Carla Hall is the American chef, television personality, author and podcast co-host widely recognised as one of the defining American chef-television figures of the past two decades, particularly through her sustained role on The Chew on ABC and her Top Chef appearances. Born 12 May 1964 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, Hall grew up in Nashville and graduated from Howard University with a degree in accounting. She subsequently pursued professional cookery, modelling internationally, and culinary training at L’Academie de Cuisine in Maryland before launching her chef-television career.
Hall’s 2025-2026 work centres on an expanding television and content portfolio. In September 2025 she launched the Chewed Up podcast and reunion show with former The Chew co-hosts Clinton Kelly and Michael Symon. She continues to star in HBO Max’s Chasing Flavor and is scheduled as a featured chef at the Ritz-Carlton Cayman Cookout in January 2026. Her second children’s book, Carla and the Tin Can Cake, was released in October 2025, and she is developing a one-woman live show. She remains one of the most-recognised African-American chef-television figures in the United States.
TL;DR
- American chef born 12 May 1964 in Nashville, Tennessee
- Howard University accounting degree; international modelling career
- L’Academie de Cuisine Maryland culinary training
- Top Chef Season 5 and Top Chef All-Stars finalist; The Chew co-host 2011-2018
- September 2025: Launches Chewed Up podcast with Clinton Kelly and Michael Symon
- January 2026: Featured chef at Ritz-Carlton Cayman Cookout
Carla Hall key facts
| Born | 12 May 1964, Nashville, Tennessee, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Howard University (accounting); L’Academie de Cuisine Maryland |
| Television | Top Chef Season 5 and All-Stars finalist; The Chew ABC co-host 2011-2018; Chasing Flavor HBO Max |
| 2025-2026 highlights | Chewed Up podcast September 2025; Cayman Cookout January 2026 |
| Books | Carla’s Comfort Foods (2014); Carla Hall’s Soul Food (2018); Carla and the Tin Can Cake (October 2025) |
| Approach | Soul food, Southern American cookery, accessible home cooking |
Early life and training of Carla Hall
Hall was born on 12 May 1964 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, and grew up in the city. Her family had deep Tennessee roots and the Southern American food culture of her childhood became the formative influence on her subsequent career as the leading American chef-author of soul food and Southern cookery. She has spoken in multiple interviews about her grandmother’s Sunday dinners and the soul-food tradition that anchored her family upbringing.
Hall attended Howard University in Washington DC and graduated with a degree in accounting in 1986. She subsequently worked as an accountant for several years before pivoting to international fashion modelling. She modelled in Europe through the late 1980s and early 1990s, particularly in Paris and Milan, and the European period gave her direct exposure to the European food culture that subsequently informed her culinary studies.
In the mid-1990s Hall returned to the United States and pursued formal culinary training at L’Academie de Cuisine in Maryland. She subsequently founded the Alchemy Caterers in the Washington DC area in 2001, and the catering operation gave her her first sustained chef-proprietor experience before her Top Chef breakthrough in 2008. The Top Chef Season 5 New York appearance in 2008 launched her national profile.
Carla Hall career timeline
- 12 May 1964: Born in Nashville, Tennessee
- 1986: Graduates Howard University (BA accounting)
- Late 1980s-early 1990s: International fashion modelling in Europe
- Mid-1990s: Returns to US; trains at L’Academie de Cuisine Maryland
- 2001: Founds Alchemy Caterers Washington DC area
- 2008: Competes on Top Chef Season 5 New York (finalist)
- 2010-2011: Competes on Top Chef All-Stars (finalist again)
- 2011: Becomes co-host of The Chew on ABC
- 2014: Publishes Carla’s Comfort Foods cookbook
- 2017: Closes Carla Hall’s Southern Kitchen in Brooklyn
- September 2018: The Chew ends after seven seasons
- 2018: Publishes Carla Hall’s Soul Food cookbook
- 2020: Hosts the cooking competition show Chasing Flavor on HBO Max
- 2022: Continues podcasting and television appearances
- 2024: Continues sustained American chef-television presence
- September 2025: Launches Chewed Up podcast with Clinton Kelly and Michael Symon
- October 2025: Publishes Carla and the Tin Can Cake children’s book
- December 2025: Sherri television appearance on self-advocacy
- 19 January 2026: Brad Leone YouTube interview on grit and good grits
- January 2026: Featured chef at Ritz-Carlton Cayman Cookout
- 2026: One-woman live show development continues
Carla Hall signature style: soul food and Southern American cookery on television
Hall’s central argument, developed across more than 17 years from her 2008 Top Chef breakthrough onwards, is that soul food and Southern American cookery deserve serious chef-author treatment and sustained television presence. Her cookbook Carla Hall’s Soul Food (2018) was one of the most-watched American soul-food cookbooks of its decade, and her chef-television work consistently spotlights African-American culinary traditions and the Southern American kitchen.
The second defining element is the sustained chef-television presence since 2008. The Top Chef Season 5 finalist appearance, the Top Chef All-Stars finalist appearance, the seven-year The Chew run on ABC (2011-2018), the HBO Max Chasing Flavor cooking-competition show, and the September 2025 Chewed Up podcast launch with Clinton Kelly and Michael Symon together represent more than 17 years of sustained American chef-television work.
The third pillar is the multi-format author and content output. Carla’s Comfort Foods (2014), Carla Hall’s Soul Food (2018) and Carla and the Tin Can Cake (October 2025) span adult and children’s cookery formats. Within the current American chef-television cohort Hall sits alongside peers including Stephanie Izard, Padma Lakshmi and Suzanne Goin as one of the defining American chef-television figures of her generation.
Notable Carla Hall work
Several Hall projects have become reference points in modern American chef-television and soul-food cookery. The Chew on ABC (co-host 2011-2018, seven seasons) was her defining sustained television role. Top Chef Season 5 New York and Top Chef All-Stars (both finalist appearances) launched her national profile. Carla Hall’s Soul Food (2018) is her defining cookbook. Chasing Flavor on HBO Max is her competition-format show. The September 2025 Chewed Up podcast and reunion show with Clinton Kelly and Michael Symon is her current content-anchor project. Carla and the Tin Can Cake (October 2025) is her second children’s book.
Carla Hall awards and recognition
- 2001: Founds Alchemy Caterers Washington DC area
- 2008: Top Chef Season 5 New York finalist on Bravo
- 2010-2011: Top Chef All-Stars finalist
- 2011: Becomes The Chew co-host on ABC
- 2014: Carla’s Comfort Foods cookbook
- 2018: The Chew ends after seven seasons
- 2018: Carla Hall’s Soul Food cookbook
- 2020: Hosts Chasing Flavor cooking competition on HBO Max
- September 2025: Launches Chewed Up podcast with Clinton Kelly and Michael Symon
- October 2025: Publishes Carla and the Tin Can Cake children’s book
- December 2025: Sherri television appearance
- 19 January 2026: Brad Leone YouTube interview
- January 2026: Ritz-Carlton Cayman Cookout featured chef
- 2026: One-woman live show in development
Carla Hall impact on American chef-television and soul-food cookery
Hall’s most concrete contribution is the sustained chef-television presence since 2008 across more than 17 years. The Top Chef Season 5 and Top Chef All-Stars finalist appearances, the seven-year The Chew run on ABC, and the subsequent HBO Max and podcast work together represent one of the more substantial American chef-television careers of the past two decades.
The second contribution is the soul-food and Southern American cookery cookbook output. Carla Hall’s Soul Food (2018) is one of the most-watched American soul-food cookbooks of its decade, and her sustained advocacy for African-American culinary traditions and the Southern American kitchen has been a defining element of her chef-author work.
The third contribution is the September 2025 Chewed Up podcast launch and the broader 2025-2026 content expansion including the children’s book, Cayman Cookout appearance and one-woman live show. Within the current American chef cohort Hall sits alongside peers including Stephanie Izard, Padma Lakshmi and Suzanne Goin as one of the defining American chef-television figures of her generation.
Carla Hall FAQ
What is Chewed Up?
Chewed Up is the podcast and reunion show Hall launched in September 2025 with former The Chew co-hosts Clinton Kelly and Michael Symon. The show reunites three of the seven-year The Chew co-hosts in a podcast and content format that revisits the cooking-and-conversation approach of the original ABC programme.
Did Hall win Top Chef?
No, but she was a finalist on both Top Chef Season 5 New York in 2008 and Top Chef All-Stars in 2010-2011 on Bravo. The two finalist appearances launched her national profile and provided the platform for her seven-year run as The Chew co-host on ABC from 2011 to 2018.
What is Chasing Flavor?
Chasing Flavor is the cooking-competition show Hall hosts on HBO Max from 2020 onwards. The show explores American regional cookery and the cultural roots of food traditions, and represents Hall’s sustained television role following the conclusion of The Chew on ABC in 2018.
Did Hall do international modelling?
Yes. Through the late 1980s and early 1990s Hall worked as an international fashion model, particularly in Paris and Milan. The European period gave her direct exposure to European food culture, which subsequently informed her culinary studies at L’Academie de Cuisine in Maryland in the mid-1990s.
What is Carla Hall’s Soul Food?
Carla Hall’s Soul Food: Everyday and Celebration is the 2018 cookbook documenting Hall’s approach to American soul food and Southern cookery. The book has been one of the most-watched American soul-food cookbooks of its decade and anchors her sustained advocacy for African-American culinary traditions and the Southern American kitchen.
What is next for Carla Hall
Chewed Up podcast continues through 2026. Ritz-Carlton Cayman Cookout featured-chef appearance in January 2026. One-woman live show in development. Her public Instagram (@carlaphall) is the best source for current updates.
