Padma Lakshmi’s Take on American Cuisine

Padma Lakshmi’s Take on American Cuisine

From Your Mama’s Kitchen by Higher Ground

November 18, 2025 · 1h 10m · Episode 88

About this episode

Padma Lakshmi discusses her childhood and the importance of redefining American cuisine.

Former Top Chef host and best-selling author Padma Lakshmi takes us back to her early childhood in Chennai, India where she was raised by her grandparents and then to New York City where she would skate to meet her mom at a falafel cart for lunch as a teen. She opens up about why it's so important now more than ever to appreciate and redefine what it means to be an 'American' dish. Plus, she teaches us how to make her mama's Yogurt Rice. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

People in this episode

Guest: Padma Lakshmi

Topics covered

  • American cuisine
  • cultural identity
  • childhood memories
  • cooking
  • food appreciation

Keywords

  • Padma Lakshmi
  • American dish
  • Yogurt Rice
  • Top Chef
  • cuisine

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Chennai, India, New York City

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