Padma Parvati Lakshmi (Tamil pronunciation: [ˈpɐd̪maː ˈlɐkʂmi]; née Vaidynathan;[2] born September 1, 1970[3][4]) is an Indian-born American television personality, model, and author.

She has written five 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; and a children's book, Tomatoes for Neela illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal, the latter two appearing on The New York Times best-seller list.

In 2023, she was listed among Time's 100 most influential people in the world,[5] was a co-founder of the Endometriosis Foundation of America, and is a United Nations Development Programme Goodwill Ambassador.

[2] Lakshmi immigrated to the United States at the age of four and lived in New York City before moving to La Puente, California, with her mother and stepfather.

"[8] At the age of 14, Lakshmi was hospitalized for three weeks and eventually diagnosed with Stevens–Johnson syndrome, a rare illness caused by hypersensitivity to an infection or a potentially fatal reaction to certain kinds of medications.

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.

[citation needed][17] She has modeled for designers including Emanuel Ungaro, Giorgio Armani, Gianni Versace, Ralph Lauren, and Alberta Ferretti and appeared in ad campaigns for Roberto Cavalli and Versus.

Lakshmi was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program in 2009 and in 2020 through 2022 for Top Chef.

She had a comical supporting part as the lip-synching disco singer Sylk in the 2001 American movie Glitter, starring Mariah Carey.

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.

"[36] She starred in the 2003 Bollywood film Boom, alongside Katrina Kaif and Madhu Sapre, as one of three supermodels accused of stealing diamonds.

[39] 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.

Lakshmi wrote a syndicated column in The New York Times[40] and has written articles on style for the American edition of Vogue, at editor Anna Wintour's request.

Lakshmi created "The Padma Collection" of fine jewelry that was sold at Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, and Nordstrom.

Also, Lakshmi created "Padma’s Easy Exotic", a conglomeration of gastronomic items that included home goods, teas, organic foods, and spice blends, and worked with MAC Cosmetics to create a collection of a small, curated, selections of makeup products for worldwide distribution named "MAC Padma" that soon initially sold out in the United States and India.

[52][53] In 2024, Lakshmi was a visiting scholar at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and was bestowed the ICON Award from Boston University's School of Hospitality Administration.

[24][13] Lakshmi is a co-founder of the Endometriosis Foundation of America, a nonprofit organization focused on increasing awareness, education, research, and legislative advocacy against the disease.

"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.

[64] In October 2022, Lakshmi was honored at the 20th edition of the ACLU's Sing Out For Freedom benefit concert along with Patti Smith and Shaina Taub.