Chef Carla Hall on Embracing Kindness in the Kitchen

Many fans of the burgeoning culinary scene fell in love with Chef Carla Hall when she appeared on Bravo’s Top Chef, first in Season 5 and then later during the Season 8 “all-star” challenge. In a business dominated by obsessive, cutthroat behavior, Chef Carla stood out for her kindness and her philosophy of “cooking with love.” Since then, she has appeared on numerous other cooking shows like The Chew, written several cookbooks, and spread her positive spirit throughout the world of food. Though she’s known for her soul food and love of biscuits, for Chef Carla, food is about so much more than any single style or genre; it’s about nurturing the spirit, and the spirit of others. She believes that the emotions she’s feeling as she makes a particular dish infuse the food itself. In that way, to be negative while on the job is to offer a disservice to the diner. What a thought!

Chef Carla recently launched a new podcast, Say Yes! with Carla Hall, which features a wide range of guests, from master chefs like Rachael Ray to the comedian Chelsea Handler and the ballet dancer Misty Copeland. Hall will also be part of the Taste of the NFL program during this year’s Super Bowl weekend, a live-streamed event that raises funds for national hunger relief. We caught up with Hall to ask her about her love of food, what it’s like to see Vice President Kamala Harris take office, and much more.