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Bravo’s Top Chef is all set to return with a brand new season in March with 15 aspiring chefs. The Emmy-winning culinary show will welcome back renowned chef and author Padma Lakshmi as the host and judge.
The 51-year-old TV personality was born in Tamil Nadu, India, as Padma Parvati Lakshmi Vaidyanathan. When she moved to America, she was tired of kids mispronouncing her name. Therefore, Lakshmi went by "Angelique" in high school until college.
When the Top Chef host became an American citizen, she legally changed her name to Padma Lakshmi, taking her single mother’s last name. For those unaware, Lakshmi’s father left his family when she was two years old, and Lakshmi’s mother raised her. Currently, the chef is following her mother’s footsteps and raising her daughter Krishna (whom she had with venture capitalist Adam Dell) as a single mom.
Watch Lakshmi reveal her high school name on The Late Late Show with James Corden:
Five facts about Padma Lakshmi
Her high school name is not the only lesser-known fact. Take a look at five of them.
1) Lakshmi was bullied in school
In an old interview, Lakshmi revealed that she used to get bullied in school in America. She was quite tall in the eighth grade and fellow students used to call her “E.T., Skeletor, giraffe.” Furthermore, she was bullied for being an Indian.
Lakshmi told People:
“I didn't feel any different, I didn't feel any less American, even though I ate rice and curry or even though my name was Padma or I spoke to my mother in a different language, I felt as American as anybody else in my classroom. But they didn't feel I was as American.”
2) She met with an accident at 14
When Lakshmi was a teenager, she met with a car accident. The incident left a long scar on her upper arm, which somehow became her signature scar. She used to feel conscious of the scar initially, but once she started accepting her body, her attitude evolved toward the mark.
According to Lakshmi, the scar sets her apart from everyone and she would never think of eliminating it from her body.
3) She was diagnosed with endometriosis
In her 30s, Lakshmi was diagnosed with endometriosis, a chronic illness that allows uterus tissue cells to grow outside the organ. Most of the time, the disease can be diagnosed at the age of 13, but Lakshmi was unaware of the illness.
To raise awareness, she later joined hands with her doctor Tamer Seckin in 2009 and founded the Endometriosis Foundation of America.
4) Lakshmi has a degree in theater and literature
Lakshmi started her career as a model and then shifted to being a chef, author, and television personality. Little do fans know that the celebrity has a degree in theater and literature.
The Top Chef host pursued American literature and theater arts at Clark University in Massachusetts, hoping to become an actress. During an interview with InStyle, she said:
"I am very fortunate to be on TV for a decade now and not be playing an ethnic role. That was a big thing for me."
5) The writer speaks five languages
The New York Times bestselling author is fluent in five languages. She can speak Tamil, English, Hindi, Spanish, and Italian.
When will Top Chef Season 19 premiere?
Lakshmi has been one of the regulars on Top Chef from the beginning. In Season 19, she will be accompanied by top-end chefs Gail Simmons and Tom Colicchio.
A total of 15 contestants will participate in the cooking show Top Chef, which will also welcome multiple guest judges throughout the season.
Top Chef Season 19 is all set to premiere Thursday, March 3 at 8:00 PM ET on Bravo.
