Padma Parvati Lakshmi (Tamil: பத்மா பார்வதி லக்ஷ்மி, Padmā Pārvati Lakshmi ?; born September 1, 1970) is an Indian American cookbook author, actress, model and television host. 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, for which she received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program. In 2010, Top Chef won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program.

Lakshmi's career began at age 18, when during a study trip in her college years she was discovered by a modeling agent in Madrid, Spain while sitting in a café. As she has stated, "I was the first Indian model to have a career in Paris, Milan and New York. I'm the first one to admit that I was a novelty." Lakshmi managed to pay off her college loans while working as a model and actress.

Lara Dutta Bhupathi (born 16 April 1978) is an Indian Bollywood actress and former Miss Universe (2000).

She made her Hindi debut in 2003 with the film Andaaz which was a box office success and won her a Filmfare Best Female Debut Award. Her box office hit successes include a series of comedies Masti (2004), No Entry (2005), Bhagam Bhag (2006), Partner (2007) and Housefull (2010). Her recent film Don 2 (2011) is a major commercial success in the domestic and international markets.

Dutta was born in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh to an Indian father and an Anglo-Indian mother. Her father is Wing Commander L.K. Dutta (retired) and her mother is Jennifer Dutta. She also has two elder sisters, one of whom serves in the Indian Air Force and a well known younger sister. Composer and DJ Nitin Sawhney is Dutta's cousin. The Dutta family moved to Bangalore in 1981 where she completed high school from St.Francis Xavier Girls' High School and the Frank Anthony Public School. Dutta graduated in economics with a minor in communications from the University of Mumbai.