Skip to content
  • Recipes
    • Round-Ups
  • Grilling
  • Pies, Tarts, Crisps
  • Classes
    • Portuguese Custard Tarts Class
  • Meet David
    • My Publications & Published Works
    • Why You Can Trust our Recipes
    • About Us
    • Masthead
    • Contact Us
  • Giveaways
    • Sweepstakes Rules
    • Giveaway FAQs
    • Winners
  • Login

Home | Elsa M. Jacobson

Elsa M. Jacobson

Elsa M. Jacobson is the child of a Swede and an Eagle Scout, which, as her pal Breadman has said, “explains everything.” Her father, the Eagle Scout, was also Jewish, so she had the pleasures of a dual-dining culture growing up. She has been vegetarian since the age of nine, and has never looked back.

After graduating valedictorian with a BFA in Fiber, she worked for the National Endowment for the Arts, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and Merce Cunningham Dance Company, followed by Event Managing AIDS Walks nationwide, and subsequently serving as Regional Director for Chicago’s Green Festival. She loves to study and has taken Swedish classes wherever she can find them, including both Columbia and Harvard. She currently manages three neighborhood farmers markets in Chicago, and vends arguably the nation’s finest tofu at three others, while also providing tofu education to customers and staff trainees. She has a deep interest in cheese of all types, has taught cheese and cheese making, and assisted chefs at cooking schools, among them Sur La Table, as well as testing recipes for other publications.

Elsa is an avid environmentalist, a Chicago Conservation Corps leader, has worked for the Chicago Park District, serves for an organization that upcycles plastic grocery bags into sleeping mats for the homeless, as well as on the operating committee of the Chicago Volunteer Expo. She has a passion for seniors, and has served on the board of multiple senior homes for the past two decades. Elsa additionally has a strong passion for community, and lives in an intentional community dedicated to greening and sustainability. She is curious, nerdy, enjoys process and details, has a quirky sense of humor, loves being of service, and is, at her core, 100% an introvert. She was accepted into the ranks of LC testers on December 7, 2006, after taking a food journalism class with the fat daddy himself, David Leite.

Elsa Jacobson
A bowl of edible chocolate chip cookie dough with a spoon and napkin on the side.

Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

15 mins

An apple and celery salad in a creamy dressing, garnished with mint leaves in a yellow scalloped bowl.

Apple and Celery Salad

15 mins

Two glasses of peach iced tea with mint leaves and peach slices for garnish.

Peach Iced Tea with Mint

2 hrs

A person using a kitchen towel to hold the sides of a large skillet filled with strawberries that are tossed with butter and sugar.

Caramelized Strawberries with Ricotta

15 mins

A white oval serving platter filled with carrot ribbon salad and garnished with cilantro leaves.

Carrot Ribbon Salad

35 mins

A pale blue bowl filled with white bean hummus, topped with parsley, olives, seeds, and oil

White Bean Hummus

10 hrs

A platter of Mediterranean nachos topped with yogurt, hummus, cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, feta, and chickpeas on a wooden platter

Mediterranean Nachos

20 mins

Four fried polenta sticks on a plate topped with Parmesan and a lemon wedge on the side.

Fried Polenta Sticks

2 hrs

A black plate with broccolini with tahini sauce.

Broccolini with Tahini Sauce

15 mins

Roasted pear with honey and rosemary on sourdough, on a marble slab tray, beside a jar of honey, a spoon, and sprigs of rosemary.

Roasted Pear with Honey and Rosemary

30 mins

Spicy cranberry sauce in a grey pottery bowl on a white tablecloth, beside a serving spoon.

Spicy Cranberry Sauce

30 mins

Adobo seasoning in a small bowl with a wooden spoon full of seasoning.

Adobo Seasoning

5 mins

Hot artichoke dip in a white pottery bowl with a serving spoon, beside a bowl of toasted bread.

Hot Artichoke Dip

20 mins

Roasted beet, feta, and mint salad in a pottery bowl on a. linen napkin.

Roasted Beet, Feta, and Mint Salad

1 hr

A plate with a serving of cranberry apple crisp and scoop of ice cream.

Apple Cranberry Crisp

1 hr 25 mins

A bowl of white beans and Tuscan kale, sprinkled with grated Parmesan cheese, with a spoon.

White Beans and Tuscan Kale

1 hr 40 mins

A spoonful of mustard cream sauce dripping in a copper pot

Mustard Cream Sauce

15 mins

A hand sprinkling homemade Old Bay Seasoning in a small glass bowl.

Homemade Old Bay Seasoning

5 mins

A soft green casserole dish filed with lightly charred broccolini, kale, and green beans, sprinkled with chile flakes and garlic.

Charred Greens with Garlic

40 mins

A white plate sitting on a folded napkin on a wooden table, with a pile of cheese crisps on top and one leaning against the plate.

Easy Keto Cheese Crisps

25 mins

Posts navigation

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • …
  • 9

As Seen In

New York Times Logo.
The Today Show logo.
NBC logo.
The Splendid Table logo.
Martha Stewart logo.
Bon Appetit logo.
NPR logo.
Saveur logo.
ABC logo.
Back to top
Leite's Culinariafooter logo
  • Recipes
  • Articles
  • David Blahg
  • Podcast
  • My Books
  • Meet David
  • Contact

© 1999-2025 Leite's Culinaria, Inc. Terms • Privacy Policy • Accessibility • Powered by CultivateWP.