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’ve made it my mission to help 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 in 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.
