Based on the award-winning Hulu series Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi.
“I never had to leave the country to taste the world’s flavors. Wherever you live, come along with me.”
This book is a love letter to the people who create and evolve American cuisine every day. It is also a road map to the foods that give America its vibrant palate.
When Padma Lakshmi arrived in New York City in the 1970s, she witnessed firsthand the cuisines of the immigrant communities around her: uniquely their own and yet quintessentially American. Here, in this very personal book—the result of seven years of traveling and tasting, listening and observing for her show Taste the Nation—Lakshmi compiles dozens of recipes from the immigrant and Indigenous communities she visits, as well as many from her own family, showing us what really comprises American cuisine.
For Lakshmi, food is a lens. Through it, we can explore the influence of an eclectic array of cultures—and come to see, clearly, who we are and how we eat as a nation. Padma’s All American gives us a kaleidoscopic view of the vast range of incredible dishes she delighted in tasting on her travels, from coast to coast, and everywhere in-between.
From Indian coconut rice and Peruvian tamales with chicken to Afghani dumplings with leeks and scallions—from Oaxacan mushroom tacos to a strawberry, cardamom and cream cake that will be your new favorite celebration treat—Padma’s All American is filled with mouth-watering recipes, adapted here for the home cook—along with profiles and stories from the people who inspired the dishes. Padma’s All American is a joyful book—a reflection of who we truly are as a nation, from one of our most essential culinarians.
PADMA LAKSHMI is an Emmy-nominated food expert, television producer, and New York Times bestselling author. She is the creator of the critically-acclaimed Hulu series Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi, and served as host and executive producer of Bravo’s Top Chef for nineteen seasons. She is co-founder of the Endometriosis Foundation of America, a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador and an ACLU Artist Ambassador for immigrants’ rights and women’s rights. She is the author of Easy Exotic, Tangy, Tart, Hot & Sweet, The Encyclopedia of Spices & Herbs, her New York Times best-selling memoir Love, Loss, and What We Ate, and the best-selling children’s book Tomatoes for Neela.
Copies of Padma’s All American are available for pre-order, and other titles by Padma Lakshmi are available for purchase, at White Whale Bookstore. After the lecture, there will be a book signing in the Music Hall Foyer.
WHEN
Monday, November 10, 2025, at 7:30 p.m. ET
SUBSCRIBE NOW: In-Person
WHERE
Carnegie Music Hall (Oakland)
4400 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
WATCH AT HOME
Your Online Access Pass includes a livestream of the lecture, as well as on-demand access during a viewing period of one week. The link to view the livestream will be sent to your email on the day of the program.
SUBSCRIBE NOW: Online Access
