I’m absolutely elated! I can’t believe I’m here. I have always kind of felt like an outsider in my life. Either I wasn't Indian enough or American enough, but I always had a deep love for food. It was this passion that led me throughout life, but I came to this career later than most. During the early seasons of @bravotopchef I always felt like people were thinking, “why are you here?” And I think we all feel that way sometimes. We all put that on ourselves and that was certainly true for me. I had a lot of imposter syndrome, but it was my work with the @aclu_nationwide that led me to Taste the Nation. With Taste the Nation, I wanted to give my platform to people who don’t often have that opportunity and let them tell their stories as they see fit. Because I believe that everybody has a story, every human being, you just have to be willing to listen. It has been a pleasure to hear all of the stories that our participants trust me with. Thank you so much to the @beardfoundation for this honor and everyone who brought Taste the Nation to life. Thank you @shadysmith, @part2pictures, @smroma, @anthonyrjackson, my publicist Christina, @ hunnyham, @hulu, @belisabal, my mom, my daughter, and so many more. Creating Taste the Nation has been so moving and I'm so privileged to be in this position. I wouldn't have that privilege if it weren't for my extended family on Top Chef, too. I wish my grandmother could have been here to see this award. She taught me how to cook and taught me about life through food and she would have been so proud.