I'M EXCITED FOR CHANGE!

Carla Hall lives by a surprising motto:

"You can always just quit," she says, laughing over a Zoom call from her Washington, D.C., home. That philosophy has allowed Hall, 59, to reinvent herself time and again. Prior to becoming a Top Chef fan favorite in 2011 (she competed in seasons 5 and 8) and a cohost on The Chew for seven years, Hall was a CPA at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

"I really did not enjoy that job," she says. "I quit because I said, 'I don't want to be 40 and hate my job."" It turned out to be a life-changing decision. Hall, who will turn 60 in May, is happier and more confident than ever. "I'm all into this decade. I want to shout, 'Look! I'm 60! I'm excited!" she says. "I want to lean into the wisdom that I feel that I've gained." Oh, and she loves her latest job. Hall stars in and serves as an executive producer on Max's new food adventure series Chasing Flavor (premiering Feb. 1). In her first lead hosting role, she travels the world to trace the roots of iconic American dishes like chicken pot pie (Jamaica) and ice cream (Italy and Turkey). She couldn't do this dream gig, she explains, without all the lessons that came before.