Stories and Flavors with Padma Lakshmi

The award-winning host, author, and food advocate, Padma Lakshmi, shares stories from her travels across America, exploring the immigrant and Indigenous cuisines that shape our national palate.

What makes American cuisine truly American?

For Padma Lakshmi, the essence of American cooking is found at the crossroads of stories and flavors — the recipes passed down through generations, the dishes discovered in tucked-away kitchens, and the meals that mark life’s most memorable moments.

Over seven years of traveling from coast to coast, the Emmy-nominated host of Taste the Nation has collected a trove of these encounters: the fragrance of coconut rice steaming in a family kitchen, the snap of fresh herbs in a market stall, the warmth of a table where strangers become friends. Each dish tells a story, and together they form a vivid portrait of how America eats today.

Join Padma Lakshmi in conversation with chef, video host, and James Beard Award–winning author Sohla El-Waylly for an evening of storytelling and reflection on the journeys, people, and unforgettable meals that have shaped her own life and the ever-changing landscape of American cuisine.

Padma Lakshmi will sign copies of Padma’s All American: Tales, Travels, and Recipes from Taste the Nation and Beyond: A Cookbook following the event.

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