Who's Padma Lakshmi's Baby's Daddy?

'Top Chef' host Padma Lakshmi gave birth this weekend to a (most certainly gorgeous) baby girl named Krishna. And since her publicist told the New York Post, "Padma has no interest in sharing with the public the identity of the father," PopEater dwells in the shiny land of speculation. Who could it be? Her ex-husband Salman Rushdie (above, left)? Someone we've never heard of? A 'Top Chef' contestant? After the jump, our favorite nominees for baby Krishna's papa.

A Miracle of Science
It's hard to keep things under wraps in the world of show biz. Try as they might, all secret celebrity couples are outed eventually. Given the abundance of curious media unable to definitively identify a dad -- and the Us Weekly report that Padma's pregnancy was considered "a medical miracle" after her long struggle with endometriosis -- we're willing to entertain the possibility that Padma made this baby on her own. Well, not completely on her own; the new Baby Lakshmi is named after a Hindu god, but we're thinking more donor than deity.

It's a 'Top Chef' Baby
While there's absolutely nothing to suggest our inklings (see: dreams) that a 'Top Chef' contestant is the father of Padma's baby, the sheer awesomeness of the possibility makes us have to consider it. Padma -- the consummate flirt that she is -- hammed it up with cheftestants Brian Malarkey (top, right ... and happily married) and CJ Jacobsen while the two were competing on season three of the show. Brian and CJ gladly flirted back because, well, she's supermodel gorgeous. So, again ... no smoke and/or fire to this rumor, but the possibility of a 'Top Chef' spawn just melts our reality-loving hearts.

Dude, Padma Got a Dell
Page Six speculated that Adam Dell, the brother of billionaire computermeister Michael "Dude, You're Getting A..." Dell, could be the father. Adam is a venture capitalist, which makes us yawn and hope it's not him.

Rushdie Redux
Padma was married to British-Indian writer Salman Rushdie from 2004 to 2007. Rushdie's controversial work has led to numerous assassination mandates from Iranian spiritual leaders, leading us to posit this outlandish theory: Maybe Padma and Rushdie actually stayed together, but faked a divorce to ensure Padma's safety. This possibility involves mystery, action and intrigue. We like.

Cousins and Guys Named Teddy
"Rumors are swirling around that her rumored former boyfriend, the owner of the IMG talent agency Teddy Forstmann, could be the Indian-born TV chef's baby daddy," The Money Times reported in a story with no less than eight uses of the word "rumor." The story continued: "Recently, online rumors were rampant that a man named Manu Nathan is the father of Lakshmi's yet-to-be-born baby, but her rep had lashed out at those reports saying Manu is, in fact, Lakshmi's cousin." Compelling stuff.

Padre Lobo
Padma starred in the Eels music video for 'That Look You Give That Guy' in conjunction with the L.A. group's 2009 release 'Hombre Lobo.' The clip features Padma locking lips with Moses-bearded frontman E. Although the rumors were weak -- "The two have been spotted out together recently," Fancast said -- we can't help but hope life imitates art. (Music videos count as art, right...?) The chance of a downtrodden loner like E shacking up with a vixen like Padma gives us hope.

Pregnant Padma Lakshmi Poses Nude on Page Six Magazine

Top Chef's Padma Lakshmi tells Page Six Magazine she doesn't mind gaining the baby weight and poses naked for the mag's cover.