Carla Hall facts for kids
Hall in 2009
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| Born | May 12, 1964 Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
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| Education | Howard University L'Academie de Cuisine (Gaithersburg, Maryland) |
| Spouse |
Matthew Lyons
(m. 2006) |
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Television show(s)
Top Chef: New York
Top Chef: All-Stars The Chew (2011–2018) Holiday Baking Championship (2020–present) |
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Carla Hall is a famous American chef, TV star, and former model. She was born on May 12, 1964. You might know her from the cooking show Top Chef. She was also a co-host on the TV show The Chew, which was all about food.
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Carla Hall's Early Life and School
Carla Hall grew up in Nashville, Tennessee. She went to Hillsboro High School. After high school, she studied accounting at Howard University. She graduated in 1986. For a short time, she worked as an accountant. But she soon realized it wasn't what she wanted to do.
From Model to Chef
After leaving her accounting job, Carla Hall became a model. She traveled to big cities like Paris, Milan, and London for her modeling work. During this time, she discovered her true passion: cooking!
When she came back to the United States, she moved to Washington, D.C.. She started a small business delivering lunches, which she called "The Lunch Bunch." People loved her food! After four years, she decided to go to cooking school. She studied at L'Academie de Cuisine and became a trained chef. She then worked in hotels, moving up to become a sous chef and later an executive chef.
Carla's Catering Business
In 2001, Carla Hall started her own catering company. It was first called Alchemy Caterers, but she later changed the name to Alchemy by Carla Hall. She still runs this company today. Carla has also written a cookbook called Cooking with Love: Comfort Food that Hugs You.
Competing on Top Chef
Carla Hall became very well known when she joined Top Chef: New York in 2008. This was a big cooking competition on TV. She did very well, especially impressing the judges with her crawfish gumbo. Famous chefs like Jacques Pépin and Emeril Lagasse loved her cooking. She made it to the finals but finished as a runner-up.
On the show, Carla became popular for her fun personality. She had a special phrase, "Hootie Hoo!", which she used to find her husband in crowds. She also shared her cooking philosophy: "cooking with love." This means putting care and warmth into your food. She believes that if you are happy while cooking, your food will taste much better. She often says, "If you're not in a good mood, the only thing you should make is a reservation."
Carla returned for Top Chef: All-Stars, which featured contestants from past seasons. She continued to do well and even showed her chicken pot pie recipe on a late-night TV show. She finished fifth in this competition. Viewers voted her "Fan Favorite" for the season, which was a big win!
Hosting The Chew
From 2011 to 2018, Carla Hall was one of the main hosts on The Chew. This was a one-hour TV show on ABC that talked about all kinds of food topics. She shared recipes, cooking tips, and fun stories with her co-hosts.
Carla's Restaurant
In 2014, Carla Hall started a special project to open her own restaurant. She asked people to help fund it through a website called Kickstarter. Many fans supported her, and she raised enough money to open Carla Hall's Southern Kitchen. The restaurant opened in Brooklyn, New York, in June 2016. It served delicious Southern-style food. The restaurant closed in August 2017.
Other TV Appearances
Carla Hall has appeared on many other TV shows. She was on the cover of Washington Post Magazine in 2009. She has also lent her voice to cartoon characters, like Mpishi the harrier hawk in Disney Junior's The Lion Guard and the president in Nickelodeon's Butterbean's Café.
She has also been a judge on cooking shows like Food Network's Halloween Baking Championship and Holiday Baking Championship. In 2020, she was a judge on the British show Crazy Delicious, which took place on an edible set!
Since 2020, Carla has been in segments called Snack Chat with Sesame Street characters Cookie Monster and Gonger. In 2021, she appeared on Antiques Roadshow Celebrity Edition. She also hosted Worst Cooks in America and is a host and judge on Best Baker in America. In 2022, she was the main judge for the National Gingerbread House Competition.
Carla's Personal Life
Carla Hall lives in Washington, D.C.. She married Matthew Lyons in 2006. She also has a stepson named Noah.
