Chef and Emmy-nominated TV host, Executive Producer and creator of the new CBS series, America’s Culinary Cup, Padma Lakshmi opened up in an interview with Desi Lydic on The Daily Show. While there, Lakshmi spoke to Desi about her vision for a chef Olympics.
Lakshmi is happy to return to the reality cooking competition genre, and this time, she has the freedom to create the show from the ground up. She told Desi that each choice is done with the mission of supporting chefs and bringing together the best culinary talent in the world. Meanwhile, Padma also expresses how the Trump administration’s attacks on immigrant threaten the bedrock of the entire country, especially in the food sector.
Desi referred to recent shakeups at CBS News, where the network must now give President Donald Trump and his policies a more positive coverage. Lydic joked with Padma, saying, “Do we have to give President Trump the cup at the end?”
“No, I hope not, no,” Lakshmi answered. “Believe me, it’s going to be Trump’s America’s Culinary Cup pretty soon, but I hope not… I don’t want this to happen.”
However, she also opened up about an experience she had with Vice President JD Vance, his wife and his cooking. Padma held nothing back as she spoke of his bad cooking abilities, especially when JD’s wife, Usha Vance comes from a rich Indian culinary background.
When asked about JD, Padma said, “There’s so many reasons to hate JD Vance, I didn’t think we needed a culinary one.” But she had one indeed.
During the interview, Desi brought up a dish that the VP had allegedly put together, while mentioning that it was made up of vegetables with ranch dressing and baked on a crescent roll. For an experienced chef, this was so shocking for Lakshmi, who immediately said, “So bad,” making it clear that some recipes, including this one, are crimes against food.
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As noted by TV Insider, what made this especially shocking is that Padma explained that Vance is married to Usha Vance, a lady from a rich Indian culinary background. Shocked, she exclaimed, “And he’s giving her ranch dressing?” while shaking her head in disbelief.
Meanwhile, the celebrity chef also slammed the way Vance described Usha’s diet. “He says she’s vegetarian. Bread, vegetables, dairy. Really?” Lakshmi said. “We eat rice, lentils, beans, squash – so much more than that!”
However, that wasn’t all, as Padma got in a little dig at the pair, saying, “Maybe he knows what she likes… because she doesn’t really have good taste.”
Following the show, the cultural and culinary segment with Desi Lydic and Padma Lakshmi quickly went viral. Clips can now be seen over social media, including YouTube and Facebook, entertaining folks on the culinary crimes carried out in the Vance household.
Padma’s fans can now look forward to her new CBS cooking show, America’s Culinary Cup, which is sure to offer delicious culinary ideas.
