She may be stunning, but Padma Lakshmi hardly gets by on her looks. Yes, she’s been modeling and acting since her teens, but long before hosting Top Chef, Lakshmi penned Easy Exotic, which won the “Best First Book” award at the 1999 Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. She sat down with us—courtesy of Sterling Vineyards’ Ultimate Host contest—and left us drooling for more than one reason because, damn, can she talk about food. See what we mean on the following pages.
