As a former high-fashion model, Padma Lakshmi made her mark strutting down runways in the 1990’s for such haute couturiers as Giorgio Armani, Ralph Lauren and Alberta Ferretti. The wife of controversial novelist Salman Rushdie – author of 1988’s controversial The Satanic Verses – Lakshmi was also a best-selling author in her own right. Her first book, the award-winning, Easy Exotic: A Model’s Low-fat Recipes from Around the World (1999) sold extremely well, winning her accolades from the culinary world. A popular television personality to boot, Lakshmi also appeared on a number of programs –