Trekkies shouldn’t bother proposing, but it’s all gravy (and Pringles) for the tasty Top Chef host, says John Sellers

As the presenter of popular US reality cooking show Top Chef, Padma Lakshmi has had to endure plenty of food-related indignities at the hands of the contestants. But the 37-year-old model, actor, cookbook author and New York resident is especially irked when professionals get it wrong. Her pet peeve? ‘I hate it when restaurants name every single ingredient in the title of the dish!’ she says. ‘It’s always nestled in this, embedded in that or topped with a foam of the other. And by the end of it you’re like, “Dude, I didn’t ask you for the recipe!”’ We asked Lakshmi – a former Star Trek star – to gab about grub and Klingons.

You’re a foodie. How does your thinking differ from a non-foodie’s?
Someone who’s not a foodie will tell you where to shop in Paris. Someone who is a foodie will tell you where to eat. Although I could tell you both because I’m also a fashionista.

In our office, there’s a lunch club that shares healthy food, and a rival club dedicated to eating complete garbage. Whose side are you on?
I would have to be shuffling between the two. I like beautiful organic produce and meats and stuff, but you know, I want to eat fun, delicious, crappy food, too. I’m an omnivore. There’s space in my tummy for everyone – I mean everything.

You’re not a cannibal, are you, Padma?
[Laughs] No! Anyway, I’m not a food snob. I’m just a glutton.

Do you have any guilty food pleasures?
I love Pringles! I can finish a whole can in one sitting. It’s a weakness of mine.

You must eat a ton while you’re taping Top Chef. Why aren’t you fat?
Because I exercise a lot. I do gain weight – about 12 to 15 pounds in seven weeks of taping. I’m lucky, though. I’m tall, so you can’t tell. And over the course of three seasons my wardrobist and I have learned that we need to have skinny clothes and fat clothes.

Your catchphrase on the show is ‘Pack your knives and go.’ Ever think about using ‘Stow your haughty attitude and go’ instead?
Right! Or I could say, ‘Turn in your toque [a small brimless hat] and go.’ Except they don’t wear toques on the show.

Okay – here’s my version of the Quickfire Challenge. Question one: What’s up with gravy?
I love gravy. I live for gravy!

Question two: Do you own a gravy boat?
Yes. I have a Tiffany gravy boat and a Royal Doulton gravy boat. Cool.

Last question: Is it okay to bathe oneself in gravy?
Sure. Gravy is the best moisturiser. It has a lot of fat content, and anything fatty is good for your skin.

Nice job. I must inform you that I am a bit of a Trekkie. You killed on Star Trek: Enterprise!
I can always tell what people’s interests are and what weird eccentricities they have based on what they know me from. If they’re sci-fi buffs, they know me as Princess Kaitaama from Star Trek. If they’re foodies, they know me from Top Chef. If they’re anorexic, they know me from my modelling career. And if they’re just fond of bad movies, they know me from Glitter.

You get a lot of marriage proposals from Trekkies, don’t you?
Yeah, I get some pretty weird ones. But luckily, I have people for that.

You have people to rebuff nerds who want to marry you in ceremonies conducted entirely in Klingon? Actually, I would kind of be impressed by that.

Top Chef: Season Two airs Sundays at 11am, 3pm and 9pm on Sony Entertainment Television, mio Channel 20.