Recently, we’ve seen a reckoning in the culinary world around the whitewashing and co-opting of ethnic food. The industry has long been controlled by a limited number of people — many of them white — who have authored and then profited from the foods we eat and the stories we share. But the tide is turning. And our guest for this episode, Padma Lakshmi, is part of that movement. You’ve likely seen her tasting and critiquing some of the best chefs in the U.S. on Top Chef, sharing her favorite recipes across social media and advocating for immigrants rights and women’s rights. Padma has a long list of accomplishments. She sits on the Jane Spirit Leadership Committee, is an Emmy nominated host and executive producer, a New York Times best-selling author, founder of the Endometriosis Foundation, and is an ACLU artist ambassador for women’s rights and immigrants’ rights. She joined us on At Liberty this week to talk about her new Hulu show, “Taste the Nation,” where she breaks down important questions about the influence of immigration on American food and culture. “This show is about allowing assimilation while still giving credit, and letting those originators of those foods speak about the food themselves,” says Lakshmi.
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