Padma Lakshmi Braved Hurricane Sandy To Appear On 'Late Night With Jimmy Fallon'

In a deserted studio, cookbook author, TV show host, and cheftestant-dismisser Padma Lakshmi sat down with Jimmy Fallon to tape a pre-hurricane episode of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon yesterday. The two talked hurricane preparation, evacuation zones, and meatballs, with Lakshmi likening emergency cooking to a Top Chef challenge. Lighter subjects like Halloween were also on the docket, including Lakshmi's daughter's insistence on going as Nicki Minaj, with Lakshmi as her "hype girl," which prompted Fallon to giggle, "This kid is awesome!"

Top Chef Seattle and new (apparently foul-mouthed) judge Wolfgang Puck were the other big topics of conversation, prompting Lakshmi to slip into an Austrian-accented tirade of expletives. Apparently, the famous chef likes to tell it straight.

According to her Twitter page, the actress lost power but had "so many candles lit, it's like a séance in here." It's nice to see a parent who truly gets into the spirit of Halloween.