Padma Lakshmi said, “Some of my fondest memories from childhood are of cooking with the women in my family. It is the foundation for all I have spent my life working on.” Her debut children’s book, Tomatoes for Neela, which was illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal, lovingly affirms how we can connect to other cultures, as well as to our own, through food. It hit number 1 on Amazon Books Children’s Travel books list. She participated in a Barnes & Noble Storytime for her new book which Viking Books for Young Readers published the hardcover August 31, 2021.