’s ongoing racial justice initiative."
Her first film roles were in the Italian pirate movies ''
The Son of Sandokan'' and ''Caraibi (Pirates: Blood Brothers)''. She had a comical supporting part as the lip-synching disco singer Sylk in the 2001 American movie ''
Glitter
Glitter is an assortment of small, reflective particles that come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. Glitter particles reflect light at different angles, causing the surface to sparkle or shimmer. Glitter is similar to confetti, sparkle ...
,'' starring
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the whi ...
. In 2002, Lakshmi made a guest appearance as alien princess Kaitaama in "
Precious Cargo," the 37th episode of the science fiction TV series ''
Star Trek: Enterprise
''Star Trek: Enterprise'', titled simply ''Enterprise'' for its first two seasons, is an American science fiction television series created by Rick Berman and Brannon Braga. It originally aired from September 26, 2001, to May 13, 2005 on Uni ...
''. She portrayed Madhuvanthi in the TV movie ''
Sharpe's Challenge
''Sharpe's Challenge'' is a British TV film from 2006, usually shown in two parts, which is part of an ITV series based on Bernard Cornwell's historical fiction novels about the British soldier Richard Sharpe during the Napoleonic Wars. Contra ...
'' (aired 2006). In 2006, she appeared in ABC's Biblical TV series ''
The Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments (Biblical Hebrew עשרת הדברים \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדְּבָרִים, ''aséret ha-dvarím'', lit. The Decalogue, The Ten Words, cf. Mishnaic Hebrew עשרת הדיברות \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְ ...
'' as Princess Bithia. In 2009, Lakshmi starred in the video for the
Eels
Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes (), which consists of eight suborders, 19 families, 111 genera, and about 800 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the early larval stage to the eventual adult stage ...
song "That Look You Give That Guy."
She starred in the 2003
Bollywood film
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...
''
Boom
Boom may refer to:
Objects
* Boom (containment), a temporary floating barrier used to contain an oil spill
* Boom (navigational barrier), an obstacle used to control or block marine navigation
* Boom (sailing), a sailboat part
* Boom (windsurfi ...
'', alongside
Katrina Kaif
Katrina Kaif (; born Katrina Turquotte; 16 July 1983) is a British actress who works in Hindi-language films. One of the highest-paid actresses in India, she has received accolades, including four Screen Awards and four Zee Cine Awards, in a ...
and
Madhu Sapre
Madhu Sapre (born 14 July 1971) is an Indian supermodel from Maharashtra. She won Femina Miss India pageant in 1992.
Career
In the 1990s, Sapre was an athlete who rose to fame when she started modeling at a very young age. As Miss India she ...
, as one of three supermodels accused of stealing diamonds. She played the role of Geeta in
Paul Mayeda Berges
Paul Mayeda Berges (born September 11, 1968) is an American screenwriter and director, notably as co-writer of 2002's ''Bend It Like Beckham''.
Of Japanese and Basque ancestry,The Mistress of Spices
''The Mistress of Spices'' is a 2005 American romantic drama film by Paul Mayeda Berges, with a screenplay by Gurinder Chadha and Berges. It is based upon the 1997 novel ''Mistress of Spices'' by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. The film stars Aishwa ...
''. Lakshmi also made a guest appearance on the NBC series ''
30 Rock
''30 Rock'' is an American satirical sitcom television series created by Tina Fey that originally aired on NBC from October 11, 2006, to January 31, 2013. The series, based on Fey's experiences as head writer for ''Saturday Night Live'', takes ...
'' in 2009 and appeared on ''
Whose Line Is It Anyway?
''Whose Line Is It Anyway?'' is a short-form improvisational comedy show originating as a British radio programme, before moving to British television in 1988. Following the conclusion of the British run in 1999, ABC began airing an American ...
'' in 2014.
Books and writing
Lakshmi's first cookbook, ''Easy Exotic'', a compilation of international recipes and short essays released in 1999, was awarded the Best First Book at the 1999 Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in
Versailles
The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, u ...
. Her second cookbook, ''Tangy, Tart, Hot and Sweet'', was released on October 2, 2007, and was reissued in March 2021 and was named one of Apple's Best Books of 2021. Her first memoir, ''Love, Loss and What We Ate'', was released on International's Women's Day, March 8, 2016. Lakshmi's third book, an encyclopedia and reference guide, ''The Encyclopedia of Spices and Herbs,'' on October 4, 2016. Her first children's book ''Tomatoes for Neela,'' released on August 31, 2021 and illustrated by
Juana Martinez-Neal, debuted fourth on
The New York Times best-seller list
''The New York Times'' Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. John Bear, ''The #1 New York Times Best Seller: intriguing facts about the 484 books that have been #1 New York Times ...
.
*''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)
Lakshmi also guest edited ''The Best American Travel Writing 2021,'' a collection of essays from renowned travel writers.
Lakshmi wrote a syndicated column in ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' and has written articles on style for the American edition of ''
Vogue
Vogue may refer to:
Business
* ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine
** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine
** ''Vogue China'', ...
'', at editor
Anna Wintour
Dame Anna Wintour (; born 3 November 1949) is a British journalist based in New York City who has served as editor-in-Chief of ''Vogue'' since 1988 and Global Chief Content Officer for Condé Nast since 2020; she is also the artistic directo ...
's request. She also wrote a column on style for ''
Harper's Bazaar
''Harper's Bazaar'' is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. It was first published in New York City on November 2, 1867, as the weekly ''Harper's Bazar''. ''Harper's Bazaar'' is published by Hearst and considers itself to be the st ...
'' (UK and US editions)'','' following a commission from editor
Glenda Bailey
Dame Glenda Adrianne Bailey DBE (born 16 November 1958) is a former editor-in-chief of ''Harper’s Bazaar'', a monthly fashion magazine published by the Hearst Corporation. She was in this position from May 2001 to 2020.
Early life
Bailey was ...
.
Personal life
In April 2004, after living together for five years, Lakshmi married novelist
Salman Rushdie
Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie (; born 19 June 1947) is an Indian-born British-American novelist. His work often combines magic realism with historical fiction and primarily deals with connections, disruptions, and migrations between Eastern and Wes ...
. Rushdie stated that Lakshmi had asked for a divorce in January 2007, and later that year, in July, the couple filed it. She dated billionaire
Theodore J. Forstmann
Theodore Joseph Forstmann (February 13, 1940 – November 20, 2011) was one of the founding partners of Forstmann Little & Company, a private equity firm, and chairman and CEO of IMG, a global sports and media company. A billionaire, Forstmann ...
.
On February 22, 2010, Lakshmi gave birth to her daughter with businessman
Adam Dell.
Lakshmi speaks four languages: Tamil, Hindi, English, and Italian.
At the age of 36, Lakshmi was diagnosed with
endometriosis
Endometriosis is a disease of the female reproductive system in which cells similar to those in the endometrium, the layer of tissue that normally covers the inside of the uterus, grow outside the uterus. Most often this is on the ovaries, f ...
, which she has had since early adolescence.
Philanthropy
Lakshmi is a co-founder of the
Endometriosis Foundation of America
The Endometriosis Foundation of America, Inc. (EndoFound, EFA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing awareness, promoting education and sponsoring research of endometriosis. EndoFound’s fourteen-member board of directors, as of 2 ...
, a
nonprofit organization
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
focused on increasing awareness, education, research, and legislative advocacy against the disease. The foundation was instrumental in the 2009 opening of the
MIT
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the m ...
Center for Gynepathology Research, where Lakshmi gave the keynote address. She is a global ambassador for
Keep a Child Alive
Keep a Child Alive (KCA) is a nonprofit organization that provides healthcare, housing, and other support services to HIV/AIDS-affected communities in Africa and India. Co-founded by Leigh Blake and Alicia Keys, the organization aims to "realize ...
, and since 2007 has traveled to sites in India on their behalf.
Activism
Lakshmi is known as an advocate for immigrant rights, the independent restaurant industry and women's rights.
Lakshmi is the
American Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1920 "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States". T ...
(ACLU) ambassador for immigration and women's rights. She has also been a critic of skin-lightening creams that are marketed to people of color. She has also spoken about the
colorism
Discrimination based on skin color, also known as colorism, or shadeism, is a form of prejudice and/or discrimination in which people who share similar ethnicity traits or perceived race are treated differently based on the social implications th ...
she has experienced while living in India and the United States.
Lakshmi was appointed
United Nations Development Programme
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)french: Programme des Nations unies pour le développement, PNUD is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human dev ...
Goodwill Ambassador on March 7, 2019. "My main mission as UNDP Goodwill Ambassador is to shine a spotlight on the fact that inequality can affect people in rich and poor countries alike. Many nations have greatly reduced poverty, but inequality has proved more stubborn," said Lakshmi. "Inequality is further compounded by gender, age, ethnicity, and race. It especially affects women, minorities, and others who face unimaginable discrimination in the societies in which they live." In December 2021, she received the Advocate of the Year Award by the
United Nations Correspondents Association The United Nations Correspondents Association (U.N. Correspondents Association), or UNCA, was founded in New York City in 1948. It has over 250 members today. It presents the annual UNCA Excellence in Journalism Awards. The purpose of the awards ...
(UNCA). In October 2022, Lakshmi was honored at the 20th edition of the ACLU's Sing Out For Freedom benefit concert along with
Patti Smith
Patricia Lee Smith (born December 30, 1946)
is an American singer, songwriter, poet, painter and author who became an influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album '' Horses''.
Called the "punk poe ...
and
Shaina Taub
Shaina Taub is an American singer, composer and musician.
Biography
Taub graduated from New York University Tisch School of the Arts.
Taub composed and starred in three adaptations of Shakespeare plays for The Public Theater's Public Works pro ...
.
Selected filmography
See also
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Indians in the New York City metropolitan region
Indians in the New York City metropolitan area constitute one of the largest and fastest-growing ethnicities in the New York City metropolitan area of the United States. The New York City region is home to the largest and most prominent Indian ...
*
New Yorkers in journalism
New York City has been called the media capital of the world. Many journalists work in Manhattan, reporting about international, American, business, entertainment, and New York metropolitan area-related matters.
New Yorkers in journalism
A
...
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lakshmi, Padma
1970 births
American actresses of Indian descent
American cookbook writers
American female models of Indian descent
American people of Indian Tamil descent
American women non-fiction writers
American women writers of Indian descent
American film actresses
American television actresses
Actresses in Hindi cinema
American expatriate actresses in India
Clark University alumni
Indian emigrants to the United States
Living people
The New Yorker people
Participants in American reality television series
Top Chef
Women cookbook writers
Women food writers
Writers from Chennai
Writers from New York City
Multilingual writers
Food writers
Cookbook writers