Carla Hall

Carla Hall: Biography at a Glance

Carla Hall stars across Food Network's linear and digital programming, taking part in Halloween Baking Championship, Holiday Baking Championship, Worst Cooks in America, and Food Network’s Kitchen app.
She can also currently be seen hosting the MAX Original, Chasing Flavor with Carla Hall as she travels around the world to track down the unexpected lineage of dishes we think are quintessentially American.
Carla was the former co-host of ABC’s Emmy award-winning, popular lifestyle series The Chew, and appeared on ABC’s Strahan and Sara.
Her podcast, Say Yes! with Carla Hall, features conversations with people who have found success all while overcoming personal and professional challenges.
Her latest book, Carla Hall's Soul Food: Everyday and Celebration, takes us back to her Nashville roots to offer a fresh look at America’s favorite comfort cuisine and the rich history behind it.
Carla cultivates audiences with discussing “Discovering Your Authentic Self”, “Finding My Roots Through Food” and “Growth and Transformation Through Facing Your Fears”.

Media

Biography

Chef, best-selling author and television personality Carla Hall has been entertaining audiences with her enthusiasm for life and warm personality for years.

Having spent 7 years co-hosting ABC’s Emmy award winning, popular lifestyle series The Chew, Carla is featured on Food Network shows such as BakeAway Camp (judge), Holiday Baking Championship (judge), and Worst Cooks in America. She also serves as a judge on the wildly popular, Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking” on HBO Max, which films on actual sets from the movies at Warner Bros. Studios in London and is hosted by James and Oliver Phelps who played the Weasley twins in the film franchise.

Carla hosted the Emmy nominated, food and travel show Chasing Flavor (HBO Max) on which her curiosity about America’s most delicious dishes from chicken pot pie to ice cream leads her to Ghana, Italy, Turkey, and more. Along the way, Carla traces the history and lineage of dishes, discovering the interconnected origins and cultures that paved the way for today’s American cuisine. She was also a judge on the innovative food competition show Crazy Delicious (Netflix). And, she hosted a Podcast on the Wondery Platform called Say Yes with Carla Hall, featuring interviews with successful people exploring how they overcame challenges and found ways to flourish.

Her product line, Sweet Heritage by Carla Hall (available through QVC), is designed to bring you kitchen items that are useful, reliable, and complete with a dash of joy and soul. The products, including baking sheets (with silicone liners), a butter keeper and nestable measuring cups, are made for everyday and built to last.

This year she launched a digital magazine, Sweet Heritage. Hall brings her engaging spirit and curiosity to this biannual publication (January and July issues). Blending heartfelt storytelling, expert insights, and Hall’s passion for food, Sweet Heritage is more than a collection of recipes - it’s an exploration of topics Hall is passionate about. Sweet Heritage is a fresh, dynamic way for Hall to connect with her audience and share her journey of continuous learning.

Her second children’s book, Carla and the Tin Can Cake Party, based on her childhood memories of visiting her grandparents with her sister, centers on a tea party gone awry until her grandmother steps in, sharing her recipe for a special cake to save the day.

She entered the world of children’s books with the critically acclaimed, Carla and the Christmas Cornbread (Denene Millner Books/Simon & Schuster), a heartwarming tale of young Carla, who eats a sugar cookie meant for Santa on the night before Christmas and tries to make it right.

Carla’s cookbook, Carla Hall’s Soul Food: Everyday and Celebration, landed on annual “Best Cookbook” lists across the country and receiving an NAACP Image Awards nomination.

She first won over audiences when she competed on Bravo’s Top Chef and Top Chef: All Stars and shared her philosophy to always cook with love. She believes food connects us all, and she strives to communicate this through her work, her cooking, and in her daily interactions with others.

Born in Nashville, TN, Carla grew up surrounded by soul food. When the time came for her to select her career path, she first opted for a business route – she graduated from Howard University’s Business School and worked as an accountant for two years – before deciding to switch gears to work as a runway model. It was during that time, as she traveled (and ate) her way through Europe, that she truly realized her deep passion for food could be her career path.

Carla is very active with a number of charities and not-for-profit organizations that reflect her passion for causes close to her heart. She is on the Board of Trustees for Helen Keller International, Pajama Program, GenYouth and 4H. The thread which runs through all of these things is advocating for the physical and mental well-being of children.

Carla also volunteers time to promote other non-profit organizations such as: The James Beard Foundation, FEED America, Jacques Pepin Foundation, The Smithsonian Institutes and their membership of museums, and many others. In 2024, Carla is being honored by Les Dames d’Escoffier as Grande Dame, a lifetime achievement award and honorary title is given to members in recognition of extraordinary contributions within the fields of food, beverage and hospitality.

Carla lives in D.C. with her husband, Matthew Lyons.

Topics

Discovering Your Authentic Self

Carla Hall’s ever-evolving career, from accountant to runway model to celebrity chef, is proof positive that it’s never about the destination, but always about the journey. Recently hailed in the Washington Post as “the most visible black person in food”, Hall is using the popularity she gained as a “Top Chef” fan favorite and co-host of the Emmy Award-winning television show “The Chew”, along with her entrepreneurial experiences, to build a brand that is grounded in authenticity. Using her guiding principle, “Say ‘yes’, adventure follows, then growth”, Hall believes that following our instincts leads us to opportunities we might never have imagined. Audiences will tap into their own authentic selves as Hall shares both the triumphs — and missteps — that kept her on the path to being true to herself.

Food DNA: Finding My Roots Through Food

For Carla Hall, two time “Top Chef” finalist, discovering her DNA history was an important part of understanding family lineage that had previously been lost to slavery. An unexpected bonus was insight to her own food cravings and palate. The table is traditionally a place where people come together to share their similarities, and in America our diversity of food traditions also makes the table a place where we can celebrate our differences. Carla will share stories from her journey across the Southern states to learn the American food traditions shaped by the African Diaspora. These food stories allow Carla to illustrate that by understanding how African American contributions are bigger than what they were given credit for, African American students can begin to own these stories and create opportunities for themselves.

Scare Me: Growth and Transformation Through Facing Your Fears

Carla Hall does…..comedy? Okay, maybe the beloved host of “The Chew” is better known for her mouth-watering Southern cooking and warm personality, but performing stand-up is only the latest in a long line of fears she has faced, simply to challenge herself. Why? Because facing fears spurs growth and inspires transformation -- both things that have, ultimately, driven the success of this two-time “Top Chef” finalist who won over audiences to become Fan Favorite. Fear of failure threatened to keep Carla from achieving goals such as interviewing her childhood idol, Carol Burnett, or from serving the dish that won her the most praise as a “Top Chef” competitor. But the practice of repeatedly doing things that are scary has allowed her to stockpile an array of tools which she draws from during difficult times, stimulating personal growth and professional success. Audiences will witness Carla scare herself — live— with a comedy set and learn ways to map out their own fear-facing adventures.

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