11 quick questions for padma lakshmi | members only access

Padma Lakshmi, 52, continues to judge dishes served up by _Top Chef_ contestants on the popular Bravo series, and the second season of her Hulu documentary series, _Taste the Nation, _kicks

off May 5. The show is a fascinating dive into regional food cultures across the country, and explores the diverse communities that have shaped what American cuisine is today. WHO DECIDES

WHICH LOCATIONS TO FEATURE ON _TASTE THE NATION?_ I decide. _Taste the Nation_ is a total creation from my head with my producing partner, David [Shadrack] Smith. Obviously we need to get

approval from the network, but we are choosing the places that we go to for different reasons. It’s not necessarily designed for people who share my views, although I hope they enjoy it as

well. It’s really designed to speak to people who don’t think like me, and maybe haven’t had direct contact with different communities that may even be their neighbors. Yes, some of us may

have funny accents or names that have a lot of letters in them, but at the end of the day, though we eat different foods, we all want the same thing. ARE THERE ANY FOODS YOU WON’T EAT? On

_Top Chef,_ by my contract — because we’re a game show and we’re ruled by different FCC [Federal Communications Commission] rules — I have to legally try — I’m the only person that tries —

every single thing on the show. It’s my job. I don’t have to eat the whole plate, but I have to eat one or two bites — whatever is required for me to understand the essence and execution of

that dish — and that’s fine. There was a point — I was pregnant and doing the show and on that season, we told the finalists you can make a raw dish, but our host/judge won’t taste it, and

that’s up to you, and nobody did. HOW DOES_ TOP CHEF _STAY RELEVANT AFTER 20 SEASONS? One of the things that helps us is we move locations every season. That really helps — the locals, the

regional food of whatever city we’re in — really informs our challenges, and we meet local chefs. But at the end of day, the contestants also keep it new for me. I believe they’re the real

stars of our show. I'm with them every single day. I just fall in love with them. It’s like a sixth-grade teacher who gets a new batch of kids, and sometimes it’s not even the kids who

are best in class that you’re fond of, it’s the guy who can’t get out of his way or the woman who keeps making the mistakes, and you’re like, _Oh, I’m so rooting for them._ DID YOU COOK WITH

YOUR MOTHER? IS THAT WHERE YOU BEGAN LEARNING? My mother — we come from a long line of cooks — is a great cook. I was really mostly a latchkey child when I was in America. Right about fifth

grade, I started cooking dinner when I could to surprise her. She worked as a registered nurse at a cancer institute, so she was on her feet all day, and she didn’t get home often until 6,

and then by the time dinner got on the table it was 7:30. I remember I used to boil water in a kettle and put it in a bucket so when she got home she could soak her feet, because she was

just exhausted.