Carla Hall has worn many hats throughout her life. She was a model, an accountant and now one of the final three contestants on Bravo’s “Top Chef: New York.” Hall spoke to Release exclusively about cooking with love, President Barack Obama and her last meal.

Release: Tell me a little about your career progression; you’ve been an accountant, model and chef? How did that happen? Where did you go to school for accounting and culinary studies?

Carla Hall: I went to school (Howard University) for accounting — actually I wanted to major in theater, but I got a little scared (Laughs).

So I went to college and majored in accounting and then worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers in Tampa for a couple of years, got the whole CPA [Certified Public Accountants] thing, and then once I was certified I’m like, “OK, I can go on to do something else.” I didn’t know what that was. I went to Paris and modeling for me wasn’t a dream; It was a bridge between what I didn’t want to do and what I wanted to do, and I didn’t know what that was. While I was in Paris I was buying cookbooks and using them as I could to make things. I eventually went on to have a lunch delivery service and after doing that for five years I went to culinary school. I guess that was when I was about 30 and then after culinary school I worked in restaurants, and then I was working at a women’s social club where I was the executive chef and director and then I went on to start my own catering company.

Release: So, you’ve been considered the underdog the whole competition — what do you think got you to the finals?

CH: I had the skills all along, I think what held me back was having the confidence in myself to actually do what I knew I could do. A lot of times in competition you are assessing others, you look at what the person has done and judge it. I just wanted to be able to feel confident. For me, my biggest competitor was myself and to actually feel comfortable and feel good about what I was putting before the judges.

Release: Can you tell me more about your love philosophy when cooking?

CH: I believe that all of the emotions you are feeling when you’re cooking food, especially when you share it with other people, go into the food. I really do call love the secret ingredient because if you’re in a happy place — if you’re happy about anything — it’s not just cooking, if you’re happy taking out the trash, if you’re happy about doing the laundry, you do a good job. When you don’t want to do something, you don’t do it well. It’s as simple as that really. Cooking food is a passion that I have and I enjoy seeing people enjoy the food and that’s why I do it. My biggest fear was doing something I did not love. Being 40 and hating my job. So now that I love my job, everybody benefits. I benefit, the people who eat my food benefit and it’s a great thing. I think the country would be totally better; actually the world would be very different if everybody loved what they did.

Release: Was there any specific instance or aspect of your personality you wish came off better during the show that didn’t? Do you feel you were accurately portrayed?

CH: Not necessarily, I think the show captures my quirky, kind of hyper side, it captures my centering side, it captures my serious side about food, it captures me really caring about other people.

Release: What about anybody else? Was anybody painted unfairly as a villain?

CH: You know what, if you say it, they can play it. So if we say something, it can be played. I know Stefan is portrayed as a villain. I actually like Stefan, and I think that he’s portrayed as a villain, but that’s how he plays the game. He gets to know his competitors. He may see a weak spot, he may manipulate that, but not to be undercutting. It’s like the art of war, you asses your competition and you see where they’re weak and you go in not for the kill but you approach it like, “OK, I know this is how I can succeed.”

Release: You mentioned a few times during the show and via e-mail that you don’t like when vegetarians are relegated to side dishes, so what’s one of your favorite vegetarian meals to cook?

CH: Oh! I love polenta! Love, love, polenta. I just had some last night. I love polenta and I love ratatouille. So mid-summer when the eggplants are matching the tomatoes, that would be a happy, happy time for me.

Release: Have you been watching yourself? If so, what’s that like?

CH: I have watched some. I’ve watched some with friends. It’s weird, but I find it stressful because I relive the experience as I’m watching the show. Sometimes it’s weird because I have these facial expressions and people would always talk about my eyes and to see myself, yes, my eyes are bugging out and yes, I make these facial expressions, but I don’t see myself that way, so it is funny to see.

Release: What was it like going from the show back to your catering company? Was it a hard transition?

CH: I was exhausted mentally and physically but stepping back in, people who were working for me were like, “Oh you’ve changed, you undercut.” There was a part of me that I think was revived from the show, and there was definitely a confidence I came back with that helps me with the day to day. And we’ve been really busy. I think I’ve fallen — I’ve always loved what I did — but I think I’ve fallen in love with the idea of trying new things.

Release: Did you have a favorite challenge on the show?

CH: I would have to say I loved the Le Bernardin (Episode 11) challenge, and it’s because what that meal said to me, having all those dishes, is there is complexity and simplicity, and that’s how I cook. It gave me confidence to say what I do is OK, and then the next week when I had to cook for Jacques P√É.√©pin I was like, “You want squab and peas?” He was going to get squab and peas. Squab, a nice sauce and peas. Peas are peas.

Release: Did you have a least favorite challenge?

CH: I would have to say it was probably the Christmas challenge, the 12 Days of Christmas (Episode Six).

Release: If you could cook one meal for anybody in history, who would it be and what would it be?

CH: Oh, let’s see … now that I’ve got Jacques out of the way (Laughs), I think it would be Obama. I think it would be President Obama and I heard he likes peach cobbler. So, I’d start him with dessert because life is uncertain. He might have to get up and walk out and then I would go on to make him something homey with a little twist on it. I don’t know what it would be, he likes homey food. I would have to ask him what that would be.

Release: What would your last meal be?

CH: Oh! My last meal would hands down be a hamburger, so juicy that the juice runs down my arm while I’m eating it. Oh my gosh, yes, that would be last meal with some perfectly fried french fries and fresh lemonade.

Release: It seems a few times through the show you were happy to see Gail. Why all the love for Gail Simmons?

CH: Well, I think initially it was, “Oh my god, this is the new judge! Can you come back?” You know, the devil that you know is better than the devil that you don’t know. But I respect Gail as a judge and I think she’s a really nice, thoughtful person, as are all the judges. So, when I saw her come back in New Orleans I was like, “Oh, yay!” I love her and she’s just such a nice person and her criticisms are very constructive.

Release: Anything on the horizon? Any offers for anything you can talk about?

CH: Nothing yet. It’s so exciting, people are like, “Oh you should have your own show!” I have no idea. I’m going to be in the moment; I’m going to try to continue with all the distractions to actually serve my clients good food. I just feel really blessed and fortunate to have this experience, and to be able to share myself with a lot of people.

Release: I know you must get this a lot now — I’m going to have to do it and ask: Hootie?

CH: Oh! Hootie! Hootie Hoo!