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Fans who remember Padma Lakshmi’s early Top Chef years may be surprised to learn that her daughter, Krishna Lakshmi-Dell, is now a teenager—and old enough to legally drive. Born in February 2010 during Lakshmi’s on-again, off-again relationship with Adam Dell, Krishna has grown far beyond the little girl occasionally featured on her mother’s social media. The questions that once surrounded her father’s identity are now more than 15 years in the past.
As the March 2026 picture from the America’s Culinary Cup premiere below shows, Krishna is turning out to be nothing short of gorgeous. We aren’t surprised, as Lakshmi is a stunner herself. Luckily for Krishna, she inherited her mother’s almond eyes and expressive eyebrows. She also has prominent cheekbones that give her a model-like facial structure that immediately stands out. Social media users see the resemblance, too. “Pretty girl is your mini-me,” an Instagram user commented under a February 2025 post marking Krishna’s 15th birthday.
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Other fans were simply impressed by the good-looking girl she grew up to be. “She is stunning. Happy happy Birthday,” another netizen gushed. Others reminisced about the time Lakshmi shared snippets of her miracle baby, whom she dubbed Littlehands. “I remember when she was [a] little girl. Time flies!! She’s absolutely stunning!!” another Instagram user raved under a February 2026 post. As beautiful as Krishna has become, she has no plans to follow in her mother’s footsteps in the modeling industry.
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Krishna has music and acting aspirations
Krishna appeared with Lakshmi in a 2025 pajama campaign for Soma Intimates, but modeling is not the career she hopes to pursue. Her ambitions lie in music and acting. As of 2026, she attends a New York City performing arts high school and hopes to continue her training at The Juilliard School. “This has been my plan since I was three,” she told Vogue India in August 2025. Lakshmi told People after the Soma shoot that Krishna has received modeling offers, but has chosen a different path.
Lakshmi supports that decision, saying she would rather see her daughter appear on a magazine cover because of achievements in acting or music than simply because she is attractive. That does not mean Krishna lacks an interest in style. Like many teenagers, she enjoys fashion and experimenting with her appearance—a fact her mother occasionally highlights with playful posts on social media.
In December 2024, Lakshmi posted an Instagram video teasing Krishna about wearing her low-rise jeans—although the jeans originally belonged to Lakshmi. “A tale as old as time! Shall we start a ‘moms of teenage girls’ support group in the comment section??” she joked. Beneath the teasing, the pair share a close bond and a mutual love of fashion, along with a willingness to offer each other unfiltered opinions. “Before we leave the house, we’re pretty brutal with each other,” Krishna said in a 2025 Vogue India “Tell the Truth” video. “I will be like, ‘You can’t wear that in public with me.’”