Padma Lakshmi in Conversation with Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Tomatoes for Neela

Village Books is pleased to partner with the Bellingham Public Library to bring bestselling author and host of Top Chef and Taste the Nation, Padma Lakshmi and fellow author/celebrity Jesse Tyler Ferguson to the Virtual Readings Gallery! She’ll be presenting her brand new picture book, Tomatoes for Neela. A beautiful celebration of food and family, TOMATOES FOR NEELA lovingly affirms how we can connect to other cultures, as well as to our own, through food.

Padma Lakshmi is the creator and host of Hulu’s Taste the Nation and host and executive producer of the Emmy-winning Bravo series Top Chef. She is the bestselling author of two cookbooks, the Encyclopedia of Spices and Herbs, as well as her memoir Love, Loss, and What We Ate. Lakshmi is also cofounder of the Endometriosis Foundation of America, an artist ambassador for the ACLU, and a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations. She lives in New York City with her daughter. Her favorite kind of tomato is a San Marzano.

Jesse Tyler Ferguson is a celebrated actor with a passion for cooking and entertaining, best known for his lead role in the TV series Modern Family. In March 2021, Ferguson and co-author Julie Tanous released his first cookbook, Food Between Friends. Published by Clarkson Potter, the cookbook pays homage to their hometowns as they whip up modern California food with Southern and Southwestern spins.A longstanding advocate for marriage equality, Ferguson co-founded Tie The Knot in 2012 with his husband, where they design limited edition bow ties with all the proceeds going to various organizations that fight for LGBTQ equality around the world. He lives in Los Angeles with his husband, Justin Mikita, and their baby, Beckett.