Padma Lakshmi

This week, our guest is Padma Lakshmi. As host of shows like Taste the Nation and Top Chef, Lakshmi champions cooks and eaters from across cultures. She’s the author of several cookbooks –  including her newest, Padma's All American: Tales, Travels, and Recipes from Taste the Nation and Beyond – and the memoir Love Loss and What We Ate. Lakshmi’s passion for social justice causes, as well as her deep appreciation for food, are both reflected in her active social media presence. 

On November 17, 2025, Lakshmi came to the Sydney Goldstein Theater in San Francisco to talk – and laugh – with comedian and broadcaster W. Kamau Bell.