
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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