Padma Lakshmi Talks Baby Krishna: 'Everything Is Better With Her Around'

By Nicki Gostin Posted Jun 21st 2010 02:30PM

Padma Lakshmi has a lot on her plate, caring for her four-month-old daughter and starring on Bravo's new season of 'Top Chef.' Luckily, the beautiful host, 39, found a moment to speak with PopEater about mothering baby Krishna, spicing things up and the possibility of presidential guest judges on the Washington, D.C. season of the cook-off reality show.

Padma answers the phone: "Sorry to be doing the interview with my mouth full, but I'm starving ... I have to eat!"

What are you eating?
A sandwich. Very uninteresting, with peppers and spinach.

Well then. How about the new season of 'Top Chef'?
It's great. What's great about it is that everyone in D.C. was so welcoming. We always have a lot of food luminaries, but this season we also have all the local Washington VIPs -- like Nancy Pelosi and Leon Panetta.

Will Michelle Obama be a guest judge?
Um ... I can't say.

Wow! But I'm going to guess President Obama will not be a guest judge...?
That's accurate.

Do you ever get tired of the crazy contestants?
It's interesting because we really don't see much of that unless they're really crazy because we're not privy to all the reality stuff. They're always on their best behavior when they're in front of us.

Do you have a cookware line?
I do spices and teas and beautiful -- well I think it's beautiful -- bakeware for HSN that's inspired by my own vintage and antique bakeware I've been collecting from Morocco, Spain and Mexico.

What's a spice you think is underrated?
There are lots. The spices we have in Easy Exotic are easy because they're premixed. I think a lot of people are intimidated to use spices and then there's always the spice you have to buy for a recipe that needs a teaspoon and then it sits in your cupboard for six months.

Any spice you don't like? I think cumin smells like B.O.
It can if it's not used properly. I'm not big on cream of tartar. Lately, I've been taking the spice fenugreek in pill form because it's supposed to be good for nursing. I'm nursing right now while eating a sandwich, having my hair and make up done and talking to you.

Do you use a pump for breast milk?
I don't like to pump, I'd rather just nurse. Sometimes I have to, but I'm not into the pumping. It feels very bovine.

What's the best thing about being a mom?
Everything. Everything is better with her around. Anything from the beginning of the day till the end.

Did you ever think you could feel this way for another human being?
I don't even know how to answer that question because it's such a primal feeling. It's so deep and intense.

You are quite the eligible single gal. You'd make a man very happy. You've got it all.
Right now I'm excited about making my daughter happy. Honestly, I live and die by the tiniest gestures and expressions on her face. I don't really have any attention span for anything else than her. Well, I do for my work, but someone was asking me this the other day, if my perspective about work had shifted, and it has. It's not that I'm not still interested in being good at my work and that I'm not ambitious, it's just for different reasons. Now, I want to do it so she'll be proud of me.

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Tags: Padma Lakshmi, Top Chef

Comments

(46)

Monday 21 June

By grace

Highest Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

Everytime I see a headline about Padma I wonder "why?" Who cares about this semi-celebrity. She seems to be a hanger-on to rich, powerful men and that's how she got where she is.

By qwfqwfasf

Lowest Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

have in Easy Exotic are easy because they're premixed. I think a lot of people are intimidated to use spices and then there's always the spice you have to buy for a recipe that needs a teaspoon and then it sits in your cupboard

=== g i f t 2 w a t c h .[c o m] ===

159 [u-s-d] [r-o-l-e-x] [o-m-e-g-a] [g-u-c-c-i] [e-d] [g-u-c-c-i] [w-a-t-c-h]

[b-e-s-t] [g-i-f-t] [f-o-r] [y-o-u-r] [p-e-o-p-l-e]

=== g i f t 2 w a t c h .[c o m] ===

Wednesday 23 June

By HG in MN

High Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

I was a fan of Padma's long before I knew whom she was married to. If you don't watch Top Chef, you don't know who she is, and of course, that's okay. But I think she's doing fine on her own, and I don't think her success had anything to do with whom she's been married to.

By earl taylor

Where are you Billy Ray? I have you say you trust your daughter. Better open those eyes guy. Think you have waited too long. Too much for her bing so young. Ican't imagine what she will be doing in a few years. If she lives that long. Sad......

Tuesday 22 June

By Summer

Who cares?
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By John F.C. Taylor

Top Chef? Just another reality show not worth the time it takes to turn a TV on. On the Toy Story poll question, I would select a catagory that isn't listed. That would be none of them. I have watched the first two, but don't consider any of them good enough to add to my DVD collection. I'll probably wait for number three to hit DVD and risk a dollar at RedBox.

By Scrantastic

Low Ranked Vote down Vote up Report this

I love Padma, she'll be a good Mom to the baby. :)

By THRBLASTOFF

I love Padma, & tom, i was hoping to see them together, but when i found out he just became a new father, oh well say-la-v to that
but i love all the shows, i do miss paula on AI, but love ellen, so life is good and i PRAISE THE LORD for it,

By Hey Zues

You praise God for the celebrity judges on American Idol?

By steveB

"VIPs like Pelosi and Panetta" :
Is she retarded or what?

By Heather

Really? Retarded? When is America/the world going to realize that is not a "cool" word to call people. You have a differing opinion. This DOES NOT mean she has an extra chromosome where she shouldn't, she was depleted of oxygen at birth, thus making her "retarded" as you say.

I say, Grow up!

By Claudia

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THEY ARE!!!! Also NOBODIES!!! Who cares anyway!?!?!!!!

By Karen

Must be! There's kool-aid in her kitchen.

By vconcerned

Amen! I hear you, Stone face Pelosi can put a damper on things. Sure hope they don't have Obama's "First time I've been proud to be an American" spouse on. I'd probably have to fast forward to get past the vile.

By Dr Phil

BORING !

By solomeeo

Miley Cyrus is a train wreck waiting to happen. Why do these teen girls want to live WAAAAY beyond their yrs. You're missing a sweet time of life by acting as if you were 30?!

By steve

1. No adult supervision.
2. Hands-off parents.
3. Lax law enforcement.
4. Over-hyped.

By Angie

I have a really hard time dealing with her on the show. Really, what does she know about cooking. And btw what happened that she has that big scar on her right arm?

By Pamela

She's written a couple of cookbooks, which I suppose means she does know something about cooking. She's talked about her scar many times - it's from a car accident when she was a teenager. I happen to like Padma quite a bit on Top Chef. Much better than the first host they had, whose name I can't even remember.

By Seriously Do You Listen

On a previous "Top Chef Reunion" episode, Padma said that she incurred the scar back in the day when she hunted in Bengal.

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