Crisscrossing the country for the cuisine — and the culture! Padma Lakshmi is back for season 2 of Taste the Nation, and Us Weekly has the exclusive first look at the latest installment.
In the trailer for the new season, the Top Chef host, 52, makes her way throughout America, sharing meals, laughter and cultural history with the chefs and restauranteurs she meets along the way. As the award-winning TV personality embarks on “a culinary adventure across American soil,” per season 2’s official synopsis, her travels bring her to Puerto Rico, Washington, D.C., Appalachia, New York City (twice!), Texas, California, Florida, Massachusetts and Michigan across 10 episodes that are all set to drop at once Friday, May 5, on Hulu.
While the synopsis of the show gives fans a taste of what food Lakshmi will be sampling over the course of her road trip — including “borscht, cornbread and pasteles” — it’s the trailer that provides the mouth-watering delights that viewers have been waiting for.
“My whole mouth is alive!” Lakshmi declares in the first few seconds of the teaser after biting into a particularly hot dish. “It’s so spicy, my scalp is itching!”
As the Tomatoes for Neela author continues on her journey, she chows down on a unique fusion dish that is “50 percent Pakistani, 50 percent Appalachian,” bites into a deliciously satisfying (and crunchy!) dish and even comes face-to-face with some of her own culinary firsts — including carving up a pig’s head.
“I’ve never butchered anything in my life,” she tells the butcher, staring at the bovine’s face. The chef, for his part, wants to make sure the Hulu host gets down and dirty.
“We’re gonna skip the gloves. It’s a little bit more sensual,” he quips. “For me or the pig?” Lakshmi laughs.
The model, who has produced and hosted Taste the Nation since its inception in 2020, “uncovers the roots and relationship between our food, our humanity and our history” on the show, per the synopsis, which ultimately leads to revealing “stories that challenge notions of identity, belonging, and what it means to be American.”
The India native, for her part, calls the United States “food paradise” in the teaser’s voiceover, discussing the “idealized image of America” that immigrants may have of the country.
“Immigrants need to have that sense of identity,” one restauranteur tells her in the trailer. “That sense of community.”
As Lakshmi teases viewers to “come with me as I travel and taste the nation,” she reveals exactly what it is that she’s looking for.
“Champagne, pickles, vodka,” she announces at one of her many stops. “My kind of party!”
Season 2 of Taste the Nation premieres on Hulu Friday, May 5.
