New York — PADMA LAKSHMI had a confession to make.
"I hate reality TV, I have to tell you," said the new host of "Top Chef," Bravo's reality cooking competition, leaning over the table at a busy Manhattan restaurant on a recent afternoon. "I think a lot of it brings out the worst common denominator of the human spirit."
But the Indian-born model and actress, perhaps best known for being married to Salman Rushdie, is satisfied that Season 2 of "Top Chef" won't contribute to the decline of modern culture. The reality series pits 15 up-and-coming chefs against one another in an intense culinary contest.
"At the end of the day, it's about the skills," Lakshmi said. "I think it's very compelling seeing someone trying to be really good at their job, no matter what that job is."
"Top Chef," from the producers of the zeitgeist fashion competition "Project Runway," premiered last spring and was the top-rated cable food show among young adults. As with "Runway," its popularity was fueled by the contestants' raw ambition along with the inevitable kitchen drama that ensued as they raced to out-cook one another.
This season, which kicks off Wednesday, the producers brought in prominent chefs such as "Kitchen Confidential" author Anthony Bourdain and Le Bernardin's Eric Ripert as guest judges. The presence of culinary superstars helped ease Lakshmi's doubts about wading into the reality television genre
"They're all people that I really respect food-wise, so I think in that respect, it's a very high-caliber, high-brow food show," she said. "I was very pleased about that, because I didn't want it to turn into some kind of schlocky reality piece of fluff that I would feel embarrassed about."
The 35-year-old is acutely aware of the challenges of cultivating a career in the public eye. Ever since she began dating and subsequently married "Satanic Verses" author Rushdie, 23 years her senior, the New Delhi native has had to endure a constant media spotlight on their relationship.
When asked how she deals with the persistent interest in her marriage, Lakshmi sighed, a slight hint of annoyance clouding her lilting accent.
"I just have to do my own thing and try to steer people away from it," she said. "I had my own identity before I met him and a successful career."
Lakshmi had already published her first cookbook -- "Easy Exotic: A Model's Low-Fat Recipes From Around the World" -- when she was introduced to Rushdie at a party in New York in 1999.
