Jolene KeslerJolene Kesler

Meet Jolene, the creator of Simple Cooking with Pep. Jolene is a former food scientist for a major confectionary company, chef, food writer, food stylist and photographer. Jolene uses her social media pages to share her love of cooking with others and inspires others to rediscover or find joy and pep for cooking.

Jolene did not grow up surrounded by exquisite cuisines or with anyone really that cooked. Her mom hated to cook and would often make boxed meals for dinners. Jolene helped prepare the boxed meals with her mom and brother, and although there wasn’t much culinary skill involved, Jolene grew up to love the fact that food brought people together. It wasn’t necessarily about if the meal was a 5 star meal or a 1 star meal. It was about the memories that were created. These boxed meals are still remembered fondly by Jolene as some of the most delicious meals she’s ever eaten, because of the special ingredient that anyone would say is the most important above anything else – love. 

While Jolene loves to cook quite a bit more than her mom, she is a very busy mom of 3 little boys and wife to a husband who often works long hours. Jolene wants to share recipes that others can easily recreate at home so that their families can grow up with the fond memories that Jolene had as a child, even if it came from a box.