Padma Lakshmi: We came up with Taste the Nation: Holiday Edition because of the lengthy pandemic delay between Seasons 1 and 2

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"I wanted to get as many episodes out there quickly because we had such a beautiful, warm reception from fans and viewers and critics alike," says Lakshmi. "I didn’t want people to lose interest because it would have been a year and a half before I could have gotten a whole season done. So, I thought, 'Okay, we can do four episodes and we can get those filmed and edited before the end of the year.' And then, I thought, 'Well, what’s happening at the end of the year?' Somebody suggested to me, 'Why don’t you do a holiday spin on it?,' and it made perfect sense. I was very thankful (for that idea). I thought it was wonderful. It’s very timely because, of course, we’re all celebrating holidays at the end of the year, so I just thought, 'Let’s use that as an additional lens that we can look at these communities through.'" ALSO: Taste the Nation: Holiday Edition is more focused with a clearer purpose than the regular episodes.