DC: You wrote two popular cookbooks, are on an Emmy award winning lifestyle series, and just opened a new restaurant. What has been the most challenging and why?
CH: It has all been a wild and fun ride. Although that sounds fantastic (and it is!), the challenging thing is time management. Whether it's finding the time to do all the things that I’m passionate about or finding the time to take care of myself and my family - no matter what you are doing in life, or what your path is, or how successful you are - we are all still stuck with 24 hours in a day. It’s just as challenging to manage my time now with the restaurant and everything else as it was years ago when I had my catering company.
DC: People notice your personality and style. Describe both.
CH: I like to think that I have a warm personality because that was how I was raised. I have the belief that nobody is a stranger - everyone you pass on the street is just a friend you haven’t met yet. I feel very lucky to have that outlook from my Southern upbringing. I’m always meeting interesting people and making connections, because it's just a part of my everyday life to stay open to meeting new people and having new conversations. That’s the atmosphere that we tried to create at the restaurant as well. Everything is homey and warm and a little eclectic (like me!). Our customers (friends) only have the option of eating at community tables - with the hopes that no matter how big or small your dining party - you feel as though you are experiencing our food with family.
DC: Although you grew up in the south your culinary training is in classic French. What is your approach to combining the two to create great tasting dishes?
CH: After many years of not honoring the food I grew up on, I decided to use my classical training to refine the dishes I grew up on. Since I didn't grow up in the kitchen when I was a kid, it was easy to apply the techniques that I learned at school versus relearning what I was taught as a child.
DC: Thanksgiving is around the corner. Does your family expect you to do all the cooking and if so, what will your dinner table look like?
CH: My family really looks forward to the atmosphere in the house as much as they do the food. Matthew is always in charge of the music playlist, and everyone pitches in here and there in preparing the food. The prep time is always lively and fun and what makes it feel special.
My dinner table at the holidays follows tradition because everyone always expects certain dishes - they have their hopes set on them! I try and advise people to think about their menu in practical terms (that’s the caterer in me). Design a menu with a mix of foods according to how you can cook them. If your turkey is in the oven and you only have one oven - what sides can you make on the stove top or grill or in advance? How many pots and casserole dishes do you have, and how will you divide them up to make the different items?
DC: Every chef has a go to recipe, but what cuisine or dish would you not attempt to make in your own kitchen?
CH: I have yet to master breads. It's a growing passion of mine (in my head), so I just need to do it already!
DC: As we approach the end of the 2016 and look towards 2017, what more can we expect from Carla Hall?
CH: Considering the fact that I can hardly believe that 2016 is over, I am hoping that 2017 is a wonderful mix of a little of the old and a little of the new. I’m working on a new cookbook now, so between that, The Chew, Carla Hall’s Southern Kitchen and some of the fun charitable and culinary events that I do every year, I feel extremely blessed. There are so many friends whom I haven’t met yet that I look forward to getting to know in 2017!