From the moment Padma Lakshmi stepped onto the set of America’s Culinary Cup, it was clear this wasn’t just another cooking competition, but the most fully realized version of her vision yet.
Earlier this month, the 55-year-old host, author, model and food expert returned to television with a concept that raises the stakes visually and creatively: 16 of the nation’s top chefs competing for a record-breaking $1 million prize, all under her watchful eye and alongside culinary heavyweights Michael Cimarusti and Wylie Dufresne.
Beyond the prestige and the pressure, the show reflects something more personal: Lakshmi’s own evolution—a shift that began with the decision to return on her own terms. “I think it was two years ago when I decided I was going to create another show in the same genre,” she says. “I thought I was done, and then Amy Reisenbach, who’s the head of CBS, seduced me into saying ‘yes.’”
That moment became a turning point, opening the door to something few in television are offered in the form of full creative authorship. “She made a really good pitch and said, ‘What would it look like if you could call the shots and you could create it from the ground up?’” At a time when opportunities in television are shrinking, or “contracting” as she puts it, the moment felt especially timely. “Here’s the biggest network on the planet wanting to work with me! I shouldn’t take that for granted, obviously.”
That level of control shows up in every detail. “I went there when they were constructing it with a hard hat, and that’s when the magnitude of what we were building really hit home,” Lakshmi recalls. “Before that, it was computer models and floor plans.”
The finished set reflects that same approach—pared back and highly considered. “It doesn’t have a lot of things on the walls. It’s not very colorful. It’s almost Spartan in how utilitarian it is,” she explains. “It’s very luxurious in the equipment and the ingredients that we fill it with, but there’s this very stark color palette of white marble, stainless steel and light wood floors. It’s very simple, and I wanted it that way on purpose because I didn’t want anything to distract the chefs from their task at hand.” Still, the space isn’t without softness. “I wanted something that was not rectilinear, something that had a curved, more feminine shape to it. It’s like an amphitheater, and that’s also something that’s very conducive to better focus and more creativity.”
Filming in Canada required a level of immersion that Lakshmi welcomed, especially at this stage in her life. “My daughter [Krishna] is older now, and she’s quite independent, so that was a blessing,” she says. “I was able to be there and stay fully focused.” The pace was intense, but energizing. “I didn’t have a lot of time to ruminate because I was so busy either being on-camera or being off-camera. After a whole day’s worth of filming, I would come home and prepare for the next day. It was the kind of schedule and work where the days actually flew by for me, which I like. I was so immersed in what I was doing, which is really a wonderful feeling to be that engaged by one’s work that you don’t even notice time passing. That’s a real privilege.”
Off set, that same sense of intention carries into her beauty and self-care routine, influenced in part by her teenage daughter. “Her skin-care routine is much more elaborate than mine is!” Lakshmi admits. “She has introduced me to all kinds of things, like contouring and drawing freckles on the face with henna and letting that ‘bake,’ as she calls it. I don’t do any of that.” There’s a sense of admiration in the contrast. “It’s wonderful to see her blossom into her own person. She’s actually given me a facial before. She’s a very good facialist.”
Lakshmi’s own rituals are rooted in heritage and memory, shaped by generations of Indian beauty traditions. “We have always had a lot of beauty rituals, especially as it relates to our hair,” she explains. “We have been doing homemade recipes in my home for as long as I can remember.” One ritual, in particular, remains vivid: “As a child, my grandmother would dry my hair as I lay with my head on her lap over hot coals that had dried roots smoking and burning…the heat from the coals dries your hair, and then the smoke from that burning, fragrant root perfumes your hair. We were scrubbed, then massaged head to toe with heated oil. Then we were bathed, and a paste made from Shikakai powder was applied to our whole bodies. Let’s just say I’m very used to home rituals that are also self-care and beauty practices.”
Back in New York, Lakshmi’s daily rhythm is fluid, oscillating between quiet routine and full-throttle. “There is no typical day,” she says. “Some days I go to the gym, I’m writing, or trying to write, or reading something that will hopefully spark a piece of writing.” Other days unfold at a faster clip. “Today, I was in the makeup chair at 7 a.m., we did three different interviews, one in Brooklyn, another in Midtown and a third one in the financial district.” Even then, she remains grounded in small, familiar rituals—figuring out dinner before her daughter gets home, carving out time to write or ending the day with friends.
After a year defined by constant motion—finishing and promoting a book, filming, editing and caring for her mother—Lakshmi is ready for a different kind of luxury. “I’m looking forward to getting some rest,” she says. “I literally don’t have a next thing…I’m looking forward to having a spring and summer filled with pleasure, joy, rest and relaxation. Those are my next very important projects.”
