Padma Lakshmi

My mom was scared of the old Times Square so I was never allowed to go. Now I'm scared of the new Times Square, so I still never go.

I was lucky to have a successful career as a model, but that was just a way to pay off my college loans.

I was the first Indian model to have a career in Paris, Milan and New York.

I never Tweet about my daughter. Never. I just want to be respectful of her privacy. My job as a mom is to know when to open my mouth and when not to.

I think wine is such a big universe that it's kind of like food - it's intimidating to a lot of people, myself included.

I don't have any stigma attached to my body. When I'm in my own private space, I have very little on.

I've always thought the back is one of the most beautiful parts of a woman. I've created four versions of the front-to-back necklace which actually gives you two necklaces in one. I love the way they swing and catch the light as a woman is walking away. You almost want to pull on it and stop her!

People are thrown off by someone who looks feminine, but is also strong. It's not that pretty girls aren't smart, it's that women aren't strong.

It doesn't matter how precisely the onion is cut as long as the person chewing it is happy.

The best thing you can do for someone is make them a beautiful plate of food. How else can you invade someone's body without actually touching them?

I'm not tough. I'm tenacious.

Where is it written that a smart woman can't also be stacked?