6 minute read
‘INTERESTING IS NOT DELICIOUS’
Carla Hall is the Food Network go-to chef for their seasonal baking series, including the 2023 “Halloween Baking Championship.” PHOTO COURTESY OF THE FOOD NETWORK
Chef Carla Hall on Choosing Real Food
By April Neale
The 2023 James Beard Awards may have netted a win for Boise’s KIN, but award presenter and Chef Carla Hall stole the show in a flowing off-shoulder cream ensemble that highlighted her regal carriage, Parisian modeling experience, and genuine good cheer. Of course, that’s only a part of why we love her.
People adore Chef Carla Hall—mention her name to anyone who watches food television and see their face light up. Hall fills any space—from guest spots on “Beat Bobby Flay” to starring on “Summer Baking Championship”—with life-loving vitality.
Hall’s innate ability to steal scenes comes from performing in children’s theater from ages 12 to 17. “I was telling my mother that I wanted to be an actress,” Hall said. She decided to instead major in accounting, but, lucky for us, this former model and accountant wasn’t feeling the numbers after she graduated college.
Though she gave it her best in the bean counting world—spending two years in Tampa, Florida—she finally told her mom that she couldn’t do it. “It’s not me,” she said. In a bold move that gave her mother a start (if only for a moment), Carla listened to her gut and bet on herself, working nonstop for five years catering and delivering lunches before heading off to culinary school.
Now, the only beans Hall wants to count are the ones in a meal that defines the season. “For me, a pot of beans is everything with hot water cornbread,” Hall said.
Hall’s television career blossomed, playing on her quick-witted repartee and megawatt smile, and she always delivers the perfect comment to add to the conversation with warmth and confidence. These gifts were not lost on producers of ABC’s “The Chew,” where we got a bit more of Hall’s wit and wisdom on a broader range of topics. Now, in 2023, she has many business endeavors. Still, she holds fort as a viewers’ favorite Food Network judge, offering advice and encouragement on shows like “Halloween Baking Championship,” coming in September, after shepherding some notable regional bakers in “Summer Baking Championship.” Hall is staying strong at an age where many are contemplating their retirement exit plan, but how?
“I pick and choose my moments,” Hall said. “Also, as I get older, I can’t eat everything—and I love food. When I’m eating, I’m thinking about the next meal. I realized that I couldn’t eat everything. When you’re on a baking show, I take one for the team because I have to eat the good and the bad. And I will because I owe that baker standing in front of me the dignity of eating their food. But I have to plan a shake with Psyllium husk so my sugar doesn’t spike. To compensate, I will eat plain chicken and broccoli—getting my vegetables in, so I have to be strict the fifteen-odd days I’m shooting a show. Occasionally we all go out to eat, but guarding my health is key as I get older. It’s a gift to be able to move and be active as we age. I choose good food.”
It’s hard to believe Hall has graced television for nearly 20 years, as we so fondly recall her 2008 debut on “Top Chef,” where she roomed with Chef Tiffany Derry, featured in the spring issue of FLAVOR.
Now Hall is creating a new restaurant, just announced in Business Journal. “I attached myself to do a restaurant at The Reeves Center in D.C.— it’ll be three years from now. I never thought I would do another restaurant. I’m excited,” said Hall.
The name of her restaurant is still in the planning stages, though Hall said that she probably has a year to figure it out. And she’s got the important part down—the menu will dwell in a space that Hall does masterfully. “I know that I will do Southern food and have a mix of everyday Soul Food and celebration dishes, made with a pantry of Soul Food ingredients from the African American and African diaspora,” she said.
Next for Carla on the Food Network is “Halloween Baking Championship,” which Hall said will be off the charts. “We’re back in Los Angeles—the show came back to LA—and we are working with the MUD Makeup Designory department head makeup artist whose work with prosthetics is incredible—they get wild and have fun. You’ll see such beautiful things this season. And I may be an alien; I’m just saying.”
But Hall has a serious side too. Thanks to her involvement with the James Beard Foundation, the industry’s demographics are beginning to change. The foundation is now one of the most diverse professional organizations supporting cuisine creativity, which Hall values—she herself relies on word of mouth from friends and fellow chefs when she travels, but also—“I consult ‘Eater’ and the James Beard lists. We will search online, but if any place says in their description, ‘it’s interesting’ I don’t go,” Hall said.
“Interesting is not delicious. That is not a good word. I went to Virtue, Eric Williams’ restaurant, and had roasted chicken with lemon, fennel, and beans. It tasted like Sunday lunch at your grandmother’s house. Can you make a great chicken? That’s where I am. I don’t need you to turn that chicken into spaghetti or anything crazy. I need to know that you can make that chicken sing.”
ROASTED PUMPKIN SOUP
Prep: 00:30 minutes
Cook Time: 00:75 minutes
Serves: 4
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, medium dice
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 stalks celery, medium dice
1 large late harvest tomato, medium dice
2 springs thyme
2 sprigs rosemary
1 cup parsley, leaves only
3 tsps salt, divided
1 tsp ground black pepper, divided
2 ½ cups chicken stock
¼ cup heavy cream
2 sugar pumpkins, 2-3 lbs each (or 4 small squashes such as acorn)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a medium Dutch oven over medium heat, melt butter and olive oil. Add onion, garlic, celery, tomato and herbs. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 2 tsps of salt, ½ tsp pepper and chicken stock. Bring mixture to a boil, remove from heat, stir in cream and set aside.
Prepare the pumpkins as though you were making jack-o-lanterns, cutting off, reserving the top and scooping out the seeds.
Season the inside of each pumpkin with ½ tsp of salt and ¼ tsp of pepper. Ladle the soup into the pumpkins discarding the thyme and rosemary sprigs as you go. Place the pumpkin lids on each pumpkin. Roast on a foil lined cookie sheet (for easy cleanup) for 1-1 ½ hours or until tender when pierced with knife.
When serving, scrape the roasted flesh of the pumpkin out with the ladle to get great pumpkin flavor in every bite!
