Padma Lakshmi is an American author, actress, model, television host and executive producer. 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 Chef since season two in 2006 and has since brought her signature style to your own kitchen through her gorgeous tableware collections. The first, entitled "The Padma Collection," is a line of elegant dinnerware composed of Moroccan ceramics and Turkish glass. The second line of more casual kitchenware is called Easy Exotic.