A supertaster is a person who tastes certain flavors and foods more strongly than other people.

“It turns out that I am one. It is a thing,” said Padma Lakshmi, an Emmy-nominated food expert, television producer, host, and creator of the critically acclaimed Hulu series ‘Taste the Nation.”

Lakshmi joined a celebrated group of speakers during the most recent International Dairy Deli Bakery Association convention in Anaheim, California. It turns out she is the perfect person to share a broader international perspective on where the food industry is heading.

“I’ve always had an international approach to food,” said Lakshmi, who was born in India and emigrated to the United States at the age of 4. “People don’t eat one thing all the time. People want specificity.”

Using international flavors is a simple way to bring diversity to any food or dish, she explains. Pick different condiments or spices. “People want to gussy up their home meal.”

Growing up in India, Padma recalls as a young child on her way to school, throwing rocks at the tamarind plants and collecting the seeds for the ride on the bus.

As an adult, Lakshmi is the co-founder of the Endometriosis Foundation of America (EFA), an artist ambassador for immigrants’ and women’s rights through the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Now her highly acclaimed Taste the Nation series on Hulu brings viewers behind the scenes of the everyday people who redefine American food culture through their work. She was well known for her influential perspective as host and executive producer of Bravo’s two-time Emmy-winning series Top Chef.

“I always found pleasure and wonder in trying new things,” she says. “We really express love through food. I always equated food with femininity and nurturing. That is how I learned to cook.”