Lesley Headshot

Lesley Balla

location-pin Seattle, Washington

School: Ohio University

Expertise: Cooking techniques; Baking; Beer, wine & cocktails; Food news; Grocery shopping; Restaurants; Travel

Lesley Balla

  • More than 20 years in food, lifestyle and hospitality publishing, including writing for brands like Taste of Home, Resy, 10Best, Food Fanatics, The Seattle Times, The Hollywood Reporter, Los Angeles magazine, Modern Luxury's Angeleno and LA Weekly
  • Radio guest on KCRW’s “Good Food” with Evan Kleiman, covering various food, restaurant and drink topics, 2007-2019
  • Oversaw digital outlets for well-known brands, including the Los Angeles editions of Eater and Zagat
  • 10 years in the restaurant industry, working every shift possible, from cooking to serving and bartending

Experience

As a digital editor for Taste of Home, Lesley writes and edits recipes, works closely with our freelance writers, and tracks cooking and food trends. After working in hospitality for a decade, Lesley has reported on the food industry for over 20 years, covering national, regional, and local print and digital publications.

Throughout her career, she’s highlighted famous and unsung culinary heroes, featured up-and-coming wine and spirits destinations, and closely followed the food scenes and chefs in many cities. Her cooking style has been influenced by the places she's lived, including a long stint in Southern California, where she still visits as often as possible, if only for the citrus and avocados.

When not at her desk, you’ll find Lesley taking photos of everything, hitting farmers markets, baking something delicious at home, and road-tripping around the Pacific Northwest with her husband and their bottled-chaos pup, Pucci, shucking oysters and cracking crabs along the way.

Education

  • Ohio University, bachelor's in English
  • Mt. Hood Community College, Connoisseur of Oregon Wine certificate
  • University of Washington, coursework in Storytelling & Content Strategy

Taste of Home Editorial Policies


Taste of Home

Articles & Recipes

I Tried Rachael Ray’s Valentine’s Day Cocktail, and I’ll Be Making It All February Long

Rachael Ray's vibrant Love Gun cocktail is the perfect kickoff to Valentine's Day (or any day, really).

I’m Making Giada De Laurentiis’s Easy Antipasti Skewers for My Olympics Watch Party

We can’t all be in Italy to watch the Olympics in person like Giada De Laurentiis, but we can throw an Olympics viewing party with some of her famous snacks.

I Tried Shredded Tofu, and Even Tofu Haters Will Love It

Once seasoned and baked, shredded tofu is the perfect addition to rice bowls, tacos, bulgogi and more.