The "Top Chef" host said she felt bullied during a tense interaction with one of the Teamsters.
Padma Lakshmi arrived testified Monday for the first time to testify in a federal trial
The glamorous star of TV's Top Chef said she was "terrified" by the encounter that took place in the parking lot of restaurant outside Boston in 2014.
Some local teamster union members were apparently angry that the show didn't hire them and, according to court papers filed by prosecutors, they "threatened" the production crew.
"One guy came up to the car, he rested his arm on the door when the window was down," she said. He said, "'‘What a shame about that pretty face,''' she claimed. "I felt he was saying 'I might hit you,'" she said.
Video taken by a Top Chef producer apparently shows the confrontation.
The producer appears to tell a union member, “Your momma would be so proud.”
“Yeah, at least she knows I’m not a scab like you, you f***ing towelhead,” the union member apparently said.
“What did you say?,” the producer replied.
“You heard me, c***,” the union member was filmed saying.
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Prosecutors claim the beefy teamsters tried to intimidate the nonunion crew with “chest-bumps” and "stomach-bumps.'' They also allegedly slashed tires.
The teamsters have pleaded not guilty. They say they were lawfully picketing the Top Chef set.
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