Padma Parvati Lakshmi (Tamil: பத்மா பார்வதி லக்ஷ்மி, Padmā Pārvati Lakshmi ?; born September 1, 1970) is an Indian American cookbook author, actress, model and television host. Her debut cookbook Easy Exotic won her the "Best First Book" award at the 1999 Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. She has been the host of the US reality television program Top Chefsince season two in 2006, for which she received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program. In 2010, Top Chef won theEmmy Award for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program.