Spinning Plates

Not only does Daron’s mom hand-stitch all of “Chef D’s” coats, she often accompanies him when he books dinners for more than six guests. “I call her my sous chef/embroiderer/right hand,” he says. “She’s 100% supportive.”

Daron Hall has been hustling since he was a kindergartener. At the tender age of 5, he started walking to his family’s grocery store after school to stock food and carry bags for a 25-cent tip. “My dad was on me because his dad was on him about working growing up. We didn’t go to summer camps; we went to the store or we went to the farm during the summertime,” Daron says. That grocery store, the legendary K Hall & Sons Produce, was opened by Daron’s grandfather more than 50 years ago on Wright Avenue in Little Rock. In the late 1990s, Daron’s father began serving hot food inside the store, which he cooked and dished out with his three sons by his side. In 2018, Daron and his brothers, Devin and David, Jr.—all grown up now—started a food truck called HallBros2Go. They travel to festivals, cater events, and, on select weekends, park the truck outside K Hall & Sons for “Soul Food Sunday,” a new tradition that has people lined up around the block for a taste of country-fried wings and catfish. 

Now, in addition to working a full-time job in medical sales, helping out at K Hall & Sons, and running a food truck with his brothers, Daron has launched his own private chef business, coincidentally coined Plated by TheCutUpChef. (He’s “cut up” because when he’s not cooking, he’s training for bodybuilding competitions.) Daron also manages the social media accounts for all of the above. “There’s no time to sleep. But, you know, I’m not married, no kids yet. It does make it a little bit easier for me to stay busy,” Daron laughs. 

Growing up, all the men in Daron’s family were good cooks, and that passion and skill rubbed off on him. Not surprisingly, he started his sales career at Sysco, distributing food and supplies to area restaurants. In that role, Daron got to witness some of central Arkansas’s best-known chefs in action, which only deepened his interest in the culinary scene. A travel buff, Daron would also sign up for cooking classes to learn new cuisines when he went abroad. Those experiences—coupled with a lot of trial and error—helped the budding chef refine his palate. When a friend asked Daron for private chef recommendations for his wife’s birthday, Daron was ready: he offered to do it himself. Soon, he began receiving requests via social media for four- and five-course elevated dining experiences. “Then I saw that there’s actually more of a demand for it in Little Rock than I expected,” he says. 

So how does he do it? “It’s a passion,” Daron says. “I love seeing people’s reactions when they take their first bite of my food.” But with Plated by TheCutUpChef, the king of side gigs may have finally reached his limit on new ventures: “I don’t want to have my own restaurant. I just love being able to cook, go home, and not have to worry about anything else,” he says. Except all the other ways he keeps Little Rock well-fed, that is.

“I used to visit my godparents in New Orleans, and my godfather was an awesome cajun cook. I borrowed a bit from him and just put my own twist on it,” Daron says of his shrimp and grits, one of his favorite dishes to make.

Daron’s airline chicken breast is stuffed with prosciutto, Boursin cheese, and diced tomatoes and topped with a smoked Gouda cream sauce. It’s served here with a colorful array of heirloom carrots and roasted asparagus.

K Hall & Sons has been known to sell out of Daron’s strawberry cinnamon rolls.

RECIPE

DARON’S “BIG BACK” BANANA PUDDING CHEESECAKE

Banana pudding is already served at K Hall & Sons and HallBros2Go, so when it came time to develop dessert ideas for his personal menu, Daron played with the fan favorite until he came up with a new take to offer his clients: a banana pudding cheesecake.

SHOP

Crust
1 1/2 cups finely crushed vanilla wafers
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup butter, melted
17-20 whole vanilla wafers

Filling 
2 ripe bananas, diced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
24 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Toppings 
1 ripe banana, sliced
9-10 whole vanilla wafers
1/2 cup coarsely crushed vanilla wafers
whipped cream or caramel sauce, if desired

PREPARE

Preheat oven to 350°F. To make the crust, combine crushed vanilla wafers, pecans, and melted butter in a small bowl, stirring until well blended. Grease and flour a 9-inch springform pan, then press crust mixture onto the bottom. Line sides of the pan with whole vanilla wafers (Daron uses about 17), with the flat sides turned in. Bake 10 minutes, then let cool completely on a wire rack. 

To make cheesecake filling, first combine bananas, lemon juice, and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until brown sugar has dissolved (about 1 minute). Remove from heat. Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese at medium speed until smooth (about 3 minutes). Gradually add granulated sugar, then each egg one at a time, beating thoroughly between each addition. Add vanilla, then gently stir in banana mixture until well combined. Pour batter into crust. 

With oven still preheated to 350°F, bake cheesecake until the center is set (about 45 to 55 minutes). Let cool slightly in the pan (about 5 minutes), then gently run a knife around the edge of the  pan to loosen and remove cheesecake. Let cool completely (about 1 hour) on a wire rack, then cover and chill for 8 hours. Top with sliced bananas, whole vanilla wafers, and coarsely crushed vanilla wafers. Serve with whipped cream or a caramel sauce drizzle.