[3] Elie is an alumnus of the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA) and a 1981 graduate of Benjamin Franklin High School.

[7] Elie also wrote and produced the award-winning documentary Faubourg Treme: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans (2008), which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival,[8] was a winner at the 2008 San Francisco International Film Festival, and which made its TV debut on PBS in 2009.

[11][12] In 2013, Elie moved to Los Angeles where he became the executive story editor for AMC's Hell on Wheels.

[13] His work has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, Saveur,[14] Gourmet, Bon Appétit, and Smithsonian magazine[15] and he has been featured on NPR,[16] CBS News,[17] and 60 Minutes.

[20] Elie has been featured several times on Travel Channel's No Reservations[21][22] and The Layover, both hosted by Anthony Bourdain.