Carla Hall, 62, Proves Life Gets Better When You Start Living On Your Own Terms

Carla Hall, 62, is proof that life gets even more interesting when you stop letting other people define who you are. “I’ve always felt like there was more inside me than the world expected to see,” Carla tells Woman’s World as our cover girl (get your copy here!).

“People knew me as the chef. Or the TV personality. Or the woman on Top Chef. But I’ve always been a creative person in many different ways. I love making people laugh. I’ve spent a lot of my life feeling like people wanted me to stay in one lane. I finally realized my box is larger than any box someone else puts me in.”

Carla began her career as an accountant in her hometown of Nashville before pivoting to modeling, culinary school and breaking out as a fan favorite on Top Chef in 2008. She went on to co-host ABC’s The Chew and author bestselling cookbooks, but her most recent project is her most personal—and most fun—yet.

Earlier this year, she debuted her one-woman show, Please Underestimate Me, which blends storytelling, comedy and more into a theatrical experience. “I wanted a show like Carol Burnett,” she says. “I told myself, I’m not leaving it up to chance. I’m following this. In that lucky moment, I was prepared. If you stay ready, you ain’t got to get ready!” Here, Carla talks cooking, keeping the faith in yourself and finding joy in every day.

Reach for the sky

“I’m an adventurer. I love doing lots of different things. If somebody offered me millions of dollars to do one thing for the rest of my life, I’d turn the money down. I don’t want one thing—I want all the things!” Carla says with a smile. “What’s funny is in life I do love order and structure. I still think like an accountant. I can color outside the lines as long as I know where the lines are.”

Carla’s advice for success and joy? Challenge yourself! “I’m competitive with myself. If I decide to do something, I want to be good at it. One time, I wanted to be a bodybuilder. Then I saw the shoes and thought, absolutely not. But the point wasn’t body building. It was having something to reach for.”

Cooking magic

Carla was working as a runway model in Paris and navigating a breakup when she started cooking. “For me, cooking started because I was missing home,” she shares. “When I moved back, I was cobbling my way through and cooked for my sister’s baby shower. A friend couldn’t come, and I said, ‘That’s okay, I’ll bring you lunch tomorrow.’ The next day, she introduced me to somebody and said, ‘This is my friend Carla. She has a food business.’ I thought, apparently I do. They asked what it was called, and I said, ‘The Lunch Bunch.’ I was ‘The Lunch Lady’ for five years.”

At 30, Carla decided to go to culinary school. “Recipes are puzzles to me. Cooking lets me use both sides of my brain—it’s that combination of creativity, but also precision. I went to culinary school because I wanted to understand why things worked, you know? I wanted the science behind the magic.”

A surprising superpower

Next time someone underestimates you, Carla suggests using it as a strength. “When I competed on Top Chef, I was 44. I was an older Black woman, a caterer—a lot of people looked at me and thought, We don’t need to worry about her. Then I started winning. Suddenly, they were all asking, ‘Wait, what’s happening?’ Being underestimated is actually one of my superpowers. I say, ‘Underestimate me. Please. I’ll show you.’”

Follow your heart

“My grandmother, Granny Mae, used to tell me something that stayed with me forever. She’d say, ‘It’s your job to be happy, not to be rich.’ That has guided so many decisions in my life. If she could see me now, I think she’d be proud—not because of television or books or awards, but because she’d know I followed my heart.” Like Carla says in her live show, “I’m no longer being held back. I’m finally flying.”

Don’t miss Carla’s new cookbook!

Carla Bakes is the baking book she’s dreamed about releasing for years. Beyond delicious recipes like her Giant Frosted Strawberry Pop-Tart, Sweet Grits Brûlée, Southern Peach Baked Hand Pies and Citrus Sour Cherry Scones, the heart of the book is what Carla calls the “bits and bobs” section—it features fillings, syrups, textures and flavors readers can swap in or make their own. “I want people to play,” she says. Her favorite recipe? “The lemon meringue cake and the sweet potato cinnamon rolls are hard to beat!”

Watch our full chat with Carla!

To see our full conversation with Carla below or our YouTube channel to see chats with other wonderful stars.