--- title: Padma Lakshmi | The Future of Food and Agriculture description: Breaking news and analysis from time.com. Politics, world news, photos, video, tech reviews, health, science, and entertainment news. canonical: https://time.com/collections/time100-talks/7371464/padma-lakshmi-the-future-of-food-and-agriculture/ article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2022-11-11T21:41:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:24:18.120Z og:title: Padma Lakshmi | The Future of Food and Agriculture og:description: Breaking news and analysis from time.com. Politics, world news, photos, video, tech reviews, health, science, and entertainment news. og:url: https://time.com/collections/time100-talks/7371464/padma-lakshmi-the-future-of-food-and-agriculture/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6c835cd2cd213c4a/6998ce11a97fc0b840a75224/poster_1a9fb4.jpg?branch=production&width=720&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Padma Lakshmi | The Future of Food and Agriculture og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Padma Lakshmi | The Future of Food and Agriculture twitter:description: Breaking news and analysis from time.com. Politics, world news, photos, video, tech reviews, health, science, and entertainment news. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6c835cd2cd213c4a/6998ce11a97fc0b840a75224/poster_1a9fb4.jpg?branch=production&width=720&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Nov 11, 2022 # Padma Lakshmi | The Future of Food and Agriculture > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with Ally. Ally is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: July 2026. ## Ally: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Ally is a digital financial services company offering online-only banking, including checking and savings accounts, through Ally.com and its mobile apps. Launched in 2009 as an original disruptor in financial services, Ally was built to challenge outdated banking norms with a simpler, more convenient way to bank. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. ## Video: Padma Lakshmi | The Future of Food and Agriculture [Watch (HLS stream): Padma Lakshmi | The Future of Food and Agriculture](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/VdgmHgM9.m3u8) (22:42)  _Published 2022-11-11. Padma Lakshmi on telling stories with impact. Interviewed by Lola Ogunnaike, TIME100 Talks Host_ by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff  ## Transcript I'm now joined by Chase the nation and Top Chef television, host author and producer, Padma Lakshmi, Padma, welcome, thank you. I'm really happy to be here, critics, and audiences have raved about your Hulu series, taste the nation. And you recently said that filming, it has been the quote, Joy of my life. You travel a different immigrant communities throughout the United States and explore their Cuisine and culinary. Traditions, why is working on this show? Brought you so much joy because it's a per-person foremost, it's a program that I want to watch and I don't think something like this existed prior to my doing it. Frankly there are certainly a dozen travel Connor shows that are on a network or streamer but and it was hard to get the show, may not everybody was receptive to the idea, I got turned down by many Network about 7, if I recalled. Derivative or whatever. But I knew that it wasn't because I had never seen immigrant communities and people from those communities, get sort of a list treatments in mainstream media. And I honestly think that they deserve it, you know I'm from an immigrant Community, I came here from India but I also grew up around a lot of different other immigrant groups with the same care and with the same sort of high-caliber a list treatment that you will Americans get. And I've stopped saying white people, I say Euro Americans because he has an Asian-American or you as an African-American have to have tonight, your name or my name. Why shouldn't everybody who is not a Native American, or an indigenous person? Why, why should we have their names as well as my personal little Mission, but it has been the joy of my life. I've learned so much, you know, brown people and women do not get their shows being very easily and you would think that I would, because I've been on TV for 20 years and yet it was really hard for me to get this shopping list. So I'm very thankful, it seems like a no-brainer for a show, but several networks passed on it before, Hulu, gave it a green light? What did those Network execs not gay? It seems like that now. But you know, I won't name his name. He's actually no longer at that network, but very big streamer and I remember, he wrote me afterwards like a 600. I don't remember how many where 6900 word essay or email about why you didn't want to green-light it and he just said there was no room in the marketplace and that a lot of other Chef have done it. And he thought it was a bit derivative, you know, that was what I was and it was just a really hard so I don't know. I don't think it's my other Show Top Chef as well as a lot of other food shows, really deal with either the analysis of food like on Top Chef or the instruction at Make something like a normal in-studio cooking show that you see, like a lot of on the Food Network, but everything that I was seeing, felt very lifestyle to me, and I love those shows, I enjoy watching them, but I didn't want to do that. Kind of show. I wanted to do a show really about people and the deeper meaning of food, for all of us, you know, whether you are Nigerian or Cambodian or Persian or Indian and the food to me because it's easy. It's hard to talk about issues or even political or religious issues with people who you don't know, but everything is. So you know that Interesting story to tell you just have to be willing to listen, and you just want to allow them to tell their story because it's theirs as they see fit. And when I was frustrated by, when I looked at a lot of these other travel shows is that it was always some usually mail usually white swashbuckling, Chef going around the world. And you know, trying to be a fish out of water and planted. It was all their experience and their interpretation and of course I am helping to shape their story and editing it in my voice. This is a very personal show to me, it's not a journalistic show. It's one person's opinion, mine but the main opinion overarching across the street series. Hopefully, is that everyone has this interesting story to tell, you know, a lot of the Educators and professors who writes me, even high school and middle school teachers, who say I was You to know that I showed your Gullah Geechee episode or your you know, Navajo episode to my students because this had way more than any of their history books were. So scared of critical race Theory were so scared of our own painful history in this country that we're not telling the truth or where we're suppressing the truth. And I don't think we should be afraid of that. I think looking squarely at the past tense of this country is the only possible pass to hopefully repairing that damage and healing those wounds has been called when the most fascinating food series to emerge in recent years and that's High. Praise, you've called the show a trojan horse. What are you hoping to sneak into the public discourse with the series that on the surface is just about food. Well, you know, I didn't realize it at the time, but I think I also fashioned to show to play to all of my insurance. So, I am a history nerd and I am, I love local history and I love learning about, you know, where Customs come from and all that stuff. And so, what I mean when I say trojan horse is the food is just the Gateway into this community. Not only to break the ice with the people I'm talking to. But also to break the ice for the viewers, sort of, to tempt them, with a juicy taco or, you know, B of Todd eggs. But then you get all this history. You know, you got the the history of these people and how they got to this country and what we don't know about them, we think we know may or may not be correct. And, and how they relate to The larger big picture of immigration which is so especially Jermaine not only to the founding of this country as a Modern Nation, but also to be a solution of its success. So, you know, the show is about immigration and food. That's this. Huge topic. Like I said, that is so foundational to this particular Nation, but when I'm looking at, you know, the cambodians or I'm looking at that, at the say, the Persian episode, do you know where the entire episode illustrate one facet of that large immigration puzzle through the story of this community. So that you have layers of, hopefully, understanding that you gain at the end of that 30-minute episode. So, you know, about their food, you know, about their fears, you know, about the misconceptions that the general American public and media may have foisted onto And you hopefully Come Away with the true understanding of not only with these people are about what it's like to walk in their shoes, so they show really wasn't designed. Only for people who thinks like me, although I really hope that you know, everybody loves to show. It was really designed with people who live in red states, in the middle of the country, or even to boat ride in urban centers on its design to hopefully make you curious and more interested in more empathetic to your fellow American neighbors. Even if they have a different name, that's hard to pronounce or have a weird accent or eat foods that they're not using a knife knife and fork to get out but their fingers, you know, so it's just a mind to give you a spoonful of that medicine. You first immigrated to New York City from New Delhi when you were 40, what are some of your earliest food memories of a mare? King Cuisine. I have so many memories. One of the first memories I actually got here on Halloween night. I landed at JFK and I thought I'd put Outsiders of candy for me to welcome me because I haven't seen her in 2 years and it seems from the age of 24 and he's very brightly colored. You know, outfit is kids where they opening their bags. My mom was handing them, handfuls of my candy melts, like what is going on with you man ran? So I love Halloween for that. Reason has a lot of emotional resonance for me, but I also like fish or chicken wings. And I remember my mom and I used to watch New York, hot dog vendors Heil on these beautiful steaming, you know, Roasted onions or sauerkraut and mustard and ketchup and it looks so good. But then they stick this like little piece of sausage in there and got grossed out, you know, cuz it literally looks like a hot dog carts here in the city and we would ask them. Can we have this in this in this in this, but don't put the hot dog in the bus? Just wanted all of that. Seems so delicious, everything, but we said, we don't want them me into my mom. And I would eat that because the only other thing I can eat out of street food, would be pretzels with mustard and Falafel. If we were lucky enough to get them passed by a falafel place, I will never look at a New York hot dog, stand. I want to talk to you about cultural appropriation. You know, that's been another hot-button issue in the culinary world. What are your feelings about euro-american Chef's white? Chef appropriating food, from communities of color? You know, I listen, I am somebody who spent most of my twenties living in Europe, mostly Italy, but also France and Spain, and I'm somebody who travels a lot, and I love making Moroccan food. And last night we made, like I said, only people from the communities that they have a claim to cook those dishes, okay? I'm very happy. When someone I go to, you know, eat with his, oh, I made Curry or whatever. That doesn't offend me. What defensive and appropriated is. When you see a very big show, put it on their menu or a cup of coffee or any of a food writer of something. You do use it in their, in their recipe writing or whatever on social media and then they claim it as their own without saying, I'm using turmeric which is a dish that dates back to ayurvedic times. If you look back at ancient Indian test and is popular and Indian Cuisine and its popular also, increased powders found in Africa, because in Africa and India were both colonized by the Dutch and by the English and today, I'm using this in my stew. You know, I don't get offended. When I walk down the street and I see a white woman in a sorry, other other, you know, Indians of younger Generations. May Leslie Jones. I have to have one Swiss woman and one American woman who are aunties, who married into our family and I love them dearly and I love to see them wearing. Sorry, is that does not offend me at all? And I have a Diwali party. I always say it's not mandatory, but please do and you need tires. I have plenty of help you time with a bunch of safe. Again, you know, you know, all of my friends cultures weather in Switzerland or, you know, the Caribbean order or start Columbia, right? And I, you know, give you this recipe without giving you contacts and without giving its origin Community. The credit, then I believe It's a vision you mentioned inclusivity women and people of color have historically been underrepresented in the culinary world. Have things gotten better. And what more can be done to make this world more Equitable and inclusive? You know, for a long time when I started at the Food Network and then when I even started a Top Chef you know in 2006 the only other Indian person that I saw on TV with son Jacob that I never saw other Indian actors there was to be the child is actually a friend of mine but you know that was the only one and she was in one movie and then you didn't see her start getting other jobs until years later. And she's a fantastic actress. So it felt very lonely, you know? And it felt lonely as an actor who is also trying to dishin for things. Because there was so many times when I was told, they love you, but they're not going at make with this role because and it's very frustrating. Now, it is changed a lot, not only in food, but in general, you know, there are African writers and Indian writers and Latin writers for the New York Times food page. I like to think that in the culinary World, Top Chef has something to do with making it more inclusive, not only with ethnicity and race. But also with gender, I mean, I get a gender, parity is a huge problem in, in professional food. You know, next to the military. It is still the most male-dominated industry and an. Even with Topshop, you know, we've had to nudge nudge nudge our way to more diverse. See that didn't happen overnight but I'm very proud of my producers and and and my show in general for for for doing that pushing. But you know, even but even in the beginning we always cast an equal number of male to female. But what happened is that over the course of the competition. A lot of times the women don't do as well as the men not, I'll tell you why because they haven't had the mentorship. So I want to encourage, you know, all those white male chefs on that 50 greatest restaurant list are all the lights, michelin-starred restaurants in this country. I want to challenge them to. Don't you reach what your arm can reach? When you are looking for people to Mentor, go into a place thing I want to find at least half my kitchen. You know, be female or nonbinary, you know. Don't just reach for the people who are asking you go out and you do the Outreach because guess what, not only will you be doing something that's good for the soul. And right, you'll also be enriching your kitchen because in food chains things don't trickle down from fine dining. Right? You open the kitchen door of any fancy restaurant in New York or La? Any white people in there? There's, you know, there's your old man at the top level, with all the dishwashers, all the companies or the line Cooks around people, suggesting is not just helping the person who's getting the job. It's in my opinion, helping the person who's giving the job. It brings a different point of view, a different palette to that kitchen. That is necessary to evolve and stay fresh and modern and on top of your game. And in my opinion, will help your bottom line, tomatoes for the top chef and Fascination for the ACLU Ambassador and a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN development programme. You're also extremely outspoken about the causes you believe in and have been both love. Subjects ranging from sexual assault to skin. Lightening creams, have you ever worried about how all of this speaking up? Might impact your career. I mean I know how it impacts my career, it does affect me, it affects me. But like how can I sit where I'm sitting having experience and live the life that I have lived and not do those things? That would be terrible because, you know, my mission in life. If you look at all the things I've done, whether it's starting to Women's Health Foundation, the endometriosis Foundation of America, projected to go for my work with the ACLU and you and it's it's different stuff but it has one denominator, which is equaling. The playing field getting people that maybe don't have the opportunities that others do those opportunities, you know, leveling the playing field because for so long, you know, I felt like I didn't have the same opportunities that white actresses European, you know, I see how people speak to me in meetings and I know they would never speak to my white male counterpart, like that people ask me to do stuff. They would never ask the white guy sitting next to you so I see it and I feel it and, you know, thank God. I was able to be where I am at any way through luck and hard work, but also through the good And help of other people who weren't thinking like that we did give me a chance, you know, I have to shout out those measures that I had. And, by the way, they didn't always look like me. They weren't always wearing, always female. So, you know, I just want the next generation of people of color and the next generation of non-binary and female Americans to end all over the world. Not just in America, to have it easier than I had it. That's, you know, I always, I have a few young women that I'm answer, you know, in food and some of them I've known over a decade and nothing when they were just out of college and some of them just like old came up to me when I was shopping, you know, and said, you know, can I have your email? I'm so sorry to bug you but I really want to do what you do. And I always try to help them if I can, because I want them to be able to go like this. I don't want them to have to go like this, like I do after 20 seasons. Top. Chef people are far more food later than they were when Top Chef. First begin airing, how do you think that's impacted the way people eat and what they choose to consume? I think Top Chef has been phenomenal and I think from that only for me and the others that are, you know, my big crew and cast that make the show with me. I think it's been phenomenal and a force of education for two generations of people around the world. Listen, I didn't know what it was until I was twenty-five years old, those kinds of restaurants, but I go outside to hail a cab on the corner, and I have teenagers coming up to me, saying, we had a quickfire contest at my sleepover and we could buy online. We have been, you know, contributor to that. We have made people more aware of how to cook food, but also had to enjoy food. And also pay attention to the food you're putting in your body. And I think that's really important as conscious beings on the luxury. Thank you so much for being here. It was a pleasure to speak with you. Thank you so much. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/time100-talks/7371464/padma-lakshmi-the-future-of-food-and-agriculture/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/time100-talks/7371464/padma-lakshmi-the-future-of-food-and-agriculture/"},"headline":"Padma Lakshmi | The Future of Food and Agriculture","datePublished":"2022-11-11T21:41:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:24:18.120Z","description":"Padma Lakshmi on telling stories with impact. 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