BACKSTORY
104 JANUARY 2021
BY THE NUMBERS
Seasons of The Chew, a cooking-themed
7 talk show that Hall cohosted from 2011–18
Pieces in a “spilled milk” puzzle (of mostly plain
500 white pieces) that took Hall two weeks to finish
“You have to be an
extrovert on TV, but
I need to recharge
at home. I love
doing things that
are slow: movies,
puzzles, crafts.”
—CARLA HALL
CARLA HALL IS KNOWN for her exuberant personality,
whether she’s competing on Top Chef (she was voted
“Fan Favorite” in season 8), judging on Netflix’s Crazy
Delicious, or hosting an Instagram Live. (Since May
2020, Hall has been encouraging her followers to join
her almost-daily “recess” sessions, where she takes a
10-minute exercise break outdoors.) Though it might
seem like Hall is all energy all the time, she calls herself
“a borderline introvert” and looks forward to days off,
when she can reset at home. Even when she travels,
Hall loves a good night in filled with bubble baths
and room service. Like the rest of us, Hall has been
homebound for nearly a year, and she’s been thinking
about the ways she’ll recharge once the world reopens.
Restaurants and museums are top of the list (Hall is
the culinary ambassador for Sweet Home Café at the
Smithsonian National Museum of African American
History and Culture in Washington, D.C.), but the one
thing Hall is most excited about? Going to a Saturday
morning movie. “I like going to the first movie, when
the theater is empty and I have my choice of seats,”
she says. “I get popcorn (no butter), Peanut M&M’s,
a Dr Pepper, and sometimes, I’ll get a hot dog.” Hall
loves movies almost as much as she loves theater (as
a child, she wanted to be an actress). “Anytime I can
marry my love of food with theater, I’m all in.” Last
spring, Hall became the culinary ambassador for a
new musical, GRACE, about a family in Philadelphia
that owns a 100-year-old restaurant. The pandemic
prevented the show from opening, so Hall hosted
virtual conversations with the show’s creator, Nolan
Williams Jr., to talk about food, faith, and family. “I’m
interested in not only teaching people about their food
but also helping them understand why they should
have pride in their culture, because food is the door-
way of so many things—of joy, of family, of experience.”
—NINA FRIEND
Yes , Carla
Hall!
Years Hall worked as an accountant before model-
2 ing in Europe, where she discovered her love of food
Times Hall appeared on Top C h e f
2 (season 5 and season 8 All-Stars)
Pieces in the largest
2 , 000 puzzle Hall has completed
Cookbooks Hall has written: Cooking with Love,
3 Carla’s Comfort Foods, and Carla Hall’s Soul Food
Hall’s podcast, Say Yes!
with Carla Hall, premiered in
September 2020. She’s
also a host on Food Network’s
Worst Cooks in America and
just sold a new show that will
trace the roots of iconic
American dishes.
WHAT’S COOKING
PHO
TOGR
APHY
: MELIS
SA
HOM
