Carla Hall Talks Comfort Food, 'Super Sleuthing' at Brookside

"I messed up in front of millions people on T.V., you can mess up in front of two or three people," Carla Hall said, encouraging attendees of Green Matters to cook without tension by giving themselves permission to mess up. "By taking the pressure off, you can cook better."

Hall, who owns a catering company in Silver Spring and is currently appearing on Top Chef: All Stars after ending up a finalist in season five of the show, was the final speaker at the Brookside Gardens' all-day conference on sustainable food practices. 

In addition to entertaining attendees with stories of food challenges on Top Chef, Hall hoped to inspire people to get back in the kitchen. The recipe for that? Going back to comfort food, but getting excited about "sleuthing" out ways to make an old favorite a little bit new. 

Some examples: adding dehydrated corn to cornbread mixture, adding sweet potato chips on top of a stew with sweet potatoes in it. Layering flavors, Hall said, can bring a recipe to another level.

The idea, Hall says, is to enjoy cooking by being concious about the ingredients you use and how you prepare them, while making it fun.