The Creative Kitchen | Meet Our Friends: Kelsey Nixon

Kelsey Nixon

Chef, cookbook author, and host of Cooking Channel’s Kelsey’s Essentials

We’re thrilled to have Kelsey Nixon joining us at the Kids Food Festival in NYC’s Bryant Park! Catch Kelsey as makes fruit skewers on our free Main Stage Sunday, March 2nd at 11:00 am, or buy tickets here to join her in our James Beard Foundation Future Foodies Pavilion Sunday, March 2nd at 12:00 pm for a hands-on cooking class.

One look at Kelsey’s resume and it would appear she’s had decades of experience under her chef’s coat. She has starred in and executive produced her own college cooking show, interned at Martha Stewart and Food Network, attended culinary school, competed on The Next Food Network Star, served as a private chef, taught cooking classes at Sur La Table, and developed recipes for corporate brands and restaurants. In reality, the fresh-faced host of Kelsey’s Essentials on Cooking Channel received her degree in Broadcast Journalism just a few short years ago. Following the success of her network show, Kelsey has added author to her growing list of job titles with the February launch of Kitchen Confidence: Essential Recipes and Tips that will Help You Cook Anything (Clarkson Potter).

What was your favorite food to eat as a child?

My favorite childhood snack was a unique one that I still love today. I loved baby dill pickles wrapped in a slice of Swiss cheese! This crazy combo is super delicious and healthful.

Do you have children? If so, what do you like to make for them or with them?

I have an 18-month-old son named Oliver! He’s just starting to eat lots of different types of food, but we love snacking on edamame together. When it comes to cooking, he loves it when I make my tortellini with lemon cream sauce.

What is your favorite childhood memory in the kitchen?

I’ll never forget the first time I was asked to help my mom with a roast chicken. Company was coming over and I was shocked at how easy it was to prepare a roast chicken, yet how elegant and delicious it looked coming out of the oven! I still make roast chicken today and always think of that memory.

What was your favorite recipe to help make when you were a kid?

I’ve always had a sweet tooth, so when I was a kid, I would most look forward to making my Grandma Karen’s Banana Chocolate Chip cookies. We’d always make a big batch and freeze half of them so that a homemade chocolate chip cookie was never too far away!