Elise Jesse

8 years in local television as a sports reporter and 5 years as a writer for Sports Illustrated covering the NFL with an emphasis on the Cincinnati Bengals
Recipient of an Ohio Valley Emmy Award in broadcast journalism
Creator of @ejscookin, a FoodTok account with almost 90K followers

Experience

Elise is a home chef, recipe developer and food influencer. She enjoys experimenting with different flavors and techniques and sharing the results with her thousands (and thousands) of followers on TikTok and Instagram.

Her cooking experience spans decades, beginning in her Grandma Jan's kitchen, where she watched in awe as everyday meals became events complete with individual desserts. Elise helped her mother re-create recipes from Taste of Home in the '80s and '90s, and now she takes pride in sharing the joy of cooking with her own family.

Outside Taste of Home, Elise is chasing after her young daughter and son and attending University of Cincinnati basketball games in support of her husband. You can also find her tending to the family's "pizza garden" or watching '90s movies.

Education

Mount Saint Joseph University, bachelor's in psychology with a minor in communication studies

Taste of Home Editorial Policies

Taste of Home, a Trusted Media Brand, has been a reliable source for recipes, cooking tips and entertaining advice for more than 30 years. Every month, our content inspires well over 20 million home cooks to get creative in the kitchen. Each one of our 40 thousand recipes has gone through a rigorous testing and approval process to ensure we’re sharing the very best. Every snack, ingredient and product we recommend is tested by our team of culinary experts and professional product testers—the best of the best earn our Test Kitchen-Preferred seal of approval. Learn more about Taste of Home and our Test Kitchen and editorial teams.

Articles & Recipes

Elise Jesse’s S’mores Bites

These sweet little bites are just as fun but way less messy than classic s'mores. I make my own marshmallow fluff, but you can use store-bought, too. —Elise Jesse, Cincinnati, Ohio

Elise Jesse’s Taco Bouquet

I love taco night, but sometimes I just need a break from the dishes. Washing every little topping bowl used to hold me back from throwing taco night until I decided to create a Taco Bouquet. I started making this on vacation when I had minimal dishes to use, and I wanted to make sure my little kids kept the floor clean. This simple method saved me time, but didn’t sacrifice flavor. The unique cone shape keeps all the toppings from falling out, making it an easy meal you can walk around with at summer parties, too. —Elise Jesse, Cincinnati, Ohio

Elise Jesse’s Citrus Margarita Popsicles

If you want to create a buzz at your next party, save this recipe because it's easy, refreshing, and doubles as an instant conversation starter. We are skipping the blender and making my favorite Margarita Poptail! This cocktail on a stick is a make-ahead option and is easily customizable with whatever kind of juice you prefer. Plus, it’s just boozy enough to keep the conversations going. — Elise Jesse, Cincinnati, Ohio