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"FacebookPinterest\n\n It isn't easy being so elegant when one of your primary tasks involves crushing culinary dreams on a weekly basis. But such is the talent of Padma Lakshmi, the former model, seasoned food critic, and host of Bravo's souffl\u00E9-serving reality sensation Top Chef for six years. In its ninth season, the reality show tackles Texas, and while still only in its nascent stages, the new setting has already carved out a few memorable moments, perhaps none more so though than Lakshmi, her brown hair blowing in the breeze, straddling a well-manicured equine as an awestruck male contestant could only longingly mutter, \"Padma on a horse.\" We rang up Lakshmi to learn about tackling Texas, working alongside this season's \"cuddly \" judge, Emeril Lagasse, and how modeling sparked her passion for food.\n\n\u00B7\u00B7\u00B7\n\nGQ: Top Chef films in different regions every year. But Texas must have been quite the distinct experience.\n\n Padma Lakshmi: Yeah, it was quite a change. But I was so busy working that it was fine. I was terrified of taking the show on the road. But it was just really a fun experience and I got to know part of the country that I normally would have never gotten to know. That's the great thing about Top Chef. We film in different locations every season and in that process I've gotten to see these [cities] like Chicago, I had never been to Chicago, and I was able to spend six weeks there. So being in Texas was interesting. And different parts of Texas are all really different. I'm glad we didn't just stay in one city because Texas is kind of a state with multiple personalities.\n\nGQ: Was it difficult to ecute the show in rural areas?\n\n Padma Lakshmi: Yeah, we still travel with a pretty big crew so it's about accommodations and finding a space to film and all that. We do go out and do things, but at the end of the day, we really have to come home somewhere to sleep. [laughs] \n\nGQ: Emeril Lagasse played a large part in increasing the popularity of culinary TV. How was working alongside him this season?\n\n Padma Lakshmi: It was great. I mean, he is such a class act. I've known Emeril a little bit for a very long time. I started on the Food Network and that's where I met him years and years ago. But I didn't know him very well. And once he came on our show, I got the opportunity to spend hours on end with him. He's like a big papa bear. He was very sweet to be with. He was great on set. He was like an elder statesman: very cuddly, very gracious to everyone\u2014from the assistants to craft services all the way to the owner of the production company or the head of the network. There was no difference, you know? What I've found is that he's very diplomatic. I mean, even if we tasted something that was god-awful he found a positive thing he could say about it. He was always putting it in the positive. I think that's a really valuable trait to have. First of all, it's endearing. And second of all, you don't come off as the bad guy.\n\nGQ: That's probably from years of being yelled at by producers.\n\n Padma Lakshmi: Yeah!\n\nGQ: Modeling doesn't exactly seem to be the most natural transition into the world of food. How did that happen?\n\n Padma Lakshmi: So I know people are like \"Well, how does modeling tie into the food?\" But you know, one was a direct result of the other. I just always had a very sensitive palate and I loved to try different kinds of foods. And as a model I was able to travel a lot for work and explore other cultures. And because I had an inherent interest in food, I would explore the food in those cultures. And it sort of formed who I was and what I do now. I was really fortunate to get to go to all those countries as a model and experience different cultures and food. I think I couldn't do what I do now if I hadn't had that experience.\n\nGQ: Were you an adventurous eater even back then?\n\n Padma Lakshmi: Yeah. I mean, relatively speaking. I'm probably more adventurous now because I've had to be on the show. There's always that episode, that I call the Fear Factor episode, that you'll see we'll be eating all these strange meats. But the show has made me even more adventurous as far as proteins go.\n\nGQ: You ate snake in a recent episode. We think that qualifies.\n\n Padma Lakshmi: Snake is... actually just the idea of it seems exotic. But it's actually a very approachable flesh. What I mean by that is it's a very delicate meat. It takes flavor on really nicely. You don't have to hit it over the head. It's not a heavy meat like lamb or venison. It's not very gamey. It almost has the texture of certain fish. It's amphibious, right? So it's a reptile. It has that same quality that alligator has. It has kind of the gelatinousness of, say, a sea bass, you know? It's just much denser obviously, and it cooks up differently. That may be more than you've ever wanted to know about snake.\n\nGQ: What's it like having male contestants constantly fawning over you?\n\n Padma Lakshmi: Well, it's funny. I never see that until [after the fact]. So I don't know about it until after I'm done with most of the season. Which is probably a good thing. 'Cause it would be embarrassing. But you know, after the fact [long pause] it's flattering. You know, it's nice. You don't get over it. Every time is nice. It feels good.\n\nGQ: These are accomplished chefs and they wither in your presence.\n\n Padma Lakshmi: It's also that I'm in a position of authority. It's not like they're standing behind me in line at Whole Foods.\n\nGQ: Sadly, we don't see people like you at Whole Foods. You've gotten to work with Tom Colicchio for years now. Describe your relationship.\n\n Padma Lakshmi: I really respect Tom. I think he has a lot of years of experience and wisdom that come from really just growing up through the ranks in a professional culinary world here in New York. He's from New Jersey so he's a hometown boy. We just spend so much time together. It's nice. I could never do what he does and I don't think he wants to do what I do. Although this season he's doing something online so it'll be cute to watch him do that. I think he's great. He's really good at his job. And at the end of the day, that's what you want from your co-worker. He's a nice man. His wife is nice. His kids are adorable. And he was very sweet with [my daughter] Krishna. It's nice to work with him.\n\nGQ: With all the food you eat on the show, how do you keep that goddess-like figure?\n\n Padma Lakshmi: [To someone nearby] Call Bill. [To GQ] Sorry, boxing coach hasn't heard from me in awhile.\n\nGQ: Glad we could help remind you to hit the gym.\n\n Padma Lakshmi: Glad you reminded me! So basically, I just gain weight during the season. Like 10 or 15 pounds. In fact, I have dresses in two sizes. And when I finish, I watch what I eat. I don't eat red meat. I don't eat cheese. I don't eat butter or fried foods. I try and just eat whole grains, and not mashed potatoes or white bread. I eat a lot of fish and lentils and chicken. And I go up and down the stairs and I jump rope and I box and I lift weights and I go on the treadmill. You know, it takes me twice as long to lose the weight as it does to gain it. But I have to taste everything to be good at my job. Also, I love tasting everything. I'm happy to do my job well.\n\nGQ: Outside of the show, are you a foodie?\n\n Padma Lakshmi: If I'm eating just to live, rather than, you know, working on my book or writing a story or researching a recipe or going to a restaurant, I eat pretty simply. I eat a lot of brown rice. I eat a lot of beans, like cannellini beans, and kale and black-eyed peas and lots of veggies and lentils. And I love seafood. I'm not a vegetarian but I'm probably a pescetarian.\n\nGQ: Have you gotten a chance to eat at some of the Top Chef contestant's restaurants?\n\n Padma Lakshmi: I'm actually gonna go to one tomorrow night. I'm going to Catch. That's [Top Chef Season 3 winner] Hung Huynh's restaurant. And I haven't been there yet.\n\nGQ: So you get to see the contestants in their natural element.\n\n Padma Lakshmi: I do. But I have to tell you, most of the time when I'm not working, I prefer to eat really simply. I'm not one of those people. I like going out for research, but what happens when I go out is I eat all kinds of foods and I eat too much. I really like to sometimes go into food detox and eat very simply.\n\nGQ: That must be difficult living in NYC.\n\n Padma Lakshmi: I know! There's so much tempting food here, you know?\n\nGQ: Why do you think Top Chef resonates with so many people?\n\n Padma Lakshmi: [Long pause] Everybody wants to see people succeed and it's really compelling to watch these chefs try as hard as they can to be the best at what they do. And because what they do is food, and everyone eats, everyone has an opinion about food. It's different. People can relate to it even though they can't taste the food. And that's our job, to describe what we're tasting.\n\nGQ: To make the viewer feel like they're at the table eating with you and Tom.\n\n Padma Lakshmi: Exactly. Part of my job as a food writer is to describe food. So my work on Top Chef, I feel, is an extension of that. When we give a criticism to the contestant, we want to make sure we tell them why it's not working and why it would work if they did it a different way.\n\nGQ: Your \"serious face\" at Judges' Table is priceless.\n\n Padma Lakshmi: [Laughs] It's hard. It's not easy sometimes because the hours are long and we're all cooped up together so it's hard not to get a little kooky sometimes. But at the end of the day, we are delivering good news to some but bad news to others. So you don't want to laugh in someone's face when you're telling them their souffl\u00E9 is flat.\n\nGQ: So you're saying it never gets any easier to say, \"Pack your knives and go\"?\n\n Padma Lakshmi: It's always difficult. It's always terrible to be the bearer of the bad news. I always say Tom loads them up and I pull the trigger. It's never easy being the one who does that. Because they've given up a lot to be there and they're on TV and it's a big moment. So I have great empathy for all the contestants that come on Top Chef, whether they go home right away or they make it to the finish line. It's a very vulnerable position they put themselves in and I feel for them."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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