I’m Yumna, the recipe developer, entrepreneur, cookbook author, and founder of Feel Good Foodie, where millions of home cooks come every month to find approachable, healthy recipes with feel-good ingredients. My mission is simple: to make healthy cooking easy, accessible, and joyful for families everywhere.
Quick Facts
- Expertise: Healthy recipe development, Mediterranean-inspired cooking, social media food content, packaged food entrepreneur.
- Experience: Over a decade of recipe creation and food storytelling; Founder of Feel Good Foodie (9.5M+ social followers) and author of The Feel Good Foodie Cookbook, a USA Today Bestseller.
- Education: Bachelor’s degree, University of Michigan Business School.
- Career Background: 10 years in Marketing before launching Feel Good Foodie.
- Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan.
- Family: Lives with her husband and two kids, Carine and Adam.
- Other Ventures: Founder of Oath, a packaged overnight oats brand.
My Journey
Funny enough, I didn’t know how to cook when I got married. I worked in marketing in the retail food industry back then, but that didn’t mean I could cook. Why should I cook when I was spoiled by a mother who was a great cook?
In those early days of my marriage, I would stop by my mom’s house on the way home from work and pick up food for dinner. I couldn’t imagine how I was ever going to get dinner on the table after a long day at work! My mom was a wizard in the kitchen, making all the Lebanese classics we grew up eating, but also making them fresh and modern and so good.
I wanted to cook like that. So I started asking her to teach me how to cook one recipe at a time – over the phone. It was 2007, and there was no FaceTime, but we made it work. Feel Good Foodie is rooted in that experience.
Now, I get to be the wizard in the kitchen, helping you get dinner on the table every night. I know how hard it is! I also know that you can do it.
My Cooking Philosophy
My recipes are inspired by the Lebanese dishes of my childhood, paired with fresh, modern takes on family meals. I believe that cooking should feel good, not stressful, and that’s why I focus on making it approachable for everyone. You can expect the recipes to be:
- Nutritious and wholesome
- Family-friendly
- Easy to follow (with step-by-step photos, videos, and tips)
- Packed with Mediterranean flavor
- Tested and perfected in my home kitchen
Where You Might Have Seen Me
- People Magazine: Feel Good Foodie’s Yumna Jawad Shares 4 Overnight Oat Recipes for What She Calls ‘Morning Dessert.
- Good Morning America: Yumna shares 4 easy feel-good Mother’s Day recipes from her debut cookbook.
- Live with Kelly and Mark: Yumna makes her viral cottage cheese cookie dough recipe live with on National Television.
- Women’s World Magazine: Feel Good Foodie Yumna Jawad Shares Fall Air Fryer Recipes that take the guesswork out of easy dinners.
Fun Facts About Me
- I was born Congo and raised in Sierra Leone until I was 11 years old when we moved to Michigan as refugees.
- Arabic was my first language, and I think I can attribute most of the English I learned when I moved to the U.S. to Saved By the Bell!
- My favorite food in the world is stuffed grape leaves!
- I love to draw and paint and wish I had more time to continue it as a hobby.
Let’s Connect
Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube and join millions of others who are cooking with me every day.
