A VIVID MEMOIR OF FOOD AND FAMILY, SURVIVAL AND TRIUMPH, LOVE, LOSS, AND WHAT WE ATE TRACES PADMA LAKSHMI’S UNLIKELY PATH FROM AN IMMIGRANT CHILDHOOD TO A COMPLICATED LIFE IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA— A TANTALIZING BLEND OF RUTH REICHL’S TENDER AT THE BONE AND NORA EPHRON’S HEARTBURN

Long before Padma Lakshmi ever stepped onto a television set, she learned that how we eat is an extension of how we love, how we comfort, how we forge a sense of home—and how we taste the world as we navigate our way through it. Shuttling between continents as a child, never quite at home in the world, she lived a life of dislocation that would become habit as an adult. And yet, through all her travels, her favorite food remained the simple rice she first ate sitting on the cool floor of her grandmother’s kitchen in South India.

Poignant and surprising, Love, Loss, and What We Ate is Lakshmi’s extraordinary account of her journey from that humble kitchen, ruled by ferocious and unforgettable women, to the Top Chef Judges’ Table and beyond. It chronicles the fierce devotion of the remarkable people who shaped her along the way, from her headstrong mother who flouted conservative Indian convention to make a life in New York, to her Brahmin grandfather—a brilliant engineer with an irrepressible sweet tooth—to the man who was seemingly wrong for her in every way but proved to be her truest ally. A memoir rich with sensual prose and punctuated with evocative recipes, it is alive with the scents, tastes, and textures of a life that spans complex geographies both internal and external.

Love, Loss, and What We Ate is an intimate and unexpected story of food and family—both the ones we are born to and the ones we create—and their enduring legacies.
“Love, Loss, and What We Ate is the Padma we didn’t know— a frank, introspective look at a fascinating and unusual life. Surprisingly revealing and disarmingly bittersweet.”
“This vivid, generous, finely written memoir reveals the smart, vulnerable, and resourceful person behind the beautifully dressed judge telling the chefs to pack their knives and go home. And the recipes are great!”
“Beautifully written and moving, this book is also a feast for the senses that will leave you hungry for more. It paints an evocative picture on every page, and offers a wonderfully crafted landscape of the culinary textures and cultural touchstones that have shaped both the woman and her palate. Padma has given us something layered and lyrical—an immigrant’s journey, as well as a young woman’s struggle to come into her own. In telling her own story with such grace and artistry, she has created something culturally important for us all.”
"Honest, brave, honouring food, emotion and family. A true and compassionate story of a growing woman’s struggle for establishing true independence. A beautiful, priceless gift to a mother and daughter to stand tall, sing your song and enjoy a mouthful of yogurt rice!!!!”
PADMA LAKSHMI is the Emmy-nominated host of the highly rated and critically acclaimed, Emmy-winning Bravo series Top Chef, and the author of two cookbooks: Tangy, Tart, Hot & Sweet and the award-winning Easy Exotic. In addition to her culinary achievements, Lakshmi has contributed to such magazines as Vogue, Gourmet, and Harper’s Bazaar (UK and US), and penned a syndicated column on fashion and food for The New York Times. Her television hosting credits include Planet Food and Padma’s Passport, as well as other programs in the United States and abroad. A global style icon and the first internationally successful Indian supermodel, Lakshmi also helms companies of her own such as The Padma Collection and Padma’s Easy Exotic.

Lakshmi is a cofounder of the Endometriosis Foundation of America. Since 2009, the organization has advocated for early diagnosis, promoted research, and raised awareness in the medical community and the greater public about this devastating chronic disease which affects over 190 million women worldwide.

She lives in New York City with her daughter.
Tues 3/8
Book Release
Barnes & Nobles Union Sq Book Signing
33 East 17th St @ 7pm
Padma Lakshmi in Conversation with Andy Cohen

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Thur 3/10
Asia Society Event
7:30pm - 9:00pm
725 Park Avenue at 70th Street NYC

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Fri 3/11
The Bookmark Shoppe
7pm
8415 3rd Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11209

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Mon 3/14
Town Hall
7:30pm
Padma will appear in conversation with Debra Music, Theo Chocolate co-founder and CMO, to share how how her early childhood sparked her interest in cuisine, how her cross-continental upbringing influenced the way she views family, and the many ways food is a representation of love and affection.

$5 TICKETS
Tues 3/15
LA LIVE TALKS
An Evening with Padma Lakshmi
Ann and Jerry Moss Theatre
New Roads School

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Wed 3/16
Watermark
6:30 PM - 9:00 PM
PDTSanDisk, Building 2 lobby, 1051 SanDisk Dr., Milpitas

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Thur 3/17
Qualcomm
Details coming soon

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Fri 3/18
San Diego Women's Week
10:00am Keynote presentation by Padma
Location: Harrah’s Resort Southern California, 777 Harrah’s Rincon Way, Valley Center, CA 92591
Tickets/ Registration available via:

San Diego Women’s Week website
Wed 4/6
NY Public Library
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, Astor Hall

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Tues 4/8
Dallas Book Talk
Padma Lakshmi: Food & Family
7:30 PM
First United Methodist Church of Dallas

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Sat 4/9
LA Times Book Festival
1:00-3:00pm
Book signing at the LA Times Festival of Books at the USC Campus

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Sat 4/20
Chicago Ideas
Chicago Ideas, in culinary conversation with Questlove and Chef Dave Beran. A book signing for LLWWA will follow. Tickets are open to the public for $15/each and can be purchased here:

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Sat 11/5
Texas Book Festival
1:00 - 1:45pm
Padma Lakshmi, Emmy-nominated host of Top Chef and award-winning cookbook author, has traveled the globe experiencing unique cuisine. Now, she presents a thorough compendium the world's spices and herbs in a vibrant, comprehensive guide, The Encyclopedia of Spices and Herbs. Join her as she shares stories of her world travels and tasting adventures. After the talk, Lakshmi will sign books at the church. Copies of the book are available for sale in the foyer.
First United Methodist Church
1201 Lavaca
enter from Lavaca St.

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Sat 11/19
Miami Book Fair
3:30 - 4:30pm
In The Encyclopedia of Spices and Herbs: An Essential Guide to the Flavors of the World, Padma Lakshmi brings together the world’s spices and herbs in a vibrant, comprehensive alphabetical guide, in conversation with Ben Greenman co-author (with Questlove) of Something to Food About: Exploring Creativity with Innovative Chefs. Book signing to immediately follow.
300 NE Second Ave
Miami, FL 33132 Room 3209 Building 3
2nd Floor

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January 2017
The Hindu Book Festival
Padma will be speaking at the Hindu Book Festival in Chennai January 14th - 15th. Exact times to follow.

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Thu 2/2
Crossword Bookstore Signing
7pm
Padma will be signing copies of "Love, Loss, & What We Ate" and "The Encyclopedia of Spices & Herbs."
Sat 2/4
Kala Ghoda Arts Festival
5pm
The David Sassoon Library Garden, Rampart Row, Kala Ghoda
Padma will be in conversation with Rashmi Uday Singh as a part of the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival 2017.
Mon 2/6
Taj Krishna Book Signing
6:30pm
Padma will be in conversation with Shilpa Reddy at the Taj Krishna Hotel.
Tue 2/7
American Center in New Dheli
6pm
Padma will be speaking at the American Center in conversation with Barkha Dutt. Barkha Dutt will interview Padma Lakshmi about her memoir, the Indian diaspora experience and the restorative power of home cooking.
Wed 2/9
Bahriston’s Book Sellers in Khan Market
Padma will be signing copies of "Love, Loss, & What We Ate" and "The Encyclopedia of Spices & Herbs."
Tue 2/14
Vaishnav College in Nungamakkam
11am
Padma will be speaking at MOP Vaishnav College in Nungamakkam, Chennai. More information to come.
Tue 2/14
Taj Coromandel Book Event
6pm
Taj Coromandel 37, Mahatma Gandhi Rd, Tirumurthy Nagar, Nungambakkam, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600034
Padma will be in conversation with Mr. Mukund Padmanabhan, Editor, The Hindu
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