Padma Lakshmi 'Harmed' Bread For A Good Cause
"Top Chef" host, author, and activist Padma Lakshmi is no stranger to philanthropy. She founded the Endometriosis Foundation of America in 2009, which is a "nonprofit organization dedicated to combating endometriosis through advocacy, targeted research, education, and increasing awareness," (via Endofound). She started this foundation after unknowingly having the disease since she was a teenager, with the help of the only doctor who took her symptoms as seriously as she did: Dr. Seckin. "I didn't want the next generation of women to go through what I went through, to feel betrayed by their own bodies or to feel alone," Lakshmi told Endofound.
Along with walking the walk by founding this nonprofit, the former model talks the talk on her social media channels, spreading awareness about causes she cares about. On her birthday in 2018, she challenged Twitter and Instagram users to bake a cake for her and the winner of the bake-off would receive a $5,000 donation to their charity of choice. More recently, she had another food-related call to action on Instagram that involved a bit of bread destruction.
She broke bread to promote a fundraising event for Ukrainian refugees
In the wake of the war in Ukraine, chefs and food personalities from across the country are spreading the word on social media for a live fundraiser benefiting World Central Kitchen on May 11. The chef-tacular aid group was founded by Jose Andres to provide meals across the globe "in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises," (via WCK's official website). WCK is currently stationed in Ukraine, serving countless meals to families in need.
In order to raise awareness for the cause, chef Dominique Crenn started the social media movement "Chefs for Unity" on April 13 with an Instagram video, nominating fellow chefs to "break bread" with her on May 11. Since her post, several well-known chefs have chimed in to join the movement, like Andrew Zimmern, Eric Ripert, and of course, Padma Lakshmi.
The "Taste The Nation" star captioned her post: "Caution! A loaf was harmed in the making of this video." The caption was accurate because she put a lot of muscle into breaking apart a loaf of crusty bread as she talked about the cause. The finale of all the bread breaking will be on May 11 when Crenn will host a global live stream. On the live stream, chefs from across the globe will come together in support of the cause and Crenn will share a simple bread recipe (via World Chef).