Not A Chef, But She Plays One On TV

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I was happily watching The Princess Bride for about the 1000th time on Bravo (“That’s right. When I was your age, television was called books.”), and I saw the name “Padma Lakshmi” flash across the screen. A little Googling later, and it appears that Padma Lakshmi, model, occasional actress, cookbook author, and oh yeah, Mrs. Salman Rushdie, has a new gig — possibly her most high-profile one yet. padma lakshmi.jpg

She’s hosting the second season of Bravo’s Top Chef, a cooking reality show:

Known as the first Indian supermodel, actress and award-winning writer Padma Lakshmi joins the second season as host of “Top Chef,” introducing the challenges to the contestants and sitting at the judges’ table each week. Lakshmi is currently working on her second cookbook for Miramax Books due in Spring 2007, a culinary endeavor of over 150 recipes from around the world and intriguing personal memoirs. This is a follow up to her successful first cookbook, “Easy Exotic,” for which she won the International Versailles Event for best cookbook by a first time writer. Lakshmi hosted “Padma’s Passport” on The Food Network, cooking diverse and low-fat cuisine based on her best selling book, “Easy Exotic.” Lakshmi also hosted the documentary series “Planet Food” for The Food Network and worldwide Discovery Channel, in which she journeyed the world for exotic cuisine. (link)

Ok, she’s not really the first Indian supermodel — though maybe she’s the best-known in the American TV landscape. (But who was the “first” Indian supermodel?) I suppose one could make a comment about the phrase, “easy exotic,” but we’ll try and rise above that. Between “Planet Food” and “Padma’s Passport,” I prefer the latter title, though I think what she really needs to do is start her own video podcast: the Podmacast.

51 thoughts on “Not A Chef, But She Plays One On TV”

  1. Amardeep,

    Perhaps someone needs to teach a course on “Mrs. Rushdie Literature.” Between Marianne Wiggins, Elizabeth West, and Padma Lakshmi, the reading list could get pretty populated :).

    And i think Padma Lakshmi may, in fact, be India’s first supermodel–as far as i know she certainly debuted in the supermodel era (post 1985) and walked for several top designers. And Easy Exotic, despite the cringe-inducing title, is a terrific cookbook. Her Chettinad chicken, for instance, cooks in a snap and tastes authentic.

  3. But who was the “first” Indian supermodel? Amardeep,

    Padma Lakshmi is no doubt pretty [I would not say anything else to invite Salman Rushdie’s wrath]. Well, she is Delhi-born who made made big in American glamor. However, within Indian context, Indian first supermodels would be series of Lirl girls going back to seventies. Zeenat Aman et al. were models before they became icons in Bollywood.

    Or even, there is this Pune based Czech women (she is Gupta, I am forgetting her first name) who really predates Padma Lakshmi. She is still very big name, and showcase many designers. If you look @ India Today’s last page every week, it seems India is hitting big on exporting models.

  5. To all my fellow geeks out there, I first saw Ms. Lakshmi when she first appeared in an awful episode of Star Trek: Enterprise>. Oddly enough, she seemed about 4 shades darker in the episode than she does in the pic Amardeep posted. This SM reader personally feels like she looked better in the episode…even if her acting was less than stellar.

  7. notwithstanding her title as mrs. rushdie #4, i saw her on planet food when she went to india and was pretty impressed by the fact that she could actually bargain with the vegetablewalas in (if i remember correctly) madras. in fact, she even did it in the local language. not bad for a supermodel.

  8. in fact, she even did it in the local language

    That’s because I’m pretty sure she’s Tamilian, or at least has Tamil roots.

  9. Sriram,

    You are correct. I stand corrected on Delhi born too. From wikipedia:

    Padma Lakshmi is a New York-based Indian-American supermodel, actress, talk show host and award-winning cookbook author. She was born in Madras, India in 1970, and is fluent in five languages – English, Hindi, Italian, Spanish, and Tamil. Her first name literally means “lotus flower” in Hindi.

  10. “Easy Exotic”…oh that’s painfully ironic Mrs. Salman Rushdie…

    Oh well. So she’s a hottie… good for her! I think she’s kind of a supermodel in the same way Tyra keeps asserting she was but everyone really knows it was Naomi 🙂

    I reckon after watching Mistress of Spices that the producers made an excellent choice in choosing her. Watching a hot Indian woman stir about with spices and jingle her little swishy skirts about is enough to make me topple Ange as Lara Croft as my GirlCrush in favour of either her or Aish and those red-hot chillies…

    I know she finds Salman so rich attractive, but Padma, if I ever decided to bat for the other team you’d be the first delish thing on my mind 🙂

  11. I remember seeing her a few months ago on the Discovery Channel when Jeremy Pivens (Entourage ;)), went to India in April when she :

    Padma Lakshmi takes Jeremy on a tour of the sights of Delhi. The two travel on foot and by bicycle-rickshaw as Padma explains the fascinating diversity of her country.
  13. Perhaps someone needs to teach a course on “Mrs. Rushdie Literature.” Between Marianne Wiggins, Elizabeth West, and Padma Lakshmi, the reading list could get pretty populated :).

    Awesome. Reminds me of the law school course that Neal Katyal taught several years back that was simply called “Clinton.”

    I wonder which one gets the higher enrollment — “Mrs. Rushdie Literature” or “Mr. Rushdie Literature”….

  16. She looks remarkably youthful for a woman in her mid to late 30’s – even compared to supermodels who are in their mid to late 30’s. It must be a brown thing = more collagen thing. Whatevs – she looks great!

  17. Ummm… boys, boys…!! Supermodels aren‘t just models that your personal taste deems “super.”

    ItÂ’s a term applied, especialy in the late 1980s, and 1990s, to models meeting specific fashion industry standards–for instance, catwalk prolificacy and proficiency, first name recognition (Linda, Christie, Cyndi, Naomi), editorial success (with name photographers like Helmut Newton), and obviously, statuesque height.

    So while Aishwarya Rai may have modeled prior to her career as an actress, and though she is far more bewitchingly beautiful than several supermodels, it would be erroneous to refer to her as a supermodel.

    I donÂ’t know if PL ever had first-name recognition except maybe in Italy and Spain where she was big for a while, but sheÂ’s walked for the big houses and worked with Helmut Newton who taught her to be proud of the scar running down her arm. I wonÂ’t link you to the PL-HM pix–IÂ’ll leave you to google your own artistic smut :).

    #Pied Piper: Reminds me of the law school course that Neal Katyal taught several years back that was simply called “Clinton.”

    The link to the Clinton course was sharp–and i think iÂ’d like to hear more about Mr. Katyal. I think after Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, heÂ’s more than deserving of a little Mutiny love.

  18. Maya, that’s a rockstar comment. Clears things up. People do want to think that a model’s a supermodel just because they find her super.

    And Tashie:

    “Easy Exotic”…oh that’s painfully ironic Mrs. Salman Rushdie…

    That’s some first-class snark. Made my morning, thanks.

  20. a few weeks ago she was on BBC’s America’s final installment of the Sharpe series – Sharpe’s Challenge – with Sean Bean. it was set in india, adapted from the first three sharpe books. she played a power-hungry villainess in cahoots with Toby Stephens. she looked great and did a pretty decent acting job as well.

  21. But who was the “first” Indian supermodel?)

    Outside India ? Yasmeen Ghauri, maybe.

    Inside India ? Not sure. Madhu Sapre ?

  22. Children, children – Ujjwala Raut and Padma Lakshmi are Jamini-come-latelies, there was Shyamolie Verma in the early 80s and Mehr Jessia was probably the most famous and over-exposed model of the late 80s/early 90s. Then came Madhu Sapre, then Aishwarya. There was also that Garden saris model with the Robert Palmer chick look that I can’t remember the name of.

  25. I agree, she’s gorgeous. But I’m not the least surprised that she could bargain with the vendors in Madras–the lady is also smart as all hell. She speaks five languages, and she’s married to one of the finest writers ever (who is hardly all that easy on the eyes, but who also has a brain that’s dangerous as a bare lampcord). She gives me hope, that my pudgy hairy self might find a Padma of my own one day.

    Well, on that note, time to begin work on my own great novel (of shattering genius). I’m calling it “Midnight’s Grandkids.”

  28. who was the first Indian supermodel??

    Within India, I would have to say Madhu Sapre or Mehr Jessia were some of the first during the “new” ad age of the early 90s.

  30. Um, Padma is a very hindu name. Why do you think it’s funny?

    First super model or not, she’s gorgeous. She’s aged much more gracefully than Aishwarya. Her delicate bone structure is envious too. Even if I dieted my 98 lb body all the way down to 85, I won’t ever look that thin.

  31. Bilby,

    padma is a funny name for an indian model.

    Perhaps you are getting your South Asian supermodels and Star Wars heroines mixed up? (Though I believe the latter’s name is Padme, not Padma.)

    Sahlil,

    …my own great novel (of shattering genius). I’m calling it “Midnight’s Grandkids.”

    I’m still laughing at that one!

  32. I read somwwhere that she describes herself as tamil american. Anyway she epitomes brain and beauty which is rare nowadays.

  33. Aditi,

    You’re back as I can see. After you completely vilified my character without giving me a chance to answer back. But did you think I’d forget?

  34. um, yesterday’s the first time I ever read this site. Maybe you’ve mistaken me for another aditi, lol.

  35. Her delicate bone structure is envious too. Even if I dieted my 98 lb body all the way down to 85, I won’t ever look that thin.

    That’s hot.

    Not.

  36. Lamest nexus of Rushdie and recipe ever:

    Dave ZinczenkoÂ’s recipe for SalmOn Rushdie on p.148 of his book, The Abs Diet.

    Recipe up on my blog.

    (Happy lunching!)

  37. PL is hot in that photo, but having seen her last Food Network show, I was not all that impressed. She came across as above average, but not drop dead gorgeous, was very wooden, and just wasn’t that convincing as somebody who ate let alone cooked. It’s hard to do a good cooking show. But she didn’t radiate either hotness or charisma in the episodes that I saw. I wonder how she looks in candid photos rather than professional (and probably processed) glamour shots. [All industry shots are processed folks, even those of Rosie O’Donnell. That’s just how it is]

  38. Maya:

    “Salmon Rushdie.” Oh…my…god. Well, I think we’ve hit on why Padma’s so damn thin. There’s not a single goddamn desi spice in it. What the hell? It sounds decent enough, although kind of…well…boring. I would envision a dish that uses tamarind, garam masala, the tears of a small child, a single strand of hair from your lover’s head, and some vanilla beans. Not just lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil. Lame! Next!

  40. Salil said:

    I would envision a dish that uses tamarind, garam masala, the tears of a small child, a single strand of hair from your lover’s head, and some vanilla beans.

    Based on that nibblet, i’m so looking forward to his masterpiece, “Midnight’s Grandkids” :).

  42. Ah, Bidismoker…it’s all in the challenge, my friend. First, the guy’s rich and famous (which helps a great deal). Next, based on my selective interpretation of my reading of “The Ground Beneath Her Feet,” I think he’s as much a handful as she is.

    And you people will never believe this, but I actually took the non-grossly-biological/ un-lyrical ingredients from my totally-made-up recipe, and actually made what I hereby dub The Real Salmon Rushdie. It turned out pretty good, so I’m sharing it with you:

    2 fresh salmon fillets 3 tsp brown sugar 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise 2 tsp garam masala (you know your mom left some around your place somewhere) 2 tsp lemon juice 1 tsp tamarind paste (or you can also use imli chutney) 1 tsp soy sauce 2 tsp sweet mango achar 1 dash of salt and pepper (I didn’t measure it, sorry…it wasn’t very much though)

    Mix all ingredients except vanilla bean and salmon in a bowl. Pour over salmon, throw in beans, cover and let marinade for a few hours in the fridge.

    I had to over-bake it, but it would probably turn even better if you grilled it.

    Tune in next week, when I present a recipe I’m developing…”The Ground Beef ‘neath The Leek.” 😀

  44. I am with Ennis. I haven’t seen her show, but in her pictures she looks beautiful but skinny and wooden.

  45. india’s first international model was marie louis phillips i believe. i read about her as a child (read… about 12-14 years ago) in Society Magazine. She moved to Paris. She also has quite superb bone structure. India’s famous models in the 80’s and 90’s (within India) were Milind Soman and Madhu Sapre, then Malaika Arora became and still is a huge face, Ujjwala Raut, Sheetal Mallar, Bipasha Basu, Noyonika Chatterjee, Meher Jesia, Bikram Saluja and Arjun Rampal.

  47. I just saw her on the show. I htink she is over-rated in every way. I don’t see her as even vaguely attractive or charismatic on the show. She seemed lifeless, dead as a door knob. Hardly worth watching in anyway. Why is she even remotley famous isbeyond me. There are many many more attractive Indian women running around the USA, more talented as well. Her only claim to fame seems to be that she married an old pot bellied worn out writer named Salman Rushdie.

  48. Mani….I agree!! I just don’t see what all the hype is about. Nice frame, good body, yes….but gorgeous face? Not. She looks very average to me. Her height and body carry most of the weight in her attractiveness…

  49. i saw her on planet food when she went to india and was pretty impressed by the fact that she could actually bargain with the vegetablewalas in (if i remember correctly) madras. in fact, she even did it in the local language. not bad for a supermodel

    i remember that show. i also remember her trying to speak tamil in every single south indian state except TN (they visited the other three). her tamil was not great, but still – why would you expect some guy in vizag or wherever to understand your tamil? if i remember correctly, somebody from the crew had to translate for her at each point. it was a bit painful.

    as for top chef, she’s a bit better this season, but she still asks the most inane questions and makes the most irrelevant comments, which the other judges just ignore. i just don’t get the appeal of ms. PL, esp. when she’s speaking…

  50. She is an over the hill model whose only claim to fame is marrying Rushdie. Now that she milked him by using all his celeb friends in NYC, she has conveniently dumped him. She said in interviews that Rushdie has nothing to do with her achievements. Who are you kidding? I feel sorry for Rush..he fell for her. He needs to tone his bod and try and find another aspiring desi model! BTW, there is another Indian model Rachel Roy who is in the same oat, married to Damon Dash, Aaliyah’s boyfriend..