Staying Fit
Dominic Valente/Hulu
Padma Lakshmi, 52, continues to judge dishes served up by Top Chef contestants on the popular Bravo series, and the second season of her Hulu documentary series, Taste the Nation, kicks off May 5. The show is a fascinating dive into regional food cultures across the country, and explores the diverse communities that have shaped what American cuisine is today.
Who decides which locations to feature on Taste the Nation?
I decide. Taste the Nation is a total creation from my head with my producing partner, David [Shadrack] Smith. Obviously we need to get approval from the network, but we are choosing the places that we go to for different reasons. It’s not necessarily designed for people who share my views, although I hope they enjoy it as well. It’s really designed to speak to people who don’t think like me, and maybe haven’t had direct contact with different communities that may even be their neighbors. Yes, some of us may have funny accents or names that have a lot of letters in them, but at the end of the day, though we eat different foods, we all want the same thing.
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Are there any foods you won’t eat?
On Top Chef, by my contract — because we’re a game show and we’re ruled by different FCC [Federal Communications Commission] rules — I have to legally try — I’m the only person that tries — every single thing on the show. It’s my job. I don’t have to eat the whole plate, but I have to eat one or two bites — whatever is required for me to understand the essence and execution of that dish — and that’s fine. There was a point — I was pregnant and doing the show and on that season, we told the finalists you can make a raw dish, but our host/judge won’t taste it, and that’s up to you, and nobody did.
How does Top Chef stay relevant after 20 seasons?
One of the things that helps us is we move locations every season. That really helps — the locals, the regional food of whatever city we’re in — really informs our challenges, and we meet local chefs. But at the end of day, the contestants also keep it new for me. I believe they’re the real stars of our show. I'm with them every single day. I just fall in love with them. It’s like a sixth-grade teacher who gets a new batch of kids, and sometimes it’s not even the kids who are best in class that you’re fond of, it’s the guy who can’t get out of his way or the woman who keeps making the mistakes, and you’re like, Oh, I’m so rooting for them.
Did you cook with your mother? Is that where you began learning?
My mother — we come from a long line of cooks — is a great cook. I was really mostly a latchkey child when I was in America. Right about fifth grade, I started cooking dinner when I could to surprise her. She worked as a registered nurse at a cancer institute, so she was on her feet all day, and she didn’t get home often until 6, and then by the time dinner got on the table it was 7:30. I remember I used to boil water in a kettle and put it in a bucket so when she got home she could soak her feet, because she was just exhausted.
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