Padma Parvati Lakshmi (Tamil: பத்மா பார்வதி லக்ஷ்மி, Padmā Pārvati Lakshmi ?; born September 1, 1970) is an Indian American cookbook author, actress, model and television host. Her debut cookbook Easy Exotic won her the "Best First Book" award at the 1999 Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. She has been the host of the US reality television program Top Chef since season two in 2006, for which she received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program. In 2010, Top Chef won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program.
Lakshmi's career began at age 18, when during a study trip in her college years she was discovered by a modeling agent in Madrid, Spain while sitting in a café. As she has stated, "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." Lakshmi managed to pay off her college loans while working as a model and actress.
