Carla Hall first won over audiences when she competed on Bravo’s “Top Chef” and “Top Chef: All Stars” and shared her philosophy to always cook with love.  She believes food connects us all, and she strives to communicate this through her work, her cooking, and in her daily interactions with others.

Carla spent 7 years co-hosting ABC’s Emmy award winning, popular lifestyle series “The Chew”, and is currently featured on the Food Network in shows such as “BakeAway Camp” (judge), “Thanksgiving, Holiday and Halloween Baking Championships” (judge),  “Worst Cooks in America” and hosting “Best Baker in America”.  Her latest cookbook, Carla Hall’s Soul Food: Everyday and Celebration, was published in 2018, landing on annual “Best Cookbook” lists across the country and receiving an NAACP Image Awards nomination.

Hall published her debut picture book, Carla and the Christmas Cornbread, in November 2021 with Denene Millner Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing. Illustrated by Cherise Harris, Carla and the Christmas Cornbread is a heartwarming tale loosely based on Hall’s childhood growing up in Nashville, TN, that celebrates family traditions, old and new, and also includes a child-friendly Christmas cornbread recipe perfect for the holidays.

Born in Nashville, TN, Carla grew up surrounded by soul food. When the time came for her to select her career path, she first opted for a business route – she graduated from Howard University’s Business School and worked as an accountant for two years – before deciding to switch gears to work as a runway model. It was during that time, as she traveled (and ate) her way through Europe for a few years, that she truly realized her deep-rooted passion for food could be her career path. Today, she is a trained chef who has worked in several professional restaurant kitchens in and around the Washington, D.C. area and is an accomplished television personality and author.  In addition to being featured in numerous cookbook collections including The Chew Television Series of cookbooks, Carla’s other cookbooks are – Carla’s Comfort Food: Favorite Dishes from Around the World and Cooking with Love: Comfort Food That Hugs You.

​Carla is very active with a number of charities and not-for-profit organizations that reflect her passion for causes close to her heart. She is on the Board of Trustees for Helen Keller International, Pajama Program, GenYouth and 4H.  The thread which runs through all of these things is advocating for the physical and mental well being of children.

Carla lives in D.C. with her husband, Matthew Lyons.