Padma Lakshmi: “We're not taught to advocate for ourselves at the expense of maybe ruffling some feathers.”

As women, we're not taught to demand or negotiate to our full potential. We're not taught to advocate for ourselves at the expense of maybe ruffling some feathers.

The only rule that I follow is try to do something you love for a living because you will be better at it and you will be much happier as a human.

I was always good at cooking. It's just something that naturally came to me. And it's not because I have such exceptional technical skill; it's because I have a really sensitive palate and the nose of bloodhound.

I think women, in general, when we're making our way in our careers and we enter the workforce and in business, which is often male-dominated, it's very common to second-guess yourself. We also have been raised, because of the patriarchy, with a different set of rules than our male peers have, and so that really plays on your psyche, whether you are conscious of it or not.

Unless you're a Native American, you too are either an immigrant or descendant of an immigrant. You don't have any more claim to this land because you got here 100 years ago than somebody who got here 10 years ago as long as they abide by the law, as long as they work hard.

There are certain people who have more taste buds than others ... They can detect flavors that other humans cannot.

We have plenty of food in this country to feed everyone comfortably. We really do. But we just don't have the organization.

The food industry is... extremely male-dominated, and I think the only other industry that's more male-dominated in America is perhaps the military.

We're all happy to order pad thai or sushi or whatever, but what do we really know about the people who make us that food?