Carla Hall

Expert Interview: Carla Hall

Cooking with Love

What were your favorite foods growing up?
Macaroni n' Cheese and oranges

When did you decide you wanted to be a chef?
In 1995, five years after beating the streets as the "lunch lady"

Where and when did your career in food begin? Washington, DC at the Coeur de Lion restaurant in the Henley Park Hotel

If you didn't become a chef, what would you be?
Actress

Who/what has shaped your cooking the most over the years?
I love Jamie Oliver and his style.

What are three words to describe your experience on Top Chef?
Challenging, Humbling, Rewarding

What influences your cooking style and particularly the menu at your catering company?
Southern and French cuisines. The farmers markets.

What are your favorite culinary weapons in the kitchen?
Microplane, oxo peeler, santoku knife, parchment paper, cast iron skillets

What is the one rule or value you try to instill in all of your staff?
Cook from your heart

What qualities do you look for when hiring cooks? Good attitude, good taste buds, confidence, working clean

What was your worst catering disaster?
Crate of plates falling on the cake box in the van 5 minutes from the venue and not having enough icing to fix it.

What is your least favorite food?
Liver

What is your beverage of choice?
Sparkling lemonade

What are some recent dining and culinary trends you have been observing?
Comfort food with a twist. Yay!

When you are not eating at your own restaurant, where are you eating?
I love bistro food, so I'll be there or at a place with great burgers.

What is your best cooking tip for a home enthusiast? Season the food DURING the cooking process not AFTERWARDS, and trust your palate.

What do you eat when you are home?
My husband's food. My favorites are his Black Pepper Chicken Curry and Spicy Meatloaf.

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Expert Profile

America fell in love with Carla's heart-felt approach as she cooked her way into the finals on season five of the award-winning Bravo show, Top Chef. Today, Carla continues to cook from the heart, and balances her Southern traditions, classic French training, and holistic approach to food as an entertaining expert, and owner and Executive Chef of Alchemy Caterers in Washington, DC.

Carla's commitment to wellness and balance connects her passion for natural, organic and locally-sourced ingredients with her belief in yoga and meditation. For Carla, the preparation of dishes is a mindfulness practice, as well as an opportunity to transform and inspire the way people approach food. Carla's cuisine is based on a philosophy of authentic connections and her warmth can be felt in all aspects of her work. From the preparation and serving of her dishes to her interactions with guests at events, every relationship is given tribute and meaning.

A native of Nashville, TN, Carla graduated from Howard University with a degree in Accounting. However, her passions were elsewhere. Carla's striking good looks led her to the catwalks in Paris, Milan and London, where she discovered her true love: food. After graduating L'Academie de Cuisine, Carla worked as the Sous Chef at the Henley Park Hotel, and Executive Chef at both The State Plaza Hotel and The Washington Club.

Carla found love later in life and got married at the age of 42. With the marriage she became a mother to her stepson, Noah, who is now 14. Her husband Matthew is an attorney with the FDA, avid photographer and master of their home kitchen.

Carla's charm and experience make her a natural teacher. Coining the phrase, "Cooking with Love", Carla has passed on her genuine love and joy for being in the kitchen by teaching at CulinAerie and L'Academie de Cuisine, as well as extending her personal philosophies in team building classes at different venues in the DC metropolitan area.

Carla is a believer that "If you're not in a good mood, the only thing you should make is a reservation."