
Cookbook Author or Restaurant Chef? (with Padma Lakshmi)
From Choice Words with Samantha Bee by Lemonada Media
March 5, 2026 · 58 min · Season 3 · Episode 32
About this episode
Padma Lakshmi discusses her new show and various topics related to food, expertise, and her career with Samantha Bee.
Television host and cookbook author Padma Lakshmi joins Sam to talk about her new show, America’s Culinary Cup and how she’s a triple threat on it serving as creator, executive producer, and host. She reveals if she brought anyone from Top Chef with her, why it is important to set the contestants up for success, and why we crave shows where we can witness expertise. Padma talks about ten years of working with the ACLU, why her book is the antidote to Stephen Miller, and what it will take for food consumers to understand the effects of immigration raids on the food ecosystem. They commiserate on the problems of food waste and “day old” food laws, the newly inverted food pyramid, and engaging in estrogen wars with your teenage daughters. Plus they delve into why Padma really doesn’t think of herself as a chef, her comedy career and why there’s nothing better than a live audience. Keep up with Samantha Bee @realsambee on Instagram and X. And stay up to date with us @LemonadaMedia on X, Facebook, and Instagram. For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
People in this episode
Host: Samantha Bee
Guest: Padma Lakshmi
Topics covered
- culinary arts
- television
- food waste
- immigration
- expertise
- comedy
Keywords
- Padma Lakshmi
- America’s Culinary Cup
- food ecosystem
- food waste
- Top Chef
- ACLU
- comedy career
- live audience
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: ACLU, Top Chef, Stephen Miller, Lemonada Media
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