Padma Lakshmi, the renowned former host of Top Chef and a prominent television personality, has taken to social media to voice her disapproval of food influencers following their lukewarm review of Semma, a highly celebrated Michelin-starred South Indian restaurant in New York City. On March 7, the influencer duo known as The VIP List expressed their critiques, labeling the restaurant’s dishes as all featuring the same unintelligible “mystery sauce.”
In a TikTok video posted on April 3, Lakshmi sharply rebuked the influencers, emphasizing that Michelin’s standards transcend personal opinions. She challenged them to familiarize themselves with the cuisines they critique, particularly by accurately pronouncing dish names. Lakshmi stated:
“I’m pretty sure Michelin doesn’t give a sh*t about you, either, or what you think about anything, let alone food, and just a tip before you go off slagging other cuisines, maybe you should understand them a little bit more, or at least, I don’t know, learn how to pronounce the dishes you’re actually critiquing. I got news for you: There’s no ‘tiki’ anything in Indian cuisine.”
In response to Lakshmi’s comments, Meg Radice and Audrey Jongens, the faces behind The VIP List, defended their perspectives by stating that culinary taste is inherently subjective. They maintained their right to share their opinions freely, asserting that the review was intended as a form of satire. They elaborated:
“We all have it [taste], and you don’t need a certification to know what you like (or don’t). That’s kind of the whole point of what we do. You’re welcome to agree with our taste—or not. Social media gives us the freedom to spotlight what we think is great and call it out when it’s not. If we don’t vibe with a place, that’s not a scandal. It’s just content. It’s commentary. It’s satire.”
Padma Lakshmi’s Departure from Top Chef
In August 2023, Padma Lakshmi shared insights about her decision to step down from hosting Top Chef after a remarkable 17-year tenure during an appearance on Variety’s Awards Circuit Podcast. Lakshmi recounted that the relentless demands of the show had taken a toll on her, describing the workload as “exhausting.”She reflected:
“I had been on location for eight months out of the year. And when I wasn’t on location, I was in pre- and post-production for both my shows. And I was looking at edits of one show while on the set of another show. It was just exhausting and untenable for me to continue that way.”
During the podcast, Lakshmi expressed confidence in her potential successor, Kristen Kish, a former winner of the series, and indicated that leaving the show would allow her to seek new creative challenges. She remarked:
“I also felt I’ve done everything I set out to do and more at Top Chef. I’m leaving the show at a very high point, in very capable hands. Now, it’s time for me to challenge myself creatively.”
Notably, Lakshmi emphasized the sacrifices made during her lengthy career, sharing that her demanding schedule often left little room for personal connections. She highlighted the impact her work had on her relationship with her daughter, Krishna, stating:
“I haven’t had a relationship in a long time either, because I’m always working. I don’t know when I think I was going to meet anybody. I’m surrounded by people I either employ or employ me, and neither of those [groups of] people are appropriate [for a romantic relationship]. It was also about having a personal life, to be honest, and also being present for my daughter.”
For context, Padma Lakshmi shares her daughter, Krishna Lakshmi, with her former partner, Adam Dell, who is a businessman and brother of Michael Dell, the founder of Dell Technologies.