NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – She’s beautiful – and she can cook, too.

Now, celebrity cookbook author and television personality, Padma Lakshmi, is on a mission to find the ultimate party host.

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She’s best known for hosting Top Chef. Now, her new cookbook, Tangy Tart Hot & Sweet is on sale, and Lakshmi got comfortable on The Couch to talk about her life as a mom, model and chef.

She also shared her trials and tribulations about weight gain and weight loss as a professional taste tester.

Check out her interview below – she even shared a stellar sangria recipe!