Adam Dell *Is* Padma’s Baby Daddy, and He Wants to See His Daughter

Since last fall, the New York Post and other interested parties have been trying to suss out who had fathered a child with glamazon Padma Lakshmi. Lakshmi, 39, host of the Bravo show “Top Chef,” had been involved for years with buyout giant Teddy Forstmann. She is also famously the ex-wife of novelist Salman Rushdie.

Recently, the New York Post and other outlets began speculating that it might be venture capitalist Adam Dell, you-know-who’s brother. Turns out they were right, and he may want to spend more time with one-month-old Krishna than her mom would like. So says the Post, which reported yesterday:

Dell is a “proud papa” with photos of Krishna “all over his house in Austin, Texas — and he wants a larger role in his child’s life. The venture capitalist is said to be negotiating with Padma Lakshmi for visitation rights, weekends and vacations with the little girl. A source said Dell told guests at a barbecue at his home “how excited he was to raise her, but that Padma wasn’t being entirely accommodating.” A friend of Lakshmi snips back, “An agreement was made with the biological father that was very fair. It’s unfortunate if anything inappropriate is being said.”

Lakshmi never revealed the name of Krishna’s father and only reluctantly fessed up to the pregnancy last fall when it became too apparent to deny. Her rep told Us Magazine in October that: “model, author, and Emmy-nominated Padma Lakshmi confirms that she is carrying her first child after years of struggling with endometriosis, a cause for which she has co-founded the Endometriosis Foundation of America. As a result of her condition, this pregnancy has been referred to by her physician as nothing short of a medical miracle.”

The mystery behind the child’s father was answered when, days after Krishna was born, a friend of Dell leaked to Page Six that it was Dell, as well as that Dell was happy to assume paternity and was looking forward to time with his daughter.

Likely, he’ll get his way, even if Lakshmi would prefer he leave them alone. According to the site Findlaw.com:

When a child’s parents are unmarried, the statutes of most states require that the mother be awarded sole physical custody unless the father takes action to be awarded custody. An unwed father often cannot win custody over a mother who is a good parent, but he can take steps to secure some form of custody and visitation rights.

Dell is a GP with the Austin-based firms Steelpoint Capital Partners and Impact Venture Partners. He’s on the boards of a variety of companies, including Avelle, an accessories rental site that bills itself as the “the new Beg, Borrow or Steal.” He also teaches a class on business, technology and innovation at the Business School at Columbia University.