Padma Lakshmi

Padma Lakshmi is the host of Bravo's Top Chef, introducing the challenges to the contestants each week and presiding over the judge's table.

Lakshmi established herself as a food expert early on in her career, having hosted two successful cooking shows and written two cookbooks.

She hosted Padma's Passport where she cooked diverse cuisine from around the world, and the documentary series Planet Food (broadcast on the Food Network and worldwide on the Discovery Channel), in which she journeyed to countries including Spain and India. Plus, Laksmi has hosted highly-rated Italian program, Dominica In.

The culinary television mainstay has also served as a contributing editor to American Vogue, Gourmet and British and American Harper's Bazaar.

On the acting end, Lakshmi appeared as Princess Bithia in ABC's mini-series The Ten Commandments, starred in the two-part mini-series Sharpe's Challenge opposite Sean Bean and guest-starred on 30 Rock. She may also be seen in the Paul Mayeda Berges film Mistress of Spices, among other credits.

A savvy businesswoman, she also owns 2 companies: her jewelry line, the Padma Collection, which has sold at retailers nationwide and secondly, Easy Exotic, a culinary product line. Easy Exotic features fine teas and teapots, high-quality natural spice blends, roasting rubs and sea salts, as well as hard goods.

Originally known as the first internationally successful Indian supermodel, Lakshmi began modeling while studying abroad in Spain via the exhange student program at Clark University, from which she earned a Bachelor's degree with honors in Theater Arts.