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 Chicken Tower

This Mediterranean chicken tower is simple to make but delivers bold, restaurant-worthy flavor. The marinade comes together in minutes using pantry staples and fresh herbs, and the yogurt dressing can be made ahead of time. The dish is stacked high like a centerpiece so it's perfect for dinner parties, allowing guests to carve as much or as little as they’d like. To fill out the meal, serve the chicken over rice, in wraps or with roasted veggies. —Elise Jesse, Cincinnati, Ohio

Elise Jesse’s Smash Chicken Caesar Tacos

Allow me to introduce you to smash chicken Caesar tacos. Make this recipe once, and you’ll be adding it to your weekly rotation like I have. The seasoned ground chicken is smashed and cooked onto a warm, crispy tortilla before it’s topped with chilled romaine, a creamy Greek yogurt Caesar dressing, crunchy toasted bread crumbs and fresh Parmesan. Think of it as your favorite Caesar salad turned into a cheesy, flavorful taco. I love it for its simplicity, flavor and ease. —Elise Jesse, Cincinnati, Ohio

Elise Jesse’s Strawberry Mousse

Light, luscious and layered with love, these individual strawberry mousse parfaits are what summer dreams are made of. Each jar is layered with a buttery graham cracker crust, creamy strawberry mousse and soft whipped cream. The result is elegant enough for guests, but easy enough for a Tuesday. —Elise Jesse, Cincinnati, Ohio